Do you feel bad about buying new(ish) releases used?

[Quiet Flight]

Always, always get used. If you do feel bad about it you have too much free time or something.

[J T]

Always, always get used. If you do feel bad about it you have too much free time or something.

Too much free time? That makes no sense. It's not a matter of this taking time. It's a matter of whether you want your money to go to the people that make your games or to the people that run shops like GameStop. I would much rather have my money go to the developer.

I haven't used their site yet, but I really like indievania. It's a site where 100% of what you spend goes directly to the developer. The operating costs of the site are funded by donation.

http://www.indievania.com/

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Always, always get used. If you do feel bad about it you have too much free time or something.

This is the most well reasoned argument I've ever heard in my life. In fact, I'm never buying a new game again. Thanks for the insight.

[Zing]

I'd much rather pay the extra $5 and support the developers.

This isn't directed to you personally, but why not just send the $5 directly to the developer?

I don't understand this charity mentality. There is a similar debate in the boardgaming world in regards to buying games from your local store at MSRP or buying online at a 30-40% discount.

[MrPopo]

I'd much rather pay the extra $5 and support the developers.

This isn't directed to you personally, but why not just send the $5 directly to the developer?

I don't understand this charity mentality. There is a similar debate in the boardgaming world in regards to buying games from your local store at MSRP or buying online at a 30-40% discount.

When an item is being sold by a store at a discount it doesn't affect the profits taken in by the creator (unless they sell under consignment). The standard way products are sold is that a retailer pays the developer $X per unit and sells for $Y to the customer, where Y > X. Whether or not the retailer puts it on sale, the developer has made is $X per unit. If the sale price goes below that $X then the retailer isn't making a profit on those items but it's still better than not having gotten any money at all and taking a full $X loss.

The mentality is not a charity mentality. New sales are the most important metric in terms of seeing more games we like. If space sim games don't sell well then they won't make any more, since the return won't cover the development cost. I want to ensure my dollars tell the developers and publishers that I like this game/genre and I want to see more of it.

[Retrogamer0001]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm neither rich nor made of money. I buy games to play, not to support a multi-million dollar company. I work hard for my cash, and I do my best to spend it as wisely as I can. In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with buying used games, especially because any game I buy USED was once NEW, and the developers have already made their money off of it. That being said, I am all for developers turning a profit on their investment - as soon as Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and all the third party developers open their own version of EB/Gamestop, I will be right there waiting in line!

[BoneSnapDeez]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm neither rich nor made of money. I buy games to play, not to support a multi-million dollar company. I work hard for my cash, and I do my best to spend it as wisely as I can. In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with buying used games, especially because any game I buy USED was once NEW, and the developers have already made their money off of it. That being said, I am all for developers turning a profit on their investment - as soon as Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and all the third party developers open their own version of EB/Gamestop, I will be right there waiting in line!

This.

It's quite classist and offensive to assume that anyone can afford a $60 game and that some folks simply choose to "save a buck" and buy used instead. If I had to pay full price for games I wouldn't have any games. I am not exactly well-off.

It's strange because I generally only see this new/used argument in relation to video games. I've never had someone tell me I "don't support the clothing industry" because I shop at Goodwill.

[MrPopo]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm neither rich nor made of money. I buy games to play, not to support a multi-million dollar company. I work hard for my cash, and I do my best to spend it as wisely as I can. In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with buying used games, especially because any game I buy USED was once NEW, and the developers have already made their money off of it. That being said, I am all for developers turning a profit on their investment - as soon as Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and all the third party developers open their own version of EB/Gamestop, I will be right there waiting in line!

This.

It's quite classist and offensive to assume that anyone can afford a $60 game and that some folks simply choose to "save a buck" and buy used instead. If I had to pay full price for games I wouldn't have any games. I am not exactly well-off.

It's strange because I generally only see this new/used argument in relation to video games. I've never had someone tell me I "don't support the clothing industry" because I shop at Goodwill.

You would have no games. Your entire lifetime discretionary spending budget is $55.

[Zing]

I don't understand this charity mentality. There is a similar debate in the boardgaming world in regards to buying games from your local store at MSRP or buying online at a 30-40% discount.

When an item is being sold by a store at a discount it doesn't affect the profits taken in by the creator (unless they sell under consignment).

The boardgame situation is about keeping local stores alive via an indirect charity. In the same way people think video game development could disappear if people don't buy new, some people think incentives for boardgame development would take a huge dive if all local game shops ceased to exist.

The fact is, high retail prices are actually supported by used game sales. If games had literally no value after purchase (as with digital downloads, or online-only accounts), then the perceived value of the new games would clearly drop. I suspect the system would not support the average retail game with $60 price tags if there were no method of defraying the cost via a used sale. There are very few games that can pull off the "charge $60 with no resale value" angle, and most of them have the Blizzard logo on the box.

[isiolia]

The fact is, high retail prices are actually supported by used game sales. If games had literally no value after purchase (as with digital downloads, or online-only accounts), then the perceived value of the new games would clearly drop. I suspect the system would not support the average retail game with $60 price tags if there were no method of defraying the cost via a used sale. There are very few games that can pull off the "charge $60 with no resale value" angle, and most of them have the Blizzard logo on the box.

Arguably, the cost of a game isn't for the "copy", it's for the experience.

You can't resell the experience of watching a movie in a theater (legally, anyway), or sitting at a sporting event or concert, but a ticket to gain entry to those things still has value.

I think it's less a matter of the market not standing for the prices without a resellable token, and more that there'd just need to be a shift in perception.