Solid point and very risky. Pirates ruin it for everyone and yet it's sad.

I've liked BioWare for years, but Mass Effect simply didn't interest me initially. I don't know why, it just didn't. It wasn't until early 2011 when I first experienced the series, I bought the first two games second-hand from my local GameStation store. I loved them. My experience playing Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 resulted in me purchasing Mass Effect 3 brand new (and it was an EA game, you don't realize how much that hurt). If I wasn't able to play second-hand games on my console I would never have played the first two Mass Effect games because they didn't look like games I would want to spend full whack on, and if I didn't enjoy them as much as I did I would never have bought the third brand new and put money in the coffers of a company I despise. Do you see where I'm going? EA complain about second-hand games so much, but had I not bought the first two Mass Effect games second-hand I would never have bought the third brand new. So, EA GAINED money from me BECAUSE of the used games market. The used market, if anything, doesn't hurt the market for new games - it helps it. To destroy one would be to destroy the other. Big publishers, and anyone else who moans about it, need to get their heads out of their own arses.

interesting article i have to agree its risky as hell i mean come on aliens: colonial marines is an example of consumers that get ripped off by developers who simply cant be bothered so they make a game look good build a lot of hype for it usually also followed by a big brand name in my personal opinion such games include the likes of DmC, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Resident evil 6 etc. developers are getting so lazy and not listening to the fans so much (within reason obviously) that its becoming risky to buy a brand new game for the fear of losing money to then take it to the store (GAME in the UK e.g) where you just payed £40 - 45 to then be offered £10 - 15 its completely ridiculous start forcing devs to release lengthy demos enough to give you a feel for what you're paying for this is a counter action and one that should have been in place from the start, hell i remember demo discs for ps1 when i was younger i would play games on them over and over and base an opinion on that and 9 out of 10 times id made a good decision but hey we live in a day and age where wealthy CEO's ripping money from a dying mans hand is common practice -_-

It would be fair, people have right to sell their used games to friends - NOT Gamestop... same goes to used cars. if car  companies has potential to stop a company selling used cars, they will too.

And why do you thing PC gaming are nearly dead?. that's because all of the pirates, everybody wants games for free instead of paying for em.

Also, if Gamestop been sharing profits off used games they been selling with Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.. then it would have never been any problem with selling used games. ain't it?! greed for self is just gonna have to end.

Well, the problem is Gamestop don't really sell us new games, they selling us used games when you're buying new games. Gamestop been having this filthy business for far too long... If we bought new games from Amazon we will get new not used, unless we bought used of course... people are missing the point of this Gamestop scamming people here?!

I really do like having the CHOICE of buying used or new games. If the industry wants to take that liberty from me... screw them. And I hate Gamestop too... they're hypocritical thieves. Selling used games for 5$ less then new is basically saying: "I want you to buy new!".

As a matter of principle I never spend more than 40 bucks on a game. Most of the time under 20. I made this decision years ago when I paid 50 or 60 bucks for the first Fable and finished it with a maxed out character in 12 hours. From my perspective, the idea of game producers blocking the purchase of used games is their way of admitting they can't make games worth paying full price for. It's frustrating that they punish the community instead of getting their act together.

very good read, some points are debateable naturally, but still very well done

"if you were guilty of any one of these, you're taking money away from someone else."

how so? None of those things equate to a lost brand new sale. Someone pirating, buying used or borrowing isn't someone who would have paid full price had other options not been available. That is a false dichotomy that you ironically point out in the very next paragraph when talking about other people's logic.

Honestly, I don't buy used games because I don't risk getting one damaged or anything. And that goes for anything I buy. (This is a personal preference though)

You can do whatever you want with the game so long as it's sell, damage or anything. Not modify it's content or modify it when using it, such as in a console. But just because of the ToS's.

As for the used market hindering the new games market and the "Support the devs" idea. Well as you said, the Devs make their money once they sell the copy "internally", then retailers sell and keep the money. But here is the thing. If costumers choose used games, it's less units the retailers have to buy, because they can just sell the used ones, no need to buy more from "inside". This is where the problem lies.

I really enjoyed this article. And thankfully you are one of the few to bring up the whole $5 price difference between used and new at gamestop or ebgames. Because of that I never bought used when I use to shop there. Instead it convinced me more to spend that extra$5 to guarantee a working copy with EVERYTHING INSIDE THE CASE.

I just hope MS and Sony are smart enough to see how much money they would lose if they were to do something like this.  Not to mention there are some other things they need to be aware of:

-Some people let their friends borrow games, guess they can't do that anymore.

-What about Gamefly or other video game rental services?  Most if not all of those games are pre owned.

-What if I don't want the game anymore and want my money back to buy a game I will enjoy?

-What if I sell/give my game to a friend?

An interesting case on our hands. I stopped selling my used games to GS based upon the fact that there is approximately a 500% mark up from the price they are willing to buy the game from the original owner to the price of the game then put on the self. Instead, I give big chunks of my games away (8-12 at a time) to Goodwill during the holidays. I guess the major corporations want to put an end to that too...

I like used games because I usually wait to buy a game about a year after it has been out when the used price has dropped below 10 to 20 doll hairs.

ur articles are such entertaining reads. as soon as i see ur avatar icon i go to read. good job once again. look forward to ur next.

I definitely have no problems with used games, but I do hate when GameStop sells a used game, but the box art is no longer there and it doesn't come with a game manual. If anything, GameStop is usually the last resort, because I mainly buy games (new) from Best Buy, Target, or Walmart. Amazon is also my preferred online gaming shopping destination because their used copies are usually in good condition.

I think the question everyone is asking is: What is going on with your avatar? It it a person? Is he holding a spear or talking on a cell phone? Why the vapid look?

I don't know who does not like used games - the only people would be those in the game industry. I am sure that most gamers have bought used games and want to keep buying used games forever. I rarely have enough money to buy a new game at $60. I will wait until the new game goes down in price, or buy a used copy for a decent price, but then still have to wail for a reasonable used price. I have many games in my collection that I have bought used or even a new version for a vastly reduced price that I would never have owned if it was still $60 in the store.

Also, like you said, you would have to make sure the game is 100% worth it before you buy it for $60 - see examples of horrible games such as Resident Evil Raccon City.

"Now, there is something that I think most people aren't taking into consideration here.  If GameStop sells used games at 55, it actually increase the odds that a consumer will buy a new game at 60."

I feel like this statement doesn't necessarily hold true anymore... I mean back in the ps2, gamecube, and xbox era I feel like your comment about scratched CD's was a very valid point. All the time, you would have to worry about scratched cd's that wouldn't play and so you would want to buy new. But with the 360 having the ability to install games to the hard drive so it doesn't play from the CD, and the ps3 doing somewhat the same likewise, I feel being wary of buying used games because of flaws is of little importance anymore. If I go to Gamestop and buy a used game I honestly don't even worry about that anymore. 

This article is 100% Truth.

I wouldnt mind used games being blocked for 1 reason: lately when i've bought brand new ones, upon opening the case the manuals are almost always torn in some way! i'm sick and tired of repackaged "brand new" games having something ripped or leftover inside!

If next gen consoles (all of them that is) ban used games then I feel they will have to lower the original price of a game when it first comes out, (£40 or 60$ for you guys in the US is a hefty price, I'm a student as well so I would love to play more games but I spend it on other entertainment media like going to the cinema, theatre, go to a football game, going out with friends) rather than taking a risk on a game that could be awful and I can't do anything else with it, all it is now is an inanimate object that I can chuck in the bin or use, as you said, as a coaster. 

There will always be a huge crowd waiting to buy a new copy of a game on release day, and all of the others in the first week of release when you don't see many used copies in store. They will never go away, but as much as I would like to be them, I don't have the money, not all gamers are rich kids who have money being thrown at them by their parents. 

A good article. I'm using an xbox at the moment, and I'm pretty sure those Xbox fanboys won't be as loyal if they ban used games, they will flock to Playstation instantly, they will be more fickle than you think.

An effective but mildly clunky way to tackle used game crisis would be for publishers to sell games at a discount. That "discount" depends on the number of friends who own that game. It's like used game sales all over again except that the money goes to the right people. This should cover the digital distribution end of the games.

Well, personally, I don't care either way about these rumors. All I know is that I'm buying whatever I have interest in.

I don't see what's all the fuss about either... if you spend your money on video games maybe you need to learn how to make wiser purchases? I don't buy games that I wouldn't play more than once, gamers need to start thinking in the long term when they purchase something. Because like it or not, if used games are banned from the 720 and PS4 I find it highly unlikely that pple are going to stay away for long. You can swear off the next gen all you want, but we all know that 98% of those who do, will cave in and buy a console anyway. What are you gonna' do, join the Wii Team? Hop on board with the PC crowd? For all it's glamour the PC has just as many cons as the console does, pple just tend to focus on it's only 2 pros: good graphics and cheaper games.

hey Lucas, is there really any gamer blaming used games?

wow

I guess I have a hard time understanding the desire some gamers have to support game companies, making statements like "buy new, they deserve to get paid for the work they do."  Obviously, these companies need to earn money to continue creating new games, but I'm frankly more concerned about my own budget and experiences with games.  If games are created with quality and offered at a competitive price (new), of course I will buy new.  If not, I will either buy used or pass on the game completely.  They should have offered the game at a price that was somewhat competitive with the used game market.  

The shining example for me is the Journey collector's edition.  I paid $30 and received 3 really good games and 3 amazing soundtracks.  Thatgamecompany earned my money and so I gave it to them.  I did not somehow owe it to them.  Gamers should not simply support the gaming industry, but reward them when they show good business practices.  Companies like EA, Sony, and Microsoft are far more interested in the bottom line than your experience.  Consumers have to show them that the way to improve their bottom line is to deliver a great experience for a good price.

I like gamestop. They sell used games in good condition for cheaper. Of course, since they stopped selling Gamecube and PS2 games, I haven't bought from them in a while...

Great read.

I don't personally buy used games or sell them but when push comes to shove, I like knowing the fact that the game I bought isn't worth NOTHING once I bought it... That's my problem... I don't mind online passes.. I think it's fair they charge 1/6th of the price and really if you look at the cost of the game itself most of that is markup. Games really only cost 20-25$ for the developers. So they really make about half what they would otherwise get. 

I think it's a fair market and if it goes away, games will be the first industry in which once you purchase an item it would become completely worthless to anyone but you. I don't like the used game market but I believe that as a consumer you should have the right to sell a game that you don't enjoy...

Blocking the sales of used games will affect the industry in a negative way due to that fact. Big games and big companies will get richer and small to medium size companies will go bankrupt because people won't pick up a game that scores a 6 to an 8 because it's too risky.

I think used games have their place and even though I don't always agree with the idea, I think online passes are the perfect medium.

I just want to say thank you very much. I've been shouting these points for years since the online pass was implemented and no one listened to me. And I say the Online pass because it carries in with the used games issue, they are the same thing. If you somehow block a game or a section of it from being played because it's been played on another console already, it affects not only Game Stop but Game Fly and other rental services. Imagine you borrow a game from your friend to see how it is, but you can't truly experience it because you have to pay $10 to access MP. Then if you give in and pay the fee to tryout the MP, and you don't like so you decide you don't want your own copy of the game. Now that's $10 gone that you can't get back.

Again thank you Lucas. I don't always comment on your blogs, but I do read them. I just felt I really had to say something on this one.

If used games will be blocked then the sales will take a nose dive big time. Not everyone has a 50 dollar bill to slap against the counter each time for a game. Not only financial problems will arise (families with kids, students, part-timers etc.), because of that particular problem, games will also be less exposed and accessible to the masses. I almost always buy my games used, except when its from a series I really love, like Mass Effect or from a studio I really like. Blocking used games? Big mistake.

While we're at it, we should get rid of the used-car market, too.  Yeah!  Oh yeah - the stock market, too.  Silly used stocks, you should only be able to purchase them at an IPO!  And movies - those should only be viewable in the theaters - NETFLIX MUST PARISH MOAR!

The "NO MOAR UZED GAMES" arguement is kinda retarded.

I bought a used copy of mass effect,  know what?  I liked it so much that i bought mass effect 2 on release day.  Companies really need to chill on the moneygrubbing and think about what they are actually losing.

I'm pretty sure its not legal in most countries to forbid you to resell something you buy..

Not letting that item work however might be in a gray area.