Beating Old Games: Why Incentives to Discourage Pre-Owned Gaming Are Terrible
Whether or not you have the right to sell the products you bought is irrelevant: selling used games is hurting the game industry.
The same game can be bought and sold multiple times and it can be argued that those purchases are potential sales stolen from the game companies.
Game companies already use a number of methods to generate additional cash after releasing their games as downloadable content (DLC) and now have incentives to purchase new ones.
Do you buy your games second hand? Then you are the absolute scum and scum of the gaming industry. You are worse than any pirates who sail the deep seas of Warez. Or at least, the publishers want us to think. Whether or not you have the right to sell the products you bought is irrelevant: selling used games is hurting the game industry.
When a new game is traded or sold in a play store, that money is kept by the retailer instead of reaching the hands of the hardworking developers who put their blood, sweat and tears into making it for their pride and joy. The same game can be bought and sold multiple times and it can be argued that those purchases are potential sales stolen from the game companies. It's true that you don't hear the music or movie industries complaining about their chronic losses, but can making an album or movie compare to the money and effort spent on making a triple-A game title? As always, it's the consumer who decides whether a game is worth the $50 price tag, and often they decide to go with the pre-owned price instead.
Non-monetary incentives for new purchases
Game companies already use a number of methods to generate additional cash after releasing their games as downloadable content (DLC) and now have incentives to purchase new ones. Pre-order bonuses seem to be popular now with many games including additional DLC or specific in-game bonuses.
We'll look at some of the perfunctory incentives publishers offer to encourage new purchases, and which alternatives are more welcome.
Exclusive DLC and pre-order bonuses: The idea of gamers getting such collector's editions and bonuses isn't new, but lately we've been seeing a lot of extra freebies in new games or as part of pre-orders. Huh subject Most of this is in-game DLC, such as new weapons and armour, new maps, or other cosmetic additions that don't really add that much to the game. In fact, most of these items you can probably live without. I don't really need the blood dragon Armor in Dragon Age Origins and I can live without the tattoo set in Fable 3, thank you very much. I'd even go so far as to say that DLC Armor is one of the most pointless examples of DLC incentives. Although not as pointless as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion's Horse Armor.
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In some cases, the DLC offering is a bit more substantial. Few games offer quests or missions and it feels like a 'thank you' bonus. BioWare took it a step further by offering a DLC delivery service in Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age 2. The service allows players to download a range of items for free, as well as providing access to paid DLC. In Mass Effect 2, this included some additional side-quests and exclusive Armor/weapons (Grown). Players can add a new character to their game squad, Zaid, and he comes with his own loyalty mission as well as some small areas to explore as well as a new weapon. While this is a great incentive and adds more to the game, if you haven't purchased Mass Effect 2 new, Zed's capture will cost you 1200 Microsoft Points ($15). Yes.
The cost and value of DLC is something to discuss at a later time, but to judge the quality of future DLC, compare it to Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmare pack. For just 800 Microsoft Points ($10), a new single player game is unlocked that rivals the original game. This is a great example of quality DLC.
Online Pass: This seems to be an interesting/worrying trend in recent games, delete as appropriate. It all started with EA as they introduced the concept of an 'Online Pass' for some of their flagship titles like Dead Space 2, The Sims 3, Madden NFL 11, etc. This Online Pass is a one-time code that gives players access to online multiplayer functionality within their game. This means that you are prohibited from playing online unless you either bought the game new, and thus have the pass code, or if you unfortunately lost the game you spent $10 to get the pass. Not enough to buy second hand
Some companies, including Ubisoft, Code masters, Warner, THQ and now Sony, have already started adopting this approach. Sony will follow the same trend by offering a code for second hand gamers for $10 and this initiative will start with the release of Resistance 3.
While online passes are a good way to potentially generate profit from lost sales, they are rather worrisome because they penalize second-hand gamers, effectively taking away a portion of the game's content from the player. In some cases, the online portion of the game is much larger than the mandatory Story Mode, and it just adds an additional fee if you're already paying for a service like Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus.
Un-Resettable Game Saves: Now this 'incentive' really takes the cake. In the recent Resident Evil Mercenaries title by Capcom on the 3DS, players are prevented from deleting their save data. This means that the game cannot be started from scratch and seems to be a direct attack against second-hand games. Now, this isn't a big deal in Mercenary 3D, as this data roughly translates into high scores and some unlockable, but imagine if this system was used in other games like RPGs? What if you bought a second-hand game that is already complete? As a result of this move, most rental shops are unwilling to stock 3D rentals.
But the worst thing about non-resettable games is that it punishes even gamers who bought the game new, as it prevents them from resetting their game data if they wish to.
what are the options?
So, if these incentives that encourage us to buy brand-spanking new games don't work, or are 'a bit rubbish', what's the alternative?
Club Nintendo: Nintendo offers some more attractive incentives for new purchases. Each new game comes with a card that can be redeemed for points within the 'Club Nintendo' service. Here, gamers can spend their points on a variety of collectible Nintendo merchandise, from posters to apparel. There are a lot of items that can be saved for. Never mind that some cool items require a few points and maybe ten hundred Wiis, it's a very good idea to get physical items for your loyalty.
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Imagine if you could be rewarded with Microsoft Points to spend on XBLA games? Or maybe you can spend those points on real-world items, like a control pad or a poster? I'd prefer to see actual rewards as incentives rather than some lack of in-game Armor.
Casual and Digital Games: There is a reason why digitally downloadable games, such as XBLA or PSN, as well as mobile gaming are so popular. They provide great gaming experience for a low price. All of these services have grown over the years, from selling tiny retro games to full-fledged gaming experiences large enough to dwarf many full-price games. I know I'd much rather have Limbo on my Xbox than some fancy Kinect version of Carnival Games, and it's much better value for money, too.
Mobile and indie games continue to grow and many game developers already know that smaller games are an alternative to big budget titles. This doesn't mean we'll see the end of Triple-A sports, but it does
warrant a re-evaluation of the value of such sports.
Lower those prices: The reality is that not everyone can afford a video game at full price. We live in tough times, and with some titles selling for as little as $60, for many it's a case of buy it cheap or miss it. Some games just plainly aren't worth $50 and drop to half price within a few weeks. Even games that are available digitally sometimes cost as much as their retail versions, if not more. Pre-owned games are popular because they are cheap. Simple, really.
While it appears that some game stores are taking advantage of the popularity of used games to increase their profits, especially since their pre-owned selection appears to be quite expensive anyway, pre-owned titles are available at smaller independent stores. A lifeline for retailers struggling against the biggies. Wale multi branch market. We all know that Choice offers the best deals to customers, whether selling new or used games.
Online retailers such as Amazon and Play.Com still offer low prices, but I'd hate to replace the magic of high street shopping. However, if retailers can offer better deals on newer titles, perhaps that will drive sales.
so what next?
Perhaps the games industry needs to rethink its half-hearted incentives and look at the reasons why gamers would sooner buy a second-hand game than fork over the cash for a shiny new copy. The industry also needs to shrug off the fact that second-hand gamers are the enemy. We're not pirates, we haven't stolen any games. We are just customers. However, the real problem lies with retailers who maximize their own greed at the expense of the industry.
CONCLUSION
Casual and Digital Games: There is a reason why digitally downloadable games, such as XBLA or PSN, as well as mobile gaming are so popular. All of these services have grown over the years, from selling tiny retro games to full-fledged gaming experiences large enough to dwarf many full-price games. Mobile and indie games continue to grow and many game developers already know that smaller games are an alternative to big budget titles.
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