On many of the podcasts and websites I frequent, the question of buying a used game or a new game has become a hot topic. I've not really heard anyone take the position I have, so I thought I'd toss my two cents in.
In today's economy, for both developers and gamers, it's tough. Developers need to get paid for their work to continue making the games we love, but on the flip side, gamers must get their money's worth out of the game. A developer simply cannot expect most gamers to go out and shell out $60 for a game that takes them all of 10 hours to finish. If I can see all there is to see in a game within 5 days of owning it, in my eyes, this is not a good value.
If you're a developer, there are many ways to add value to a game to make it worth it to a gamer to own. The primary way is creating a compelling multiplayer mode. The key word here is "compelling". There are games out there (I'm looking at you Bioshock 2 and Uncharted 2) that have no need of multiplayer. Nothing disappoints me more than multiplayer shoehorned into a title for the sake of a back of the box bullet point. This does nothing to make the game sticky if it's not compelling. The more sticky a game is, the less of a used market there will be, therefore boosting new game sales since the used games are scarce.
Another great way, and also a great way to pick up more coin while using the same game assets, is great DLC offerings. Borderlands is a great example of this. You already had a great game, and tack on some great additional content, and you've got a two-fold winner. First you reward the people that already bought your game new, and secondly, you still make money off of the people who bought it used, thus gaining revenue off of a game that you wouldn't have otherwise.
In contrast, if you're a gamer walking into Gamestop with the intention of buying a used game, let's consider the savings you get on most used games. I've rarely if ever seen the price of Gamestop's used games be more than five dollars removed from the price of a new one. As a gamer, you need to consider at this point, is it really worth only a five dollar savings when you could be supporting the developer that created the game? In my mind, this is a no-brainer. I have personally bought the new game in all instances. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying "never buy a used game." What I am saying is, "Are the savings enough to support a predatory business model and to not support the guys that poured months of their life in it?" One of the few used game models I support is Goozex. At least there, you get dollar for dollar trade in value, unlike just about any retail outlet.
Many are also knocking the EA "Project Ten Dollar" program. I'm actually on their side on this. Project Ten Dollar accomplishes a few things. Firstly, it devalues used games. Either companies like Gamestop will be forced to lower used game prices, or they don't make the sale. As a gamer, I can hardly justify paying $55 for a used copy of a game that I won't be entitled to all the features of. On top of that, to get those features, I would have to pay $5 more than the new copy of the game. Realistically, to achieve the same value, Gamestop would have to lower the cost of a used game that's just been released to $45. At this cost, the gamer gets a great choice: Are the features missing worth my $10 or not? If not, these gamers get a nice bonus. If so, the developers get their reward. I see this as a potential win for everyone.
The second thing it does, most obviously, is get a developer revenue it wouldn't otherwise have received. Since I get a lot of my used games from the above-mentioned Goozex, the games are effectively free. I have NO problem kicking $10 to the developer for a game I'd normally have paid $60 for. I win because the game is still ridiculously cheap, and the developer wins with the extra revenue.
Lastly, and this is long term, because the title makes more money, its worth is shown in regards to getting a sequel. This lets me win again later when they make another great game I want to buy.
My attitude on the topic is this: It's OK to be cheap to an extent. But make sure that the discount is truly worth it before taking food off the table of a developer and potentially taking future games off the market.
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