The world of used games seems from the outside to be a tumultuous one. For years I have heard nothing but complaints from friends selling games. Chief amounts these complaints is that you never get enough money for your items. People go into stores to sell their games and honestly expect to get a return of 50% or more. The logic behind it is obvious, they paid good money, and the store is going to sell it for way more then they're buying it back for. So what's the deal? or rather, where's the deal?
Lets start this journey in the past, with the age of the Game Store. Back in the day the average consumer generally had several stores to choose from: Gamecrazy, EB, Gamestop, or perhaps just a local store (Games 4 U, Game on, Game *insert pun*). Sadly in many areas this selection has dwindled significantly. Now in this glorious age of Game stores you could go just about anywhere and get a somewhat decent price for your games, so what happened you ask? You Happened my friend.
You see, one of the major turning points in the industry was when it was decided by the suits that nostalgia was no longer profitable. All the chain stores started liquidating their back stop and replacing the old NES cartridges with shiny new DVD cased games. People were only clamoring for the new games, retro was out dated and thus was seen as something just taking up shelf space. This is when the biggest bite from your buck was taken.
Not to long ago I was making one of my rare appearances in a Gamestop when I overheard two employees talking about how glad the where to "finally be getting rid of the last gene stock" that is to say: Completely removing the inventory of Gamecube, PS2 and Xbox games. This is just plain insulting. Do NOT claim to represent the video games industry if you are so quick to boot out one of the greatest generations we've seen. The legacy of PS2 is astounding, and to treat some of the greatest achievements in game development (hello, Ico and Shadow) as yesterdays garbage? No. I say good day to you sir, good day!
Back to the topic at hand. After a while Gamestop rose to power as basically the largest (read: most well known) Game retailer. Many folks tried to follow suit and many companies folded or were bought out. Sad to see really. Now Gamestop controls the game and, to be honest, they are playing as fair as they can. As much as I rag on this store they usually do the best they can with their buy-back prices. That said, you shouldn't go into anyplace thinking you'll get near retail for a game you bought 2 years ago. Just keep this in mind: Gamestop is the easiest solution. You are trading a better price for the convenience of not having to sell your game online.
A while back I worked at a store that specialized in buying used books and reselling them, so I know what a touchy subject "buying back" is. People want top dollar because they paid top dollar, but that's not how the economy works. So in that regard give game stores a break, even Gamestop (besides, there are far better reasons to loathe them) they're doing the best they can to scratch a profit out of your Madden 2008.
All that aside there may be a shift in power coming to the industry. It seems like all the heavy hitters are throwing their hats in the ring. Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Redbox, even 7-11 are rolling out used games programs. What remains to be seen is whether or not this is a good thing for us as consumers. A little healthy competition can sometimes end up hurting in the long run.
This news, while very nice indeed, doesn't affect me. I really don't sell my games, ever. I am more of a collector (that's why I'm against digital downloads for everything). I love having the box and artwork. On top of that I get attached to just about every game I play. As I have said before I still play games with a… child like mindset so to speak. Each game I play gets some memories and then a few years down the road I will replay it, and relive it. I know this is a pretty unique perspective, but it helps me add a personal touch to my games, even something to reflect on.
Concerning the corporate giants of Wal Mart and Best Buy jumping into used games there is another thing we mustn't forget about; the impact on the industry. Now, as a personal policy I don't buy used games unless they've been out for a while. I'm the type of person that would gladly spend an extra $5-$20 bucks to get the game in cellophane. That said, the industry survived back in the 90's when computer gaming was a bit more mainstream then console gaming and "Sharing Games" was the popular thing (be sure to note, that is not to say piracy, which was less prevalent).
There is one thing that has rung true throughout the ages though, and that is the self entitlement 'gamers' have. People spend years and make huge investments in these games and we don't give them a cent because we can get $5 off if we buy it used. I've heard it said that "Games are not bought to praise the developer, but to be played" How sad but true that is... I'll let the guys at Penny Arcade handle it from here:
Listen my loyal blog readers, this comic speaks the truth. This economy of used merchandise we've made is almost entirely unique. Yes I'm aware that you can buy just about anything used, but it is very different for games. While often compared to the film industry there is a crucial difference. Yes, you can buy a used DVD, but you would have to wait until after the movie was out of theaters and on DVD. Movies have a theatrical release, while games have nothing like that. Some larger titles may get a launch, but it's nothing close to the wide release of a film. Still, publishers continue to look to film as a sort of road map to measure the success of a game.
So here are some cliff notes for you on the topics we discussed today:
1. If you're trading in (selling) a game In-Store remember that you will probably get next to nothing for it if it's more than a week old.
2. When this happens DON'T COMPLAIN. You can get more money for it on the internet (probably). Don't throw a temper tantrum or get indignant.
3. When buying used try to wait a while. Don't buy a game that came out last week used for $5 off. Honestly that goes straight to Gamestop's pocket. Remember, we want to support the developer so they will continue to make the games we want to buy.
4. Please buy new if you can.
5. This is most important of all. We need to work on our sense of entitlement. Please, it only lends to a label of immaturity.
I feel like there is still a lot I want to talk about, perhaps I'll do a vlog at some point. So please, put some stock in your games. I'm not saying that buying used games is wrong, just remember where your money goes, and don't let used games use you.
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