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Morning Consolidation

[Apr 02, 2012, 09:39 am ET] - Share - Viewing Comments

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14.

Re: Morning Consolidation

Apr 2, 2012, 15:23

Verno

One could buy used cartridge games since the very first consoles and same goes for PC's software on disk starting in the early 1980's.

So why is it an industry-destroying issue suddenly *now*? It is a valid question. Sorry but it all sounds like PR spin to me.

And dont even get me going on the consumer rip-off that is DLC. It is only getting worse.

"Want to see the real ending of Fallout 3? Give me 10 more bucks."

I don't like commercial used game sales, I think companies like Gamestop are glorified pawnshops. That said, the trouble with used games is that you can't separate the commercialization of it from everything like lending, sharing and individual resale. The gaming industry isn't a special little snowflake. Movies, music and books have managed to thrive with resale industries often in spite of challenging changes in technology and incompetent leadership.

The gaming industry is in very good shape overall, the "danger" of used games has always been a bit overblown and is more about maximizing profits than rewarding artists. Publishers already shaft developers every chance they get under the always popular "its just business" catchall. Overpaying for a product isn't ensuring the survival of your favorite dev, you aren't putting manna from heaven into the mouths of his children or something silly. One product failure can mean the death of an entire company. Everyone buying their games first hand won't change that either, its due to the revenue model being so limited which is part of why we see so many supplements now. Developers aren't going to suddenly get better profit sharing and more contract power out of it either. The industry has already adapted anyway as you said, DLC continues to increase and the margins of it go well beyond making up for used game sales if ME3 is any indicator.

Put differently, the Tumblers and Gamestops of the world piss me off but I recognize that its a necessary evil so that I'm able to trade games with a buddy or sell the odd turd I buy without checking preview/reviews on. If I can't do those things I'm a lot less likely to buy new titles, share with friends which grows awareness/opportunity and what people like me spend in a year probably dwarfs what he would several times over. I do agree with Krovven that the way they go about it is pretty shitty. Isn't it enough to be able to do it at all? Why spamvertise it in your signature and brag about it like a child? It's a consumer privilege that we enjoy, abusing it isn't good for anyone. Look at Gamestop, they pop up everywhere, treat their employees like crap and are just as bad as the publishers are about their profit margins.

This comment was edited on Apr 2, 2012, 15:59.




Playing: Faster Than Light, Tales of Graces F, Fire Emblem 3DS Watching: Ghost in the Shell, Hannibal, Oblivion

Subject

Comment [quote="Verno"Apr 2, 2012, 15:23]q[One could buy used cartridge games since the very first consoles and same goes for PC's software on disk starting in the early 1980's. So why is it an industry-destroying issue suddenly *now*? It is a valid question. Sorry but it all sounds like PR spin to me. And dont even get me going on the consumer rip-off that is DLC. It is only getting worse. "Want to see the real ending of Fallout 3? Give me 10 more bucks."]q I don't like commercial used game sales, I think companies like Gamestop are glorified pawnshops. That said, the trouble with used games is that you can't separate the commercialization of it from everything like lending, sharing and individual resale. The gaming industry isn't a special little snowflake. Movies, music and books have managed to thrive with resale industries often in spite of challenging changes in technology and incompetent leadership. The gaming industry is in very good shape overall, the "danger" of used games has always been a bit overblown and is more about maximizing profits than rewarding artists. Publishers already shaft developers every chance they get under the always popular "its just business" catchall. Overpaying for a product isn't ensuring the survival of your favorite dev, you aren't putting manna from heaven into the mouths of his children or something silly. One product failure can mean the death of an entire company. Everyone buying their games first hand won't change that either, its due to the revenue model being so limited which is part of why we see so many supplements now. Developers aren't going to suddenly get better profit sharing and more contract power out of it either. The industry has already adapted anyway as you said, DLC continues to increase and the margins of it go well beyond making up for used game sales if ME3 is any indicator. Put differently, the Tumblers and Gamestops of the world piss me off but I recognize that its a necessary evil so that I'm able to trade games with a buddy or sell the odd turd I buy without checking preview/reviews on. If I can't do those things I'm a lot less likely to buy new titles, share with friends which grows awareness/opportunity and what people like me spend in a year probably dwarfs what he would several times over. I do agree with Krovven that the way they go about it is pretty shitty. Isn't it enough to be able to do it at all? Why spamvertise it in your signature and brag about it like a child? It's a consumer privilege that we enjoy, abusing it isn't good for anyone. Look at Gamestop, they pop up everywhere, treat their employees like crap and are just as bad as the publishers are about their profit margins. [/quote]

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