| ameratsu said: I question people trying to say that used game purchasing is just fine while piracy is wrong. |
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002035113
Key point is "Honestly, publishers can gripe about the used and rental markets 'til the cows home, but the reality is that the First Sale Doctrine permits the legal re-sale of this product," notes the IEMA's Halpin, "so it's a moot debate. If we, as an industry, are truly worried about the commoditization of our products and the erosion of wholesale and retail price points, there are far better uses of our time to that end. We need do nothing more than come together and discuss the matters face-to-face and agree upon resolutions that are both practical and legal."
When you buy a game you can do anything with it short of copying it and distributing copies.
#2 . "At Atari, Stocks says he agrees that if a consumer buys a new game with credits for selling an old one, it does "help keep the churn in the marketplace. But publishers are spending most of their marketing dollars at the time of the launch of a product and most TV campaigns run a week to six weeks past launch. Yet, in that timeframe, somebody can buy a cheaper, used version of the game and that is certainly not helping the publisher who has made a massive investment not only in the game but also in the marketing of the game," he notes. "So, yes, the used sale can generate a new sale later on, but that's not when the money is really needed.""
I used game is likely to become a new game at some point. No pirated game ever will.
#3. "And when they trade in their games and get a GameStop credit, what do they do with those credits?" he asks. "They buy games, of course. Sometimes they buy new games. If, instead, they buy used games, so what? In creating more demand for used games, it keeps the price of used games up, which means there is less cannibalization of new-game sales. It's all a very delicate balance. And I think the market will tend to keep things in equilibrium."
Used games recertify the value of new games. Particularly if you've ever bought a used game and the condition was less than you expected. Much more likely to go new next time.
#4. "I appreciate their perspective," says the IEMA's Halpin, "but have a hard time seeing the sales erosion that the publishers' claim. I've had these kinds of discussions before with publishers and I suggested to them they should look at rental and used as avenues to expand their potential base. Imagine if rental had never come along; it would have been phenomenally detrimental to the growth of the business. Any publisher today will tell you that Blockbuster and Movie Gallery are both Top 10 customers for them. We work in a hits-driven business and games that don't sell well in the first 60 days have a financial impact on the entire sector. The used and rental markets expand that window and permit secondary opportunities."
Rental places are large customers of the publishers. Interesting. I think it leads credence to the whole most consumers don't see games as a $50. But also shows that their are cheap alternatives to getting to play the games such as a $5 rental rather than illegally downloading the game.
Bottom line is used game sales are a reasonable and legal outsource to high game prices. And in the end only one copy exists. So if you like the game enough to keep it or purchase a new copy yourself, the publisher got money from that game. This is never true for a pirated game.
