The key difference is depreciation. If you buy a used couch, you also get all the baggage created with time. Stains, worn fabric, whatever. You buy a used copy of a digital product, regardless of age or use, and you get exactly the same product as if you purchased it new. So where there is a large incentive to buy a new couch and the corresponding new qualities, there is no similar incentive to avoid used video game titles.
This is exactly why EA games have been including single use codes for certain launch content, and offering the same content at an inflated price to used buyers. It creates the incentive to purchase new that is already built in to most other industries.
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The key difference is depreciation. If you buy a used couch, you also get all the baggage created with time. Stains, worn fabric, whatever. You buy a used copy of a digital product, regardless of age or use, and you get exactly the same product as if you purchased it new. So where there is a large incentive to buy a new couch and the corresponding new qualities, there is no similar incentive to avoid used video game titles. This is exactly why EA games have been including single use codes for certain launch content, and offering the same content at an inflated price to used buyers. It creates the incentive to purchase new that is already built in to most other industries.