Buy Second-Hand Games, Stifle Creativity?

Posted by simoniker on Monday May 31, 2004 @06:08PM from the or-something-like-that dept.

Thanks to GameSpot for its 'GameSpotting' editorial discussing why buying second-hand games could have a negative effect on videogame creators. The author points out: "You know, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft must have a real love/hate relationship with stores that stock used games alongside their new games [since buying used games doesn't give] the game developers, or the game publishers a thin, red cent. Instead, the retailer is enjoying a nice, fat profit margin, where the markup is in the neighborhood of 200 to 1000 percent." He goes on to argue: "Buying used is equivalent to the game not selling at all in the eyes of developers and publishers, and when games don't sell, they don't get sequels and excellent concepts and, therefore, opportunities are lost."

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Re:Well, unless they license it otherwise. by ln+-sf+head+ass · 2004-05-31 19:54 · Score: 3, Informative

Three words: First. Sale. Doctrine.
Re:Sounds like a lot of bull to me by KDR_11k · 2004-05-31 20:13 · Score: 3, Informative

They can profit from that because the development costs have been paid for by the customers of the full priced version. Sometimes it's just stores cleaning out their inventory, though.

--
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
Re:Well, unless they license it otherwise. by Kris_J · 2004-06-01 00:19 · Score: 3, Informative

That's illegal, they can't restrict that.
Oh? Which law prohibits them from doing that?
First Sale doctrine. Part of Copyright law.