Do you agree with companies trying to rid used game sales?

[Jereel Hunter]

haxxiy said:

No way. You can buy pretty much everything second-hand out there,why software should be different?

If it can't thrive in the market like everything else and needs to be on some sort of life support then it must be left to die and rot. Sad, but that's the way it should be.

Honestly I guess even the ones who do support it know that I'm saying the truth and insist on it because they want their daily fix of digital entertainment no matter what.

Because software IS different. Everything else that you buy second-hand, you buy a diminished copy of. If you buy a 3 year old couch, it may have stains, it has some wear and tear. If you buy a 3 year old car, it probably has 40,000 miles on it, and it will start requiring maintenance. Physical products degrade over time. If you buy a car, it may have 10 years of life in it. If you buy a 3 year old car, it will have 7 years left in it. The product's age and wear and tear diminish through owners, degrading it's resale value. And it has a time when it ceases to have any value.

When you buy a used game, you get the entire game, still 100% of what it was. if you pass it on or resell it, it never changes. 5+ people can buy and resell the game and get the exact same experience as the new game. If people can afford a brand new car, they probably buy one, and people who can't buy used cars. People willing to spend the money keep the car companies afloat, and as the cars age, they move onto people who can afford less. Games however never technically diminish. How long do you think GM or Ford would be in business if everytime someone sold their 3 year old car, it magically got a complete overhaul? Suddenly the value of a "new" car drops significantly, while the production costs continue to rise.

Software is fundamentally different in this respect, and must be treated as such.