Diminished Value

[Inazuma]

I don't buy games to sell later so it doesn't upset me. If anything, I'm happy about it because it makes it cheaper to buy physical versions.

Games are a bad investment, generally speaking. Something that cost $50 ten years ago, likely can be bought for around $5 today.

[Erik_Twice]

ts unfair for a company to screw with the used and older stuff just to line their pockets more.

Well it's also unfair to prohibit them form selling what they want.

[videogameexperiment]

ts unfair for a company to screw with the used and older stuff just to line their pockets more.

Well it's also unfair to prohibit them form selling what they want.

True but the people selling older and used games(Not GS), most of the time, have put their life on the line for their stores. If you've watched the prices of say FFVII for years it IS profitable and that's what is keeping those stores open. But when Square is going nuts squeezing every penny out of stuff and puts it out on the PSN it KILLS those stores. You start a store 5 years ago how were you supposed to know FFVII would be on PSN today? I'm just saying those store owners are people like you and me. Square is not, they made their good amount off of FFVII. These types of situations occur in every industry and is a big reason why economy is failing.

[MrPopo]

Things people collect only have value because others feel they do. Look at sports paraphernalia. A football with The Coach's signature on it does not play any better or worse than a regular football, but it commands a higher price due to certain people who value the fact that it's autographed.

Games are an interesting case, as out of print games have two demand sources. The first is obtaining the game so that it can be played. The second is obtaining the hard copy of the game so it can be added to a collection. Digital distribution removes the demand for people who just want to play it and will allow the market to stabilize at the price people are willing to pay so they can have a hard copy of said out of print game. I personally feel this is a good thing for collectors, as it frees up more supply for them and allows them to build their collections easier. This obviously hurts resellers, but as a game company I wouldn't care about how my actions affect resellers. Resellers do not help increase my business (except through the tangental benefit of my old titles being played by new people and building up my brand image).

These types of situations occur in every industry and is a big reason why economy is failing.

This is NOT the reason there are economic troubles. The reason there are economic troubles is due to decreased customer confidence caused by the fuckups in the housing market.

[J T]

Emulators have been around for years bringing the games to the people with no money going back to game developers. They just realized they could make an earning on that stuff. Gaming companies don't owe it to you to keep your game rare. Maybe with a collector's edition they should keep a limited pressing, but otherwise, they should keep selling their games as long as they can turn a profit.

[Erik_Twice]

True but the people selling older and used games(Not GS), most of the time, have put their life on the line for their stores. If you've watched the prices of say FFVII for years it IS profitable and that's what is keeping those stores open. But when Square is going nuts squeezing every penny out of stuff and puts it out on the PSN it KILLS those stores.

But Square doesn't force you to pay 10$ for your FFVII copy, you can pay 50 for a used one if you want to. It's free market in the pure sense. Customers choose, and I choose to pay less.

Are you arguin against competition? Beucase I, as costumer, like competition very much.

You start a store 5 years ago how were you supposed to know FFVII would be on PSN today?

You don't. And?

I'm just saying those store owners are people like you and me. Square is not, they made their good amount off of FFVII.

So, I'm more like the intermediary than the creator? Please, this is populism.

[Funk, E]

Again: Games are not an investment. They are ones and zeroes and not owned by anybody but their creators, and therefore they can release them in any manner they see fit if it means they can profit.

[onemanfilmcrew]

While in the short term games like FF VII will go down in value, over the long run it will continue to rise in value.

For a comparable comparison look at comic books, which in terms of collecting pretty much mirrors video games. Over the years they have released multiple reprints of some of the most valuable comic books (X-men #1, Amazing Fantasy #15, etc), and even though collectors can buy an identical copy for $3, there is just something about having the original in your hands. The same is true with video games. Yeah I can download a copy of FF VII, but there is just something about breaking out an original copy. Sure it isn't for everyone, but then again, not everyone is a collector...

[Pulsar_t]

Emulators have been around for years bringing the games to the people with no money going back to game developers. They just realized they could make an earning on that stuff. Gaming companies don't owe it to you to keep your game rare. Maybe with a collector's edition they should keep a limited pressing, but otherwise, they should keep selling their games as long as they can turn a profit.

This. (lol it sounds so cliched). I'm very grateful to the authors of today's fine emulators but as technology advances it's going to become harder to reverse-engineer today's DRM-infested hardware to emulate it properly on future silicon. Pity, that.

[ejamer]

I always think its unfair for a company to screw with the used and older stuff just to line their pockets more.

Unfair? Are you serious?

If companies don't make games available, then the majority of people use that as an excuse for piracy. By making old games easily available at reasonable prices, the companies benefit and consumers benefit. The only people who lose out were speculators and collectors who were trying to profit from product scarcity... and I don't feel bad about those people losing out.

Of course, that's because I value playing games more than collecting them. Sure my copy of Ikaruga is worth less now - but the reason I'm holding onto it is because the game is AWESOME, not because the game is an investment of any sort.