DRM : Should Sony/Xbox please publishers or gamers first ?

[OdinHades]

If the console manufacturers don't please me, I won't buy their stuff. If both Sony and Microsoft decide to block used games in any way, I will buy a Wii U. The used game market is pretty important if you ask me. After a few years, it is impossible to get a game new. If you can't buy it used, you will never be able to play it. Sure, you can buy it digital for ridiculous prices.

Also, why should publishers get a cut of the used market? It's not like that with movies or books, what's so special about video games? If the production is too expensive, that's the problem of the publishers. They will have to bring costs down somehow or make better games that sell more often. You know, if some game sells bad, it's not because of piracy or used games. It's because the game sucks balls! Sure, there are a few examples, but most of the time good games tend to sell better than bad games.

Publishers really should concentrate on quality and not some shitty DRM. They could also think about saving some money on advertising and instead increase the quality of their games. Sure, good games will also be copied a lot and will inevitabely be traded in and all. But that are in no way lost sales, as most people wouldn't have bought it new anyway. Think about kids. They tend to like video games but just lack the money to buy new games all the time. So they make excessive use of the used market. They get new games at christmas or something, but if you don't have much money, used games are the way to go. And those kids are your customers of tomorrow. Once they start working, they'll have money to spent. If you disappoint them today, they won't buy your stuff tomorrow.

That's why I think it is very short sighted to block used games. Income won't increase in any way and in the long run it will lead to a crash. There are more than enough alternatives. People will just buy even more games for iPhone and Android. Sure, you can't resell those either, but they cost like 1 - 5 $ so who gives a damn? Many are even free.

Used games are important for the industry and without them, the market will shrink significantly, losing many many gamers.