Supporting the publishers?

[mojoeskateco]

At least with a cheaper used game, someone already paid for it, was done with it, and gave it to someone else.

The problem is this doesn't make any difference to the developer.

If a person buys a cheaper used game or pirates it the dev still doesn't get paid.  The used purchase benefits the seller of the used game only.

This is why I'd be ok with a small fee to activate the used game.

[larryinc64]

This is why I'd be ok with a small fee to activate the used game.

That comes with some problems though:
I, a 17 year old, do not have a credit card, and point cards are a bit of a pain.
My Xbox 360 does not have a wireless adapter, and I'm to far away from the router to hook it up to the internet.

I'm ok with fees, within a month of a games release, maybe 2, but deferentially not longer than a year.

[pumanchero]

Small fee to activate an used game could make people to prefer digital downloads over physical games. I mean, why bothering to make a trip to the flea-market to pick up a game, you still have to connect to the internet an pay to use an item which condition could range from acceptable to like new (this is important for disc based games). I don't like the whole idea at all. Is like the playstation plus, the y offer a lot of free games, but if you stop paying the 'rent' they all be gone.

[sheep2001]

At least with a cheaper used game, someone already paid for it, was done with it, and gave it to someone else.

The problem is this doesn't make any difference to the developer.

If a person buys a cheaper used game or pirates it the dev still doesn't get paid.  The used purchase benefits the seller of the used game only.

This is why I'd be ok with a small fee to activate the used game.

But if there was no value in trading used games, the original purchaser may not have bought it in the first place.  I don't see why a developer should get paid twice for one physical item.    Why would you limit this to games, and not used, CDs, DVDs, books?

[mojoeskateco]

At least with a cheaper used game, someone already paid for it, was done with it, and gave it to someone else.

The problem is this doesn't make any difference to the developer.

If a person buys a cheaper used game or pirates it the dev still doesn't get paid.  The used purchase benefits the seller of the used game only.

This is why I'd be ok with a small fee to activate the used game.

But if there was no value in trading used games, the original purchaser may not have bought it in the first place.  I don't see why a developer should get paid twice for one physical item.    Why would you limit this to games, and not used, CDs, DVDs, books?

I'm not saying I want, or think that should happen, just that I'd be ok if the fee was small and it should be easy to make it happen.

Obviously just straight used would be my preference but I'd take a small fee over nothing.

Ultimately, the devs should make something I want right away and am willing to pay full price for.

[Superchop]

Ultimately, the devs should make something I want right away and am willing to pay full price for.

After reading that, I think that might be the main problem with games nowadays.  There is very little that I find worth buying on release for full price.  With some exceptions like jrpg's, or games from much smaller companies I would rather wait for a huge price drop since that's what happens most of the time.  Or at the very least make it worthwile for gamers to buy the game early on by offering free dlc or what have you.

Batman Arkham City had the right idea in the beginning...buy the game on release and get the Catwoman and Nightwing dlc packs.  Both of which were unavailable after the first initial run was sold out.  I thought it was a great deal so I jumped on it its release week.  The only thing that they did that bothered me was that in less then a year they released the GOTY edition with all the dlc. :/ which made me regret even buying the game on release.

Even Capcom had an interesting thing going with the release of Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV.  I bought SFIV around release and not long after they had announced Super Street Fighter IV.  I was a bit annoyed but I read that they were planning on having SSFIV be around 40 or so and for the people who actually had SFIV they would have some special benefits in Super.  I don't know what happened with it or if they even followed through but the concept was good...until they released SSFIV Arcade or whatever.

These 2 instances are the type of things that keep me from buying a game new especially on release.  I'd rather wait for a huge price drop and in most cases the inevitable GOTY/Complete Edition version of the game. 

[UncleBob]

A lot of what you're talking about is something that actually ends up with me not buying titles at all.

One good example is LEGO Batman.  I was really interested in that title.  Planned to get it Day 1.  But, when I was holding it in my hand, I sat it back and couldn't bite - because I *knew* it was going to drop.  It's now $20 (or less) and I just can't bring myself to pick it up because there are so many newer titles out now (and they grab all the headlines and stay in my mind).

Meanwhile, Nintendo releases New Super Mario Bros U and I buy it day one, no questions asked because I know that it's going to be a cold day in hell before I can find it cheap (outside of a universal "buy one, get one" type sale).

Publishers need to release their game at a singular price point and leave them there (except for annualized sports titles, which should be recalled once the new version hits).  If that means releasing the new Call of Duty at $40 instead of $60, but not dropping it to $30 or $20, then do it.  The lack of a price drop in first party Nintendo titles is why I pick them up at release.  The frequency of price drops on third party titles is why I don't buy them at release (with very few exceptions).

[Superchop]

Actually...I can get New Super Mario Bros U at my blockbuster used for probably 45 or so bucks CIB lol.  (54 bucks normally with 20% off currently)  They're closing down the store so everything is being liquidated...funny though since that's the only game there for the Wii U and the only worthwhile game.  Maybe once the percentage goes up as the weeks go on I'll pick it up for under 40 or maybe even under 30 lol.  That is if it's still there.

And it's actually for those reasons that I haven't picked up Assassins creed 3 or borderlands 2.

Assassins will probably get a price drop to 20 or so in the next few months since AC4 has been announced and borderlands 2 will most likely get a GOTY edition or Complete edition once all the dlc is released.  So I'm in no rush to buy them now.

[scarmullet]

I generally hate PC gaming recently due to the lack of a used market with DRM, most PC games can not be picked up used, which is a pain. I do think this'll be coming to consoles someday, but instead of punishing the gamer and treating them like a thief just for being frugal, why not put forth incentives for buying new over used, say a couple free DLC codes, free online play for 3 months etc..hell, I am even for the pay $5 for a code to play online.

...I think Nintendo has done a good job at this with the club coins thing, you can get some neat things, and only if you buy the game new.

DRM is coming to consoles soon, and its just one more thing to make you look like a thief. Let us hope DRM on consoles is more graciously implemented than some PC games like

BioShock, Sim City 2013, Assassins Creed II, Diablo III, among many others.

[wiggy]

Small fee to activate an used game could make people to prefer digital downloads over physical games. I mean, why bothering to make a trip to the flea-market to pick up a game, you still have to connect to the internet an pay to use an item which condition could range from acceptable to like new (this is important for disc based games). I don't like the whole idea at all. Is like the playstation plus, the y offer a lot of free games, but if you stop paying the 'rent' they all be gone.

I will NOT buy used games anymore if this happens (and not likely new ones either).

Actually...I can get New Super Mario Bros U at my blockbuster used for probably 45 or so bucks CIB lol.  (54 bucks normally with 20% off currently)  They're closing down the store so everything is being liquidated...funny though since that's the only game there for the Wii U and the only worthwhile game.  Maybe once the percentage goes up as the weeks go on I'll pick it up for under 40 or maybe even under 30 lol.  That is if it's still there.

And it's actually for those reasons that I haven't picked up Assassins creed 3 or borderlands 2.

Assassins will probably get a price drop to 20 or so in the next few months since AC4 has been announced and borderlands 2 will most likely get a GOTY edition or Complete edition once all the dlc is released.  So I'm in no rush to buy them now.

That's no big deal IMO. 

[Superchop]

No, so far it's not and that's why I haven't picked it up yet, but the closer to closing that it gets the higher the discount.  The last blockbuster that closed down they were selling blu ray movies at 2 bucks each and everything else was like 80-90 percent off.  If the game is still around at that time I may pick it up.  Especially considering that like UncleBob said, Nintendo likes to keep their games high up in price for a long time, so I doubt that NSMBU will go down anytime soon.

[UncleBob]

The issues I have with the "small fee to activate" is that A) it requires outside servers to stay operational and B) there always seems to be limits.

I have 7 GameCubes.  I want to be able to play any GCN disc I own on any one of these GameCubes whenever I want.

Any kind of authorization program would prevent that.  Even more so if down the road Nintendo is all "Well, no one plays GameCube games anymore, so let's close this server..."

[larryinc64]

A lot of what you're talking about is something that actually ends up with me not buying titles at all.

One good example is LEGO Batman.  I was really interested in that title.  Planned to get it Day 1.  But, when I was holding it in my hand, I sat it back and couldn't bite - because I *knew* it was going to drop.  It's now $20 (or less) and I just can't bring myself to pick it up because there are so many newer titles out now (and they grab all the headlines and stay in my mind).

Meanwhile, Nintendo releases New Super Mario Bros U and I buy it day one, no questions asked because I know that it's going to be a cold day in hell before I can find it cheap (outside of a universal "buy one, get one" type sale).

Publishers need to release their game at a singular price point and leave them there (except for annualized sports titles, which should be recalled once the new version hits).  If that means releasing the new Call of Duty at $40 instead of $60, but not dropping it to $30 or $20, then do it.  The lack of a price drop in first party Nintendo titles is why I pick them up at release.  The frequency of price drops on third party titles is why I don't buy them at release (with very few exceptions).

That price drop thing does piss me of when I do buy new games. I got The Sims 3 Pets for Xbox 360 as a X-Mas gift to my sister, I got it for $50. A week or month or something later I'm in the same GS and it $30.

[larryinc64]

As I said earlier, I'm ok wit the unlock codes within a reasonable amount of time after a games launch, but It should be drooped after it, especially when the game is no longer published, and used copies are the only ones available.

[Zalovar]

For me the problem is twofold. First, I'm sick of developers whining about people buying their game used, and thus them losing money.  Make a game worth buying at release and I'll buy it at release.  Secondly, I think its just a matter of numbers.  We are all inundated with new games every single week.  Not to mention all the older games many of us still play and want to play.  I think its partly just a matter of saturation.  I would imagine most of us are not filthy rich and have to make limited choices with our limited budgets.  All I can say is, woo me developers, woo me good.