Video Game Industry Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePNHfnR-SwA

What are you guys is thoughts?

The major flaw he has in his argument in the beginning is when he compares used video games to other used products. They are not the same, unlike other used products a used game is basically exactly the same as its new counterpart. Now you could bring up movies and music but both of those industries have either already switched to digital distribution or make all of their profit before their content is available to be sold used. At the end of the day as pc gaming has shown digital distribution is the way of the future, we are all just waiting for consoles to catch up.

I didn't watch the vid, but I agree with what Tom said.

*goes to pat Tom on the head, but realizes his head has exploded.

if they do go DD they need to get better servers because the average internet speed in USA I've read is only like 3mb.....which I used to have,took like 2 hours just to download a 1gb demo off XBL...took forever dl'ing the Just Cause 2 demo

idk.would the people who bought DD stuff on the 360 just be screwed when the 720 comes out?Or people who bought stuff on 720 be screwed when the console after that came out?

I asked that before on steam,would people just lose everything if for example the company went out of business or something and somebody said valve said they would mail actual physical copies to people lol.

also console HDDs would need to get cheaper....MS brand ones are ridiculous honestly.Let us use our own sate drives like the PS3 does

they would need to get like prepaid cards for the DD stuff because it's a pain in the ass having to get a credit card to buy stuff online or even debit cards are a pain in the ass at times

I wouldn't really mind it,but I'm very iffy with all the questions.It would be nice to not need all the discs taking up space though.And how MS alienated the Xbox 1 when the 360 came out leaves doubts on what they'll do with the 360 when the 720 comes out

I haven't had time to watch the whole thing yet, but as far as the used games go...

The difference between videogames and other products like used cars is that the publishers money doesn't mostly go towards the physical product. It's the development costs that really hit them; believe it or not developers need money. A lot of money. Online passes and such weren't needed before because development costs were a lot cheaper.

I do hate a lot of practices that publishers do nowadays like on-disc DLC. That's just cheap, since you're nickel-and-diming people buying the product at full price.

Either way gaming is cheap, so I guess it's not a huge deal.

I'll probably watch the rest later but that poor comparison kinda turned me off.

He was comparing it to cars and other products? Now I don't need to watch it, that alone tells me his take on it is probably flawed.

But Tom, games do lose value. An used game is not the same as a new one when talking about physical products.

Like any other product, it loses value. The moment you take off the pretty plastic from the box, the game is no longer considered "new" by many, and as such, it loses value. Depending on the state of whole package, it devaluates.

On a game with 1 month on the market...
Everything looks new, except that it just isn't? All right, $50.
The box is scratched, dirty, and bitten? $40-45.
The disc has minor scratches? $40.
The disc has mild scratches? $35.

No package at all, just the disc? $30.

Just to give some examples. The dollar cost isn't exact, but you get the idea. Will the content of the disc be the same, no matter if used or new? Yes, but the game loses value no matter what. The crappier the game, the faster this happens.

The whole "used games are killing the industry" seems like a load of bullshit. Just like the piracy argument. Instead of rethinking their current business model that is about spending a shitload of money on marketing and hyping the game to death, just for it to suck, publishers blame everything else and punish their customers.

They try to pull the "you don't own the game, it's just a license!" and yet, if my game breaks, scratches to death, etc., are they going to send me a new one or allow me to download it? After all, it's a license! Of course not. They don't give a fuck, they got my money already, the short-sighted assholes. Good thing digital works this way, but we're talking about physical right now, where the used market is.

When and IF the market goes completely digital, I can see the used game market dying. But only if the cost of games is lower, if not, I see the industry losing sales. Many still put the $60 tag on a new game on digital form, just for shits and giggles. There's no longer a manufactoring process for the boxes, the discs, the manuals (what little of them they include now), the shipping, etc. But fuck no, I want to get my moneyz, so $60 it is.

And then, used games even work as a form of "marketing" for them. I'm not the only one that sells games to buy a new one. I'm not the only one that bought a cheap, used game, and later bought the sequel or its DLC. (I bought Skyrim, because I bought Oblivion used years ago). The used market is made out to be the devil, but it's just part of the industry. They lose some sales from it, but they also gain another ones and even new customers.

My reaction if there's no used game market, rentals, asking a friend for his game, etc: I see a $60 new game but I hold back because I don't want to buy it for it to suck. I buy it when it's ata $30. Or I wait for the ZOMGS EPIC GOTY EDITION COCK pack with all the content for $20 later. Meanwhile, publishers will just keep blaming piracy for shitty sales. Not their anti-consumer pratices, not that the game fucking sucks, not that the game was rushed. Can't blame the used market now, I guess.


@Metal: I don't know about cars, but he compared it to comic books and clothes in the beginning.

Ars Diaboli wrote:snip.

What I meant by used and new games being exactly the same is that the the reason someone purchases the game is exactly the same, to play the game. That game is also exactly the same unless the disc is scratched or is a project $10 game. That is the reason why I said there is no difference between a used and new game. Now when you address how a game deteriorates in value when used I would call most of those values unrealistic, at least on release. A new $60 game on release will not be worth $30 if you try to sell just the disc the same day. Gamestop has proven this with their used new releases being priced at $55. By the time the game is worth $30 without the box, the new game has also dropped in price or had a sale. Also the only reason I can see why a used game is priced lower than a new game even though they are essentially the same is because of the the mindset of people when they think of something used. The thing about digital distribution right now is that even though games do launch at a $60 price point, that price drops much faster. You are right though that digital distribution could create a situation where games never drop in price, but I really do not see that happening unless these companies want to shoot themselves in the foot. Consumer protection laws also do need to be passed so that we are protected from our games being just "licenses" that a company can take away at any time.

as long as cheesy microsoft's games on demand isn't a foretelling of the future of DD with their ridiculous prices,DD could be nice.It would be nice to always be able to download it if you needed to.They would need something like steam that's streamlined for the future and not just have it like Games on demand on live....because what happens when the 720 comes out?Is it getting it's own new version of live like the 360 got vs the xbox1?

I agree alot of the DD pricing really sucks right now.Alot is good,but alot sucks.They really could make the games cheaper and it would give it the real edge vs the physical copies.

games are one of the highest de-valuing items I've read,besides cars