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

[MrPopo]

As for feelings about the subject, I've never felt bad about giving money to my local game shop over some increasingly consumer unfriendly game publishing company.

You do realize that #1, if you purchase new your local game shop you purchased from gets money and #2, if the game publishing company doesn't make money the stop making games, right?

Thats true, but they wont get anywhere near the margins they get if I buy a used copy. Some of my local stores break even on new games, and some even take a small hit.

And that is silly reasoning. way before they stop making games they'll switch to a more profitable business model. One that might not involve practices I despise as much, and perhaps I will buy new then.

A more profitable business model would be to stop releasing games that may or may not do well and instead focus on stuff for the masses, like CoD, fill it full of DLC, and maybe go digital only.

[Regginmad]

I can't say that I would encourage that line of business either, however, if their current business model needs them to claim money from people buying products second hand, then clearly they should change something. If you can't sustain yourself without getting paid more than once per unit then you deserve to fail.

[Michi]

My opinion on it:
Do you feel bad about buying used books, comics, movies, or CDs? You shouldn't about buying used games, either.

Yup.

[noiseredux]

I think there's a certain weird conundrum that we, the consumer, should have to even think about the means in which we spend our money -- and will it make it to the pockets of those we desire. I'm not really voicing an opinion here, just saying that's odd, interesting, and even... well, should the consumer be expected to work that hard to spend their dollars?

[Regginmad]

I think there's a certain weird conundrum that we, the consumer, should have to even think about the means in which we spend our money -- and will it make it to the pockets of those we desire. I'm not really voicing an opinion here, just saying that's odd, interesting, and even... well, should the consumer be expected to work that hard to spend their dollars?

Of course we should. But that doesn't mean we must. I feel its our responsibility as consumers not to support practices we don't like. At least if we want to keep our freeness of speech when it comes to criticizing it. People complaining about on disk dlc and online passed should STFU if they turn around and buy those same games anyway

[DinnerX]

should the consumer be expected to work that hard to spend their dollars?

In my mind there are three categories businesses fall into.

1. Friendly businesses: These businesses care about the consumers. They aren't open to make a killing. They are open to provide a service. This sort of business is almost always locally owned and small.

2. Neutral businesses: These businesses care about making money. They aren't my friend. They aren't my enemy. Pretty much every "good" large corporation falls here.

3. Unfriendly businesses: These businesses have several practices I severely disagree with. They usually want to make money so badly they harm consumers.

Game companies are generally neutral. I don't feel any need to go out of my way to support them. They should be figuring out ethical ways to make me want to buy items from them. Some game companies fall into the unfriendly category. I don't support them, because I want them to cease existing.

[BurningDoom]

My opinion on it:
Do you feel bad about buying used books, comics, movies, or CDs? You shouldn't about buying used games, either.

Yup.

Yup you agree? Or yup you feel bad when buying these things used?

[Michi]

My opinion on it:
Do you feel bad about buying used books, comics, movies, or CDs? You shouldn't about buying used games, either.

Yup.

Yup you agree? Or yup you feel bad when buying these things used?

Sorry for not being clear. I Agree.

I have no problem buying used. Our town just had a huge used book sale and I picked up a ton of good stuff. Am I supposed to feel bad because I bought a semi-new book used for $2 instead of spending $20 for a new release or $15 for an e-book? Well, I don't.

Sure, it helps to know that all my money spent there goes to help fund the local public libraries, but I wouldn't feel any worse about it if it had been a used book store. If I wanna buy used, I'll buy used and if I wanna buy new, I'll buy new. Simple as that.

[benderx]

I wish i could buy new games $25 or less. Look at katamat damacy decent price when it was first released. I hate buy 50 or 60 dollars games because that seems outrages including the tax fee. So your games doesnt really cost 60 but an extra few dollars. Games should be as cheap as a dvd so that there would be an increase of buyers. I hate gamestop and empolyee tactics on customers , you just have to says no tO them. Fatal frame on store shelves is the same price as 2 or 3rd but not on xbox.

[Ivo]

I wish i could buy new games $25 or less.

That is sort of my point - you can do that, by buying used. If a game is $50 and you buy it new with another person, then both of you pay $25 for it (you need to share the game of course). This is actually rather similar to having someone buy it new, play it and no longer wanting to replay it, sells it to you for $25 some weeks (months?) later.

Also often the prices of the new games do become lower. Steam for example sells digital versions, so basically only "new games" and they have frequent sales with significant discounts.

If you have $50 for entertainment, does it really matter for the industry as a whole how you spend those $50?
A. You could buy one single new game not sell it. And someone else buys a single game for $50 and neither of you sells your games. $100 for the industry.
B. Instead the other guy buys 2 new games for $100 and sells them after a while to you for $50. The industry still got the same total, and both of you got to play 2 games for $50 each.

I don't know about you but I think that makes it more likely that you actually spend those $50 on THIS industry instead of using it on some other entertainment option. I don't think the above situation is very contrived really (the values are made up, but adjust it to something more realistic, the basic point stands).

Ivo.