Should buyers of pre-owned titles be punished?

[vlad321]

r505Matt said:

vlad321 said:

Fumanchu said:
That's ridiculous - so let me get this straight you want to form a quality watchdog regulator that consists of just you on the panel (who's opinion reigns supreme) to ensure that all games match the same quality of Starcraft 2 according to you, and all other games are what? Thrown into oblivion??

I don't know what irrefutable evidence there is to show that all music pirates contribute more to the music industry than legitimate purchasers.

I have no idea how many games I've purchased over the past 2 years suffice to say it's more than just a few. I do know that all the games I've bought have been new releases from retail though.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/apr/21/study-finds-pirates-buy-more-music

It's very irrefutable. Also I'm fairly sure developers know if their own game is of Starcraft 2 quality or not.

I've always found that study ridiculous. The real question is how much more those heavy illegal downloaders would buy if piracy weren't an option, or at least so easy to get away with. Just because they buy more than other people doesn't mean they are buying more than they used to.

Also, to say that it's okay to pirate because they buy stuff too is ridiculous. You might as well say it's okay to rob a bank so long as you donate to charity. It's still illegal, and there will never be a proper business model that can compete with free. Ever. It's not a lack of innovation, it's just not feasible. You will always have people who won't (or feel they can't) pay for things if they can get it free, regardless of a desire to support the artist/creator or not. And you'll also have the people that feel "well if other people can get it for free, why can't I?"

Don't get me wrong, even though I'm a musician myself, I think there are plenty of things wrong in the industry, mostly in regards to the labels. That still doesn't make piracy okay. And the way the government asks them and the movie industry to focus more on innovation is great and all, but it's almost like asking 14 year olds to solve a calculus problem. Yeah, maybe a few will get it, but overall, it will be impossible for most. The music + movie industry is essentially asked to become lucky, and somehow find a way to compete with free.

I just think it's reversed. I think that the industries should focus more on innovation, and the government should focus more on enforcing the law. Right now, it's the opposite.

In terms of gaming, buying second-hand and pirating are VERY different. As I said before, I just think there should be some kind of law (that protects both the industry and the consumer) that used games can't be sold until X(3-6 maybe) months after release. And maybe there should be some kind of commision sent to the publisher whenever a used game is sold. Neither will happen, but that's just my opinion.

 

Or maybe they are just willing to buy more music because they either know that what they are buying is a quality product, or that they found a new artist that they wouldn't have if they didn't pirate.

As for used games and the piracy market, it's the exact same thing. In both cases the developer sees no money at all.