Used Games

I read a Gamasutra article this week where a bunch of game industry professionals share their perspectives on the issue of used games. The very fact that I finished reading it the same week I started shows how much I liked it. There are some real pearls of wisdom in there (that "Anonymous" guy is a genius! But I think he's a bit schizo). If you only read one page, make it page 4. Although page 5 starts with a nice lengthy rant from someone who worked in a Gamestop.

Personally, I prefer to buy my games new. I prefer to but everything new! New means more protection. If there's something wrong with it, like a missing manual or a scratched disc, I could march back into the store and shout things like "What kinda business IS this?" if I wanted to. I worked in retail so I'd never shout, but I could just switch it for another new one without a fuss. I also like encouraging developers. I've gone out of my way to buy games new, just because I was afraid of wanting to get it after it gets discontinued. We love Katamari is the first example that comes to mind. I didn't want it that much when I bought it, and after I made sure it worked I didn't touch it for a while.

On the other hand I'm a firm believer in the right to resell. I don't think it's a basic human right, but it's as good as one. Like the right to get pissed drunk. I love dumpster diving! I do it whenever I have enough time in a place where there's a discount dumpster. I do this based on the assumption that all the games in there are crap. But while I'm flipping through all those 5 year old sports games, the other games I find will either be crap, or really odd titles with niche appeal. There are alot of games that I never would have touched had it not been for the used games market, like Getting up. I found Boktai as a complete fluke in some flea market. I had been wishing I could play that game for months. Sometimes I'll find successful games I just never had the chance to buy. This is the fate that awaits every game that's released, because the industry's business model doesn't recognize games as the art form that they are!

I can understand why the corporate execs at EA and Ubi, as well as their stock holders, don't like the idea of people making millions of dollars off of "their" products (Intellectual Property laws are a joke IMO), but if you want to keep making profit, figure out a way to make your product available forever. With 10 mouse clicks or less, I can order every Charlie Chaplin movie ever. I don't know who owns the rights, but he'll get his cut. I bought Guilty Gear XX on eBay because it was discontinued by the time I wanted to buy it. The only reason I haven't played Rez yet is because my only two options to get it are eBay, and piracy. That game just didn't sell enough to have a shot at being in a discount dumpster near me. It was released 4 years ago.

I think it's a shame that so many people let themselves get screwed over by selling their games when they know how much more they'll be resold for. I understand how there are plenty of reasons someone would do it, though. I resold my copy of Splinter Cell to partially finance my purchase of Viewtiful Joe. I don't think the ones who do the reselling are particularly nice people, but until games are available forever, just like books and movies and music and maybe even television someday, I'll do as much dumpster diving as I can. And if games become available forever, I think the stock holders would be surprised how many games just start generating cash for them again. Word of mouth is powerful!