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This is a question I've asked myself multiple times over the past month and I'm beginning to think that this is the future not only for me but for the video game market as well. Maybe you don't like how that sounds, but it's actually not your problem. I too used to dread the day but here's how I came about my realization.
I used to be the biggest video game collector. I wanted to buy all the new games. I had them all lined up on my shelf like trophies almost. I took pride in buying them day one, so what changed? I grew up.
Not in a way that maybe my parents would have been hoping for. I obviously didn't give up games completely but I did cut back in a way that I'm rather proud of. I'm still playing all these games; I'm just finding ways around putting myself further in debt.
The biggest factor was the realization that I wasn't a kid or college student anymore. I wasn't completely free of responsibilities and I had a job and all that money was going towards paying bills. My parents would help me out here and there but I couldn't rely on that money, especially not to buy games with. So with my job, whatever I had left over would go towards food and necessities and ultimately it would eventually come down to choices like, cellphone or video games? Now of course if you have a good paying job you can afford more things and depending on the priority video games can be covered. But I'd argue that video game are a cheaper source of enjoyment and that the people who have more money would go off and take trips or spend their money on more expensive luxuries.
But let's say you're living paycheck to paycheck like most Americans. You're also not the biggest video game collector or do a video game show. From a business standpoint you can't just expect that you'll convert every casual player into a video game-a-holic that will buy multiple games a week or that they'll keep selling to these kids who get their parents to buy them all their games.
My point here is why buy a game new? Are you giving it as a present? You don't trust used games? If you look at the scenarios there are very few reasons you must buy a game new. And I think this is seriously a problem that developers/pubishers/retails have severely overlooked. They are not innovating the new games market. I mean seriously, since the dawn of video games, what has any of those three parties done to combat poor new games sales. Besides a collector's edition here and there, video game retail has stayed extremely stagnant in terms of bringing something new to the table. There was a time when Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64 was offered in Gold Cartridge Format when pre-ordered. Now that was cool. But can you honestly say that any of the current gen pre-order bonuses have been anywhere close to that?
On top of that, retailers are now going bat shit trying to find ways to overcome used games sales. They've done things ranging from the insane to the pathetic and now it even seems that their best solution is to get into used games themselves. I've been personally frustrated by all the chotchery. All they're doing is desperately throwing things at the wall hoping something will stick and all this lack of direction is causing us video game players to be stuck with the bill.
Gamefly didn't exist originally but now that it does, it's not logical to pay hundreds of dollars if you just want the game experience. And even if you did want to collect or own the game, it still makes more sense to buy to own the game later, not as a day one. On top of this, recently RedBox has been testing out game rentals here in Austin. I've been able to rent and beat games for just two dollars a night. None of which ever cost me more than six dollars. So if you look at it, it'd almost be INSANE to spend that kind of money on buying games from retail.
I used to tell myself, I loved the feeling of opening a new game. Tearing off the plastic. The fresh new smell. Reading through the manual. But I've come to realize it's not really that important when weighing in the other benefits. And also they've kinda been ruined by retailers cutting back on costs of packaging and color manuals. When I do buy a game brand new, it's because I know it will take me a while to finish, or I really really enjoy the series, or it's a download game that I can get anywhere else or it's a portable game that I need to bring with me and possibly save on the cartridge.
So if you look at a retailer's problems it's basically this. They're battling with new innovative rental markets. They're battling with used games sales. They're battling with the download format and it's not like they can go back to a cartridge. And on top of that they're battling with each other trying to be king of the hill.
They are kinda fucked. But I offer a different way to look at the situation. Give me a reason to buy a game new. It's not nearly a good enough reason to say, buy this game so you can play it. There are competitors offering the same thing with innovation and at a better price. Because of the internet, people are much more educated now than before. I don't need store clerks to tell me what is good, I can look it up myself. I can manage my games online, in the comfort of my own home, and on my own time without having to worry about store hours. So tell me, Why Would I Ever Buy A Game New Again?
David
Comments
14 years, 2 months ago
to support devs?
14 years, 2 months ago
yeah im with you there david...i just wish gamefly was cheaper then 15 a month for 1 game :/
14 years, 2 months ago
I buy my games new within the first few days if I enjoyed the rental, if I know I will enjoy the experience because of the heavy research I've done of the specific game, or if I trust the developer that they won't disappoint me. In my opinion, I believe I should support the developers that made those games, not only because I think they deserved it, but also because I want to chip-in in having their next project be much better. I'd hate to be in the minority, but I loathe buying games used, regardless of the fact it doesn't leave as big of a hole in my wallet than a new copy... I agree, the experience is still the same no matter what, but, again, I want to support the developers.
14 years, 2 months ago
I have never gotten into this used game thingy. I know only one local store that has used games and they tend to be expensive for an used game. (And we don't have game rentals in Finland.)
Obviously as a retro video game collector I buy many games used though. As a kid I used to focus one game at a time and that hasn't changed. I still aim for 100% completion just like with Metroids back in the day. For this Fall I made the decision to just buy Vanquish (if the reviews aren't really bad) and maybe something for xmas. That way I can relax and concentrate on one game at a time.
Sometimes I miss games like Bayonetta when they're released so I recently found an online store that sold Bayonetta (new) for 23€/30$ w/ shipping (That's a bargain in Finland!) so I immediately bought it. (And btw I had seen used Bayonetta in my local video game store for 25€.) Same thing happened with Borderlands last spring: Friend saw it, it was less than 20€ so all three of us bought one. I also bought every DLC.
In the future everything is going to be downloadable so that kills the used games sales and probably retailers too. My point of view is simple: why buy those used when it's easier to find new one and maybe even cheaper. Maybe that's just in Finland.
14 years, 2 months ago
I'll buy if it's a multiplayer game that I know will be popular a year down the road so I know I won't problems finding matches quickly (CoD/Halo/GoW). For single player games, it just depends on who makes the game. Bethesda and Bioware have proved their worth to me and deserve my money. Everything else I rent. If I notice I'm really liking games from a developer, they go on that list who deserves getting full price for their games.
14 years, 2 months ago
the SUPPORT of game developers. Without people buying games new, game development would completely shut down. If everyone gameflyd then gaming as an industry would cease to exist. Game devs only get about 30 dollars of that 60 dollar retail charge which is absurd. I dont buy all games day 1 but when I do get around to buying they certainly arent USED, which is a slap in the developers face and detrimental to the gaming industry as a whole.
When devs get their numbers in from sales theres not a number that says "times in queue rented at gamefly" . nope. It says brand new retail copies sold. And thats the bottom line publishers look at when going to green light their next game.
14 years, 2 months ago
I suppose you might want to buy a game new while the online servers are still hot with players .I tried Bionic commando a few months after its release online (and even with its poor sales ) it was dead online.
I plan on buying Fallout New Vegas first day because I know I will play through it multiple times.
However i usually buy games around once a month so I generally get a lot out of them.
As far as buying games new its just the human condition. People think why pay X amount for an old game when I can have a newer better experience for $20 more.
14 years, 2 months ago
I buy to support developers. After all, you vote with your wallet. That's reason enough for me.
14 years, 2 months ago
This is the same problem I've been having to face for years. I honestly don't know how I was able to buy a couple games new. But from my standpoint, I'm having a tough time finding a way to get games cheaper now. I hate buying from Gamestop as It's incredibly expensive even for a used copy. The only other store I could possibly rent from is Blockbuster, but seeing as they are going out of business I'm kind of screwed now. I can't do gamefly as I'm not currently living on my own atm. Now I have a job and all that, but I'm going to college and its pretty expensive. So I don't use any of that money on games at all period. I only use some of the money I get from special events such as christmas and birthdays and whatnot.
Now I don't see how I'm going to be able to play newer games that are coming out without waiting at least a couple months after the release, but by that time most people have already gotten rid of their copy as they use gamefly or just returned it. I wish there was a better alternative than this. A renting store that I could actually afford...
14 years, 2 months ago
I too have also felt the same about buying new games. From what you said at the top I too have grown up to the point where I realized I can't be buying and spending most of my money on new games day one. It was a given fact that I had more important things to work for like paying college tuition, bills, food, etc. I may not have as many responsibilities as you do David but I know what I have to put forward first. Of course I still love video games, it's my passion and I will always buy games to support developers.
14 years, 2 months ago
I rarely buy my own games. My sister's boyfriend and my brother tend to invest in every new game and then get bored of it, at which that point I steal it for a few days and beat it. If I really want a game I usually wait a few months for it to go on sale or buy a used one...
Most games are too expensive, and like you David, I have higher priorities to think about. Like buying textbooks and food. :/
14 years, 2 months ago
Someone has to buy new, or there would be no used games
14 years, 2 months ago
As a PC only gamer, I pretty much have no choice but to buy my games. And then with all the DRMs used nowadays, I pretty much have no choice but to buy them new. Well, I could always go into pirating, but I've never actually tried it. I've definitely considered it a few times, but I guess it's just not in me to go through with such an act.
To cut down on costs, I now almost exclusively make my purchases through Steam. They have great deals, but not only that - I don't have to worry about taxes or money for gasoline. Unless there's a decent discount to go with it, that only saves me a few dollars, but at least it's something, I suppose.
14 years, 2 months ago
Yeah why buy games when you can pirate them. If all you want is to play them.
14 years, 2 months ago
I feel the same way. Not to mention when I look at my collection, I have enough games I could probably be satisfied to play them all over and over for the rest of my life if I had to.
14 years, 2 months ago
Because some games have enormous replayability value? Aw, thats a lazy answer. Here's a lazier one.
Some games are so good that you should support the Devs by paying the full price so they can put out more excellent products.
14 years, 2 months ago
I did the Singularity/Prototype thing. Buy one game new, get two games new. not a bad idea, actually a pretty smart one, though it is coming from Activision.
I collect games like David used to because I can still afford it. I also have gamefly, though. If it's not something I've been excited about, I'll rent it on gamefly first then decide if I want to buy it (which has never happened, to be honest). And really, I don't see "5 dollars less" for a used game to be initiative enough to buy it used. I would much rather spend 5 more dollars and a little more in taxes to get the devs the money. As for everyone else... I'm totally with you. Why buy a new game? You shouldn't if you don't have to. This is something that the industry will eventually figure out for themselves, we hope.
This might be a little off-topic, but a similar situation that I've been thinking about is college. Colleges require these big-ass text books that cost hundreds of dollars. Hundreds of dollars that go on top of the tuition prices and if you're taking 5 classes, that's another 1k on top of your 10k semester tuition. Not fun. The reason these books are so damn expensive is because once the new ones are sold, used books don't give publishers money anymore, so the publishers will re-write a "14th edition" and sell it as new and require colleges to use that text only. Rinse and repeat and you're still forcing students to pay 200 a pop when they could be getting the exact same information from an older edition used for maybe 50 dollars or less. Text books wouldn't be so expensive if they didn't make a new one every year.
And games probably wouldn't be so expensive if used-game sales gave profit to devs, either. People complain about the 60-dollar new-game price but if all you've ever done is buy used games, can you be surprised that the companies want your money?
I think the only solution is to offer used games and used text books at reasonable prices and giving publishers and developers more money from these sales.
....but who wants to do that when they're making millions of dollars selling used products that they didn't even create? All you need is a register! I think both games and college text book markets are totally fucked. the only reason college texts get sold is because parents are backing the money. . . and if they don't, student fails without text and retakes class for 2k. What's going to happen for games? I have no idea, but I am certainly worried.
14 years, 2 months ago
I mean give devs more money from rentals* not used sales. I think if college texts were on a rental system giving publishers more money and re-renting for each semester, that shit would be so much cheaper.
14 years, 2 months ago
The only reason I would buy my games new is to support that series or company. Other then that I have always bought used.
The last game I bought new was Just Cause 2, and that was on March 24. I was saving up for that game and I did not want to rent because I knew it would take me a long time because i wanted to complete it 100%.
The reason I didnt buy used was because I just got my ps3 that day. I was excited and I wanted a new game. So I chose that one because I waited for it to come out for months.
I still play it. I am actually on my second play through. So IMO it was worth a buy. The next game I will be buying new is either LBP2 or Dead Space 2. I have a pre-order on the new assassins creed game but I only did that to get the signed poster. I will be going to gamestop this weekend to switch it to one of those games. But other then buying new or renting I usually just download. The nice thing about downloads is that there is usually sales. So i'm always looking for some sort of deal.
14 years, 2 months ago
It's hard to keep buying new games when there's at least 2-3 good titles coming out every month(besides the summer). It just hits the wallet too hard. A lot of the current gen games are 10-15 hours long so buying them brand new isn't always the best idea.