In their defense, purchasing used games or borrowing used games is on par with pirating a game as far as the developer is concerned. Here’s something I wrote a few months ago. The conclusion is essentially that if you support buying used games you might as well support piracy (not like I’m judging).
The general argument against piracy is the following: Pirating a game is bad because the person who pirates the game benefits from it without supporting the studio. The same case can be made if someone buys a used game. If John buys Marvel vs Capcom 3 from Mary on eBay or Gamestop or Craigslist, than Capcom gains no money but Mary still reaps the benefits of the game. It’s really that simple. If people could not pirate, buy used games, or lend games then studios who develop Xbox video games would be doing better.
Regardless of if someone buys a used game or pirates a game or even if someone borrows a game from their friend the developers in either scenario make no money. Studios don’t like pirating but they also don’t like it when people buy used games or borrow games.
You also shouldn’t sell games you bought to other players or businesses because it encourages other people not to support game studios. Not only that but you they money you are making could potentially be going to the game studio.
The lesson here is that if you are for supporting developers you should not purchase games used, borrow games or pirate games, instead you should purchase new games. You can’t complain about pirates and attack their judgement if you buy used games or borrow games.
The following are counters to common arguments against my theory.
“Purchasing used games is permissible because unlike pirating games, gamers spend money they save from purchasing used games on new games.”** You can’t assume that all gamers are going to use all the money they save by purchasing used games to buy new games. Example: Gamers who exclusively buy used games. Example 2: A gamer who uses the money he saved by purchasing a used game to purchase a book.**
"Purchasing a used game is permissible because unlike pirating games, gamers still have to spend money."That is irrelevant, regardless, the game studio doesn’t make ANY money.
“Selling games you bought new is permissible because you already supported the game studio.”It is true that you supporting the studio, but you are encouraging others to not support the studio if you sell your game(s).
4.“Pirating is stealing. Buying or borrowing a used game is not stealing.”Simply not true. Stealing by definition is theft. Theft removes the original version of something. Piracy makes a copy of the original. All cases (buying a game used, borrowing a game from a friend or pirating a game) lead to someone benefiting from the game without supporting the studio.
“Purchasing used games is permissible because although the player won’t support the studio financially the player will support the game by recommending it to other gamers.”The exact same thing can be said about piracy.
“Pirating Xbox games is against the law, buying them used isn’t.”True, but not the point, remember that if you purchase a used game you aren’t supporting the studio (just like the pirate). Just because something is the law doesn’t mean it is automatically the perfect moral standard. This post isn’t about the law, it is about ethics (of Xbox gaming).
I will address any arguments not listed here by responding if anyone is interested. Looking forward to a civil debate as well as a lot of people admitting they never realized this. Really looking forward to responses!
So when does Ford start blocking used vehicles? Or used book stores? At what point do we allow/disallow used products?
and I shudder to think of what happens if my 720 red lights, and I have to get a new console. You ever try to redownload XBLA games onto a new console? Thats a fucking annoying hassle, and usually requires a call to Customer Support. Now do that for all my legit games I have purchased. Oh, and I can’t go to my buddies house to play the game there, I would have to bring my fucking console with me.
I personally don’t buy used games, because saving the $5 isn’t worth it, to me. I do believe people should have the right to buy used games. I also believe developers/publishers have the right to include online passes to recoup some money.
I could see myself buying a next gen console and working at blockbust/somewhere where I can get rentals. lol
Direct download would kill gamefly, unless they start supporting ALL previous systems, like snes n stuff
You have a ps3, youll be here next year or the year after.
I work as a System Analyst, I’m definitely computer literate. I also make enough money the shell out the cash people needed to build a computer. But I’m a console gamer, you know why? Because consoles are easier to get into. I use my computer for specific things, like web browsing, email, maybe some chatting, looking at videos, but not gaming. Okay, as a System Analyst, I’m more software than hardware, but I have enough technical knowledge to be able to research a build a crazy high end PC with no problem. Also, I have gathernings at my place every week (or nearly every week) where friends come and game with me. Not as easy as PCs. Consoles are also more portable, you can put them in a book bag or a small travel bag, and you can take it wherever you go. PCs are not nearly as portable. There are advantages for PCs over consoles, but you have to really configure stuff to make it like that. PCs aren’t use friendly. And personally I don’t want to put that much effort into something I deem a hobby.
This shit just seems like a far cry from a couple of years ago how excited EA was that people were playing Dead Space. Not excited that it sold well (because it didn’t); but because people were playing it. The achievements told the story.
I can’t even imagine how many people bought Skyrim and didn’t even get through the first cave. Or how many people wouldn’t have bought it if their friends didn’t let them borrow the game. I know I had no interest in it until I played it. Same with a lot of the other games I own now.
I might buy Ni No Kuni, Dragon’s Crown, and a couple of other games over the next couple of years, but yeah - fuck it, I’m done.
DLC, first buyer bullshit, pre-order crap, jacked-up pricing, and myriad other rancid business tactics have killed off my love for the hobby.
Call me an antique, call me unwilling to adapt to the new impositions, call me what you will.
I’ll call you want you are - a fucking bitch-made mark, the reason why my once beloved hobby went to hell, and, ultimately, the reason why the industry is going to die a death so bad, so final, that no NES caliber resurgence could revive it.
And fighting games this generation absolutely motherfucking SUCK.
When Unlucky Enumeration 3rd World Cross-handed Fighter comes out, and seems the acme of gameplay… fuck this goddamned nonsense.
I have standards.
I have balls.
And I have zero fucks left to give for console gaming.
Gatherings for me are usually playing with people Online. I’m boarder line hardcore gamer. Most of my friends get on super late anyways.
PC is sounding better and better for me because of games like Starcraft, I miss rts, I might even install Wc3…
Console has it place for sure, but for me I’m leaning towards a PC… and for games like DOTA and rts, not even the high end graphic games.
I can’t tell you how much time I spent In SC and Wc3 map editied lobbies…
Im not understanding your argument. When you buy a video game, what you purchase is the hardware and the software. You don’t buy the software so you can use it in a manner that lets you do what ever is it you want to do, but you payed for use of the software, and sell the software to another individual or organization, provided you payed for both the software and hardware and its the original one you payed for. You aren’t allowed to sell the images as your own, the plot, or the code. You aren’t allowed to distribute the code, and sell A COPY of it. You are allowed to sell the original hardware with the original code. What I do with my product after I paid for it is irrelevant to the publisher. I had already payed money for said product, the publisher can’t dictate whether or not I can sell my copy.
If I go along the same logic that you are using it would equate to this.
Im a painter, and I sell you a painting. I then find out that you sold the painting to another individual and I sue you because I didn’t get piece of that action. You can do whatever you want with it, but you can’t sell it to another person, because when you do, I deserve all the money that he is paying YOU for the painting. After all you have to support the artist.
It doesn’t make sense, and your logic or line of reasoning doesn’t make sense neither, its flawed.
And then there is the fact that it is my possession and I should be able to do with it what I want.
I mean by the same argument. If I give someone my old car then Ford, Toyota, etc aren’t making money off it. If I give someone a hammer then Lowes isn’t making money off the hammer that could have been bought. If I buy a couch off my friend who doesn’t need it then the furniture store doesn’t make any money. If I give someone my copy of a book to read the author doesn’t get any money.
Those arguments apply to every company, small business, and individual in the world. It’s called an economy.
The one difference that programs and games have is that they don’t decay like other objects and they are easily duplicated. That is the only difference in this case, but to be honest it has been a problem for much of the last 20 years.
I honestly don’t feel sorry for companies since most of them even with priracy and used games still make a ton of money. That and they can put out a half assed game for full retail price and dupe people into buying it…why should I feel sorry for them?
On the flip side. If I want to play SC2 with 8 friends at a Lan party I need 8 copies of the game on 8 PCs along with network cables and other necessities. So to play one eight player game we had to spend a combined $320 on the game, $6400 on the computers, and $40 on the other equipment. That and it was probably a pain to lug the computers over to the event.
I love PCs, don’t get me wrong. Consoles still win when it comes to cost and mobility. It is easier for me to drag an Xbox across town than my tower. Though for single player games and online games, yea PC definitely works so much better for those.
yeah, they made it really fucking impossible to copy over my save games, or character info, or even my account. Seriously, they spent so much time trying to prevent consoles from even RESEMBLING pc’s, that they really impacted my enjoyment of the console.
Like I said, this entire gen was a huge step backwards
And I’m REALLY fucking sick and tired of ignorant fools spewing their sophistry about how “PC software hasn’t allowed reselling for forever.”
I say ignorant fools, choosing to think better of them than to call them by the other option: liars.
I own my copy Diablo 2.
I can sell it, along with the serial number, to anyone.
The same is true of most ANY PC software.
My copy of Adobe Creative Suite Premium is mine.
I can resell it and its serial number to anyone I damned well choose.
Seriously - people need to quit making shit up to justify their willingness to get bent over their consoles and get butt-raped by corporations. And then charged for it.
Yeah, i know its gonna keep going backwards. I was kinda worried when MS was using blocks instead of MB and GB for saves on the original XBOX.
And the more they try to take away from PC’s yet still call it a console, the more I will just go to a PC. Why the fuck do I have facebook and useless ass twitter on my 360, instead of a fucking internet browser, you dumb fucks?
Online pass honestly is good if done right. Just keep it simple like how it started where if i want to go online with a game and need to pay for the pass to do so if i bought the game used. When its starts stretching out to how it was established in Arkham City where you couldn’t play as Catwoman without an online pass, thats where i have a problem.
Question, are studios hurting financially if they don’t do the online pass system?
