In the current episode of our podcast, we discuss the rumor that the next Xbox will ban used games and further discuss the used vs. new debate. I feel like I didn’t present a good argument on the show, mainly because I just wasn’t prepared to discuss the topic, and that I really should explore the used vs. new debate in a column. So, here we go.
Say it isn't so, Microsoft!
In the current episode of the A Jumps B Shoots podcast, guest Brad Gallaway from gamecritics.com makes the excellent point that many gamers don’t seem to understand that actual work goes into developing a game, and that developers are real, talented people that need money to put food on their tables; Santa doesn’t make these games magically appear in December. For the most part, I agree with him. A lot of time, money and energy is spent making games and the developers and publishers deserve to make money on them. Furthermore, making a profit is not a “bad” or “evil” thing – that’s the point of running a business. However, and Gallaway echoes this sentiment, developers need to put out games that are complete. Here’s what I mean by “complete”: Little to no bugs and no content that’s locked into the disc that requires the gamer to spend money in order to access it. More importantly, developers should create games that are worth spending $60 on. Of course, whether a game is worth the new price tag is subjective, but any gamer that has taste knows that a huge portion of games that are released every year are not “Day One” purchases.
I want to make it clear that I’m not saying everyone should only buy new games. I am very much pro-used games, and I think that consumers should have the choice between buying new or used. Gamers need to be more selective in what games they purchase new, and what games they would rather wait to purchase when the used value drops. Of course, the value of new games drops rather quickly after a game has been launched, so waiting for the new price to become more reasonable would be even better.
GameStop customer service in action.
I’ve always felt that in order for the game industry, and especially the video game retail industry, to stay afloat, the used market has to be thriving as well. I’ll agree that the used market is a concern for the industry, but it’s not as bad as they’re making it out to be. The industry needs to realize that used games were originally new games, and that people that trade in games normally spend that money on purchasing a brand new title that they’ve been looking forward to playing.
The actions the game industry has taken to stifle used game sales have been ludicrous. Online passes, registration codes, “Day One DLC” and requiring gamers to create separate accounts just enjoy doing something that’s supposed to be “entertainment” is not helping anything. Jim Sterling recently responded to a Volition, Inc. developer’s statements that a console that “banned” used games “would be a fantastic change for their business” and that the industry could implement programs that would allow gamers to “lend” games to their friends via a system similar to Amazon’s “Lending Library” since they wouldn’t be able to share games with their friends the old fashioned way. Sterling notes that, “If this industry dies, it won’t be due to piracy, nor will it be to used games. Just ask the businesses that started to fail, pissed off their customers trying to fix themselves, and then died overnight. Oh wait, you can’t, because they’re dead. THAT’s what will kill this industry, if it falls. Not GameStop, and certainly not you or I.” And he concludes by saying, “It’s when I hear these ‘solutions’ to combating used games by making life tougher for every consumer, that I start to worry about this industry’s doom.” Well said, Mr. Sterling.
Truth.
Gaming is a major part of my life, and it’s my favorite hobby. I honestly want to see the industry thrive, but currently the industry is faltering. It’s true that the gaming industry is making more money than they have in the past, but their sales have been dwindling over the past few years. Only major, AAA titles seem to be keeping the industry from completely crashing, and that’s not a good thing. I don’t think the industry will ever collapse, but it will continue to go through rough times. It’s their own fault, really. They’ve “programmed” gamers to wait for “complete” editions of games to be released that are cheaper and feature all of the DLC, to think that $60 is a “reasonable” price for a new game and that new games that are less than that are “budget” titles that aren’t worth purchasing and that requiring gamers to sign up for an account to play a game is necessary and actually benefits the gamer.
If the industry is honestly concerned about used game sales effecting their bottom line than the answer is simple: lower the fucking price of new games and stop spending so much damn money on creating games. There is absolutely no need to spend $200 million in order to produce a game, even if the game winds up being outstanding. Yes, gorgeous graphics “sell” but so does stellar gameplay. I mean, one of the highest grossing games in the past few years is fucking Angry Birds. Big-budget HD visuals, 3D, particle effects, cinematic lighting, high-powered physics engines and motion blur technology don’t automatically make a game great or guarantee massive sales. Seriously, just cut the bullshit and everyone wins.
As an apology for my cynical rant, here’s a picture of Christina Hendricks:
Christina makes everything better.
2 Responses to “Used vs. New Games: Industry own worst enemy, not consumers”
I for one do not like dlc. I really don’t like the idea of dangling a carrot in front of my face after I purchase a title. I think the last game I did dlc with was borderlands, when they had that undead expansion, but it wasn’t worth a shit. What? some corny jokes or some repetitive quests with different skinned monsters and npc? I’m not saying borderlands was a really story driven game, but shit man I really liked it and was looking forward to playing more.
On the other hand, I’ve become quite spoiled with voice acting, and when I play a game without it I feel like I’m not getting the same experience. The Uncharted franchise for instance was better than a lot of the Hollywood productions I’ve seen in recent years, and worth every penny upon release.
I for one WILL spend 60 dollars on a game, but not on a whim, which is why I’m quite happy with Steam’s periodic weekend sales. The flip side to Steam however is that if I really want to take advantage of the discounts on new games, I constantly have to update my computer. Needless to say, I’ve missed many titles.
The most unfortunate thing, in my case, about banning second hand games is that if I continue to play console games I’ll be forced to purchase games from Square, Bethesda, Bioware, and the occasional EA game. I doubt I’ll ever play another basketball, college football, racing, fighting, music, party, or shooter game, even though I really enjoy all of those genre I simply don’t have the disposable income to spend top dollar on anything but those games I’m guaranteed to play for at least 50 to 60 hours.
Thanks Christina.
I’m with ya, man. DLC is, for the most part, a complete waste of money. I’ve found some exceptions (Rockstar’s games, mostly, but then again I’m a huge fan and more than a little biased), but not many. I mean, having more content to play with in a game is typically a good thing, but most of this crap they could have just had in the game in the first place. I think if DLC added a few more hours of content it could be worth getting, but it has to be damn good in order for that to work. Most of the time that’s not the case, like with Borderlands (though I’ve heard some of the DLC missions aren’t bad).
Steam’s sales are fantastic. I’ve spent probably too much money over the past year, but now I have a hefty PC game library and won’t need to purchase anything new for quite a long time. I’m a hybrid PC/console gamer, so there are only certain titles that I buy on PC anyway (some FPS, RTS, Adventure, Puzzle and Indie games).
I’ve yet to play Uncharted 3 (it’s on my list), but I’m a huge fan of the series. I’ll be getting a Vita next week to review for the site and talk about on the podcast, so I’ll have a copy of the Uncharted game on the Vita to tide me over until I get around to playing Uncharted 3. I’ve heard some good things about it, but supposedly the story isn’t as good as Uncharted 2. I don’t know, though. I’ll find out soon enough.