Penny Arcade

I had a different reaction to the “fightin’ words” of THQ’s Cory Ledesma than most.  I have a different reaction to lots of things, probably.  But this in particular.

The idea that THQ is somehow “disrespecting customers” with this kind of rhetoric misunderstands the situation as completely as it is possible to do so.  In a literal way, when you purchase a game used, you are not a customer of theirs.  If I am purchasing games in order to reward their creators, and to ensure that more of these ingenious contraptions are produced, I honestly can’t figure out how buying a used game was any better than piracy.  From the perspective of a developer, they are almost certainly synonymous.

It’s exceedingly rare that I purchase a game from Gamestop these days.  I got tired of being harangued for trying to buy products there, or being told that they didn’t have a product when they did, or going across the street to Best Buy or Target or Fred Meyer and finding fifty copies of the game I was trying to buy heaped up like some heathen altar to commerce.  There’s more, besides.  At some point in the last few years, I became incredibly uncomfortable with the used games market.

I don’t think Online Codes that gate access to multiplayer are a particularly good idea, just watching the kinds of threads it generates - but that’s exactly what Xbox Live does, for every game on the platform.  Sony’s considering codes as well, but they’re getting it coming and going: they’ve committed themselves to a dedicated server infrastructure for first party titles, and multiplayer is “free,” so a used copy of a Resistance or an Uncharted 2 is a worst case scenario.  I prefer an approach along the lines of the Flashback Pack for the second Gears of War - something fun and extra, that feels like a reward.  More treat than trick.

I traded in games for a long time, there’s probably comics somewhere in the archive about it - you can imagine how quickly my cohort and I consume these things.  It was sort of like Free Money, and we should have understood from the outset that no such thing exists.  You meet one person who creates games for a living, just one, and it becomes very difficult to maintain this virtuous fiction.

(CW)TB

happy and wholesome again

My Twitter and my email are both exploding today. People on both sides of the used game debate arer crazy passionate about this. If Penny Arcade was a talk radio show this would be a perfect time to “go to the phones”. Since we can’t do that I’d like to do the next best thing.

If you are a developer or a gamer or both I’d like to hear your thoughts. Shoot me a mail and let me know how you feel about this but try and do it in a paragraph or so if you can, that way I can read as many of these as possible. I’ll post some of the best ones here on the site anonymously so no one has to worry about losing their job or getting blasted on Twitter. Just tell me if you are a dev, a gamer or both and then tell me where you stand on this topic and why. 

No matter what side you come down on I think we can all agree this is a something that we as a community should talk about.

-Gabe out

Tweet

I have gotten almost 300 responses so far! There is simply no way I can post all the great mails I am getting. Here is are a few that echo what a lot of people seem to be saying. I this interesting? Do you want me to post some more?

“While I try my best to buy video games when they come out, and pay the full $60, sometimes I miss one and end up getting it later, for cheaper, used.  It’s not so much the “buy new” aspect of this conversation that others me, but instead the characterization of someone who buys games used as some sort of delinquent.  Sometime I need to save money in order to play the games I want, but that doesn’t make me any less a good person.  Just thrifty.  And they’re not loosing any money when the choice for me is buy it used or don’t buy it at all.”

“I am a gamer and a developer (art and animation side of things). Theres a lot to say here, but it really boils down to this:

What other customers expect a used product be be identical to a new product? Buying a used car comes with increased wear (and thus decreased function). Buying a used book means you are risking page damage or a broken binding.  Buying anything used means that you get a cheaper price for decreased function or increased risk. It also requires a little more awareness on the part of the customer to make sure they are aware of what they are getting. In the video game case, if you know the game wont have multi-player used, you can adjust what you are willing to spend on it, the same way you might offer a few hundred dollar less for a used motorcycle due to rust.”

“Hey gabe,

I’ve been playing games for most of my life now and since I’ve come to be an adult, my gaming has slowed somewhat. Since I have other responsibilities now, buying that new game I’ve wanted has to take a back seat. I would agree that buying new games and supporting the people that make them is THE WAY TO GO, but I’ve found that when you’re gaming on a budget some times you just need to listen to your wallet and do what’s best for YOU the consumer/gamer. It’s really no different than the people who have to buy a used car because they can’t afford to buy a new one =) either way I think it’s a personal choice and there is not “right or wrong” here. Not to mention that as we move closer and closer to digital distro…used game sales will become a thing of the past.”

“Hey Mike.  I worked at a Gamestop for three years in Dixon, CA, and I can no longer support saving $10 on used games after seeing all of the profit Gamestop turns by hurting the very developers that fuel their business.  Every used game purchase means another chance to sell Game Informer, which is just a rag to hype GS pre-orders, which just happens to come with a card that entices you to buy more used games and trade in your new games for less than a third of what you paid for them, which in turn will be sold to someone else for 200% markup.  I realize that economic times are tough and people need to save money where they can, but buying used is bad for the industry that is providing you with all of this entertainment.  No one wants to see the big picture, so now we get these “buy new or get effed” tactics that publishers are pushing.

Here’s a suggestion; how about making the new games more affordable?  Another advantage of used at Gamestop is that you can return the games if you don’t like them.  I have a feeling that there’s a lot of underrated games that may have sold much better at the $50 price point.”

“Hey Gabe,

Personally I would love to be able to support every developer who makes the games I enjoy.  I understand that they are doing this for a living and I want to help them keep doing what they love…. BUT… As an adult with a family, my budget for buying games is limited.  I have other responsibilities and they NEED to come first.  If my only chance to enjoy a game is by buying it used… then that’s the way it HAS to be.  I am however fully onboard with buying games via digital stores, so long as the price tag can fit my budget.  It really comes down to being able to play the maximum amount of games on limited funds.

People who buy used games may not be customers, but the people who sell them often are. I wouldn’t take well to Toyota telling me I’m cheating them by selling my car, and I don’t take well to THQ telling me I’m cheating them by selling a game I’m not going to play again.”

“My thoughts as a dev:

There is another point to make besides the fact that buying used games does not send money to the developer. Unlike the movies, we do not have a theatre release. That boxed copy on the shelf (or digital download) is our only means of revenue generation. This is why we love digital delivery. There are no used games on Steam.

I know you guys catch a ton of shit for talking about topics like this, but if even a small percentage of your readers walk away a little more educated on the subject then it is a big win for everyone (except gamestop)”