14 DAY TRIAL // One of the biggest debates raging at the moment in the gaming world is that regarding the importance of sales of used games. A big chain store like GameStop and many gamers insist that there's nothing wrong with selling a game that you have grown tired of playing. After all, it means that someone else can enjoy it, for a smaller fee than getting it new, while the former owner gets some money that can be then spent on getting a new, shrink wrapped game.
Videogame publishers maintain that selling used games causes losses for them and are implementing a variety of initiatives designed to limit them, from offering exclusive DLC to first time buyers to limiting the amount of times a game can be installed and played.
Now, it seems that even a major company like Microsoft, which publishes games and creates and maintains the Xbox 360 gaming consoles, is beginning to recognize the fact that used games sales are important for the industry as a whole.
Talking to Gamesindutry.biz, Chris Lewis, who is an executive working within Microsoft, has commented on the used games phenomenon saying that “I can see the positive in, because I can see that what you then get is more and more people touching, playing, experiencing a game that they may not otherwise have access to.”
He believes that they keep the gaming ecosystem in constant flux, allowing for gamers to get to experience content that they would not otherwise see, because of price or availability. But he also states that game publishers will be trying to emphasize the value of new games. “I think things like premium downloadable content, and that kind of thing, will ultimately play a part in used games - and that's not me saying that it's a great way for us to try and minimise that. I think it will be a great enhancement to the way that people experience games. If some additional content is available via the Xbox Live service, for instance, that further enriches the game experience and might encourage folks to hang on [to] their games for a bit longer.”
Are you buying used games? Do they seem like good value for you? We'd love to hear what out readers think of the issue.