A simple solution for the video game industry's problem with people selling used games:
Make games that are so good that people won't want to sell them.
You wouldn't think this would be that hard. I mean, if people are copying the game and then selling the original, then it's a piracy issue, which: fine, whatever, they should try to discourage in a way that doesn't penalize non-pirates. But if people are just bored of the game and want to get rid of it, they sell it for (usually) less than they bought it for, passing on part of the cost to the next owner. The second owner sacrifices shininess and timeliness for lower price, and the world keeps spinning. This is the way used bookstores and used car dealerships and vintage clothing stores work. Why are video games so different?
Even without a formal boycott, people can see that this game has had its resale value removed as a "feature". The fact that they won't pay as much for it used is the whole point, and I would be surprised if Nintendo sells enough more units to make up for the sales they lose to people who won't buy a game they can't resell in the first place.
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A simple solution for the video game industry's problem with people selling used games:
Make games that are so good that people won't want to sell them.
You wouldn't think this would be that hard. I mean, if people are copying the game and then selling the original, then it's a piracy issue, which: fine, whatever, they should try to discourage in a way that doesn't penalize non-pirates. But if people are just bored of the game and want to get rid of it, they sell it for (usually) less than they bought it for, passing on part of the cost to the next owner. The second owner sacrifices shininess and timeliness for lower price, and the world keeps spinning. This is the way used bookstores and used car dealerships and vintage clothing stores work. Why are video games so different?
Even without a formal boycott, people can see that this game has had its resale value removed as a "feature". The fact that they won't pay as much for it used is the whole point, and I would be surprised if Nintendo sells enough more units to make up for the sales they lose to people who won't buy a game they can't resell in the first place.
For the most in-depth, well-written discussion of the issue of Quality possible, read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig.
What is good, Phaedrus, and what is not good- need we anyone to tell us these things?