Game Retailers Not Liking EA's Project $10 Tactics

[jabliese]

Let's clear up something here, this is not a shot at Gamestop and other used game stores. Dropping the pricing on new games from $50 to $30 would be a shot at used retailers.

This is a shot at your wallet, plain and simple.

 

[greevar]

If publishers really want to put down places like Gamestop, they should try dropping the price of new games to the point that there is not profit in the used games market. Who am I kidding? They can't process the idea of lowering prices! Thanks to console manufacturers, they don't really have that option. I would buy a lot more games if I could get them for $10-$20 each.

 

[Guest]

What would you think if another business type, like car makers, would do the same? Example, you wouldn't get recalls or would have to pay to get your warranty applied because you bought your car used? That is just wrong!

 

[vis inertiae]

What we are crying about? $10 - $15? Really? You know you can play an entire game without the DLC content? It's not like the DLC content gives you some major advantage. If $15 is really breaking the bank to force you to buy a used game maybe you should rethink your overall budget to buy a game in the first place. Have you even compared the price for DLC content on a used game versus buying the game new? The price is about the same as if you bought the game new. Pirate the games. You're only leading future games to be of less quality. DRM is on there because you pirated the games. Cause and Effect?

 

[coldmast]

I don't mind extra costumes and add-on being sold extra, but don't sell a game that is half-bake. EA is the worst thing to happen to the gaming world, they're are trying to create another monopoly when the people are downright sick of them. Why do these large companies tend to become parasitic of their user base, why can't they grow in other ways?

We can start by voting with our dollars and looking into what the competition offers and hear EA whine about piracy some more. What makes EA think that people are going to pay anymore more then $10 for something that they can't install - uninstall - transfer - sell - ingest, something that they don't actually own - something that doesn't have any real value. We buy games because it is cheap entertainment, if that changes we can start making our own.

 

[p05esto]

I don't see the problem. Games for $10? I don't care who sells them to me, but for $10 I would actually buy games instead of dealing with Torrents and viruses and stupid cracks that only sometimes work. $10 is my sweet spot as I don't have a lot of time to play. If I get 5 hours of play from a new game that's a lot for me.

 

[squidrott]

I agree that some of the DLC, like that which you get for free with the purchase of ME2, is "meh" and skip-able.

However with this push from EA and Sony, I have to wonder how long until the DLC happens to be...the game's ending.

 

[Rorick]

[citation][nom]rantoc[/nom]I think its a huge difference between making a copy and a theft, both are crimes but the impact is wastly different. A carmaker can't sell a stolen car while a publisher can still publish their work even if its pirated.Note that i in no way defend piracy but have some understanding why some people choose that path (like the above, insane drm schemes wich only legit customers have to bear the pain from ect)When the publishers alienate their customers the sadly promote piracy in the end...[/citation]

I don't think they were meaning the specific crimes, as to the idea behind them. The idea behind both is that someone who can't, or won't, pay the money for the product offered will take it in a free form feeling it's justified, even if it's illegal.

 

[Lavacon]

I am loving these used game to other item comparisons.... really... they fall flat.

EA provides content and the ability to play multiplayer games on their network. Why shouldn't they get paid for this service? I would rather see this than a monthly subscription to play Madden.

Does a car mfg get a cut of a used car sale? No... Do they provide the road to drive it on? NO...Access to said road?? NO.. Does a MFG get a cut of a used TV? No... do they provide the electricity? NO.. The cable service? NO...

The days of NES and playstation games are over. Game publisher provide a heck of a lot more now then they ever did. They should be compensated.. no matter how much you dislike the company.

I'm not against used games, but, I don't think you should get all the perks for nothing. Buying a game New once shouldn't provide the next 5 people to have the same access as when it was new. 5 sales that generate NOTHING for anyone but the game reseller. Shops like gamestop are lucky they have not been asked to pay this fee directly, because really... for what they charge... they should.

 

[eccentric909]

[citation][nom]omnimodis78[/nom]Umm, downloading games isn't "stealing" at all, it's file sharing! I paid for the system I use to share with, and I pay for the bandwidth to download it with, and that file WAS paid for and then subsequently shared. So please, adjust your vocabulary and not let EA and the rest make you think it's actually stealing...[/citation]

Is this what you tell yourself so you can sleep better at night, knowing deep down that you're actually stealing?

While what EA is doing is pretty ridiculous, paying for bandwidth does not equal paying for content.

To each their own, but don't kid yourself bucko, it's better to actually own up to it, rather than sit in denial.

 

[martel80]

I'm not advocating what they're about to do but...
When you buy a used car/TV/whatnot it's already used, probably has some of the original properties worsened (the paint on the car is not that shiny, the motor drinks more fuel, the screen on the TV has washed-out colors etc.) but with computer games (software generally, even applies to music, movies etc.), they're always the same (except for that "must play it on day one"-type value).
So this way, they're trying to emulate the worsening of experience for second-hand users the same way it happens for "physical" goods.

 

[Guest]

As a used game buyer, you are a customer of Gamestop only, and have nothing to do with EA. I was doing a quick math experiment (by no means perfect) - 100K users buy the game new for $60. EA makes 6M (I know Gamestop gets a cut, but just to keep it simple), now those 100K users trade the game in (2 weeks later) and over the next two months this repeats with no new games sold. EA makes 6M, Gamestop makes 16M (400K copies * ($55 used price - $15 trade-in)). Now, I am not saying EA deserves the 16M from Gamestop, but the only customers of EA are the initial 100K (New game buyers) and they should get treated like customers. However, if I was a used game buyer, I would definitely avoid used EA games which EA couldn't care less about since they don't lose any money.

 

[babybeluga]

Meh...If they start doing this, they should sell all their new games for $10 cheaper.

Either way, I'll still wait for amazon to sell it for $15-$20 before buying it. I'm cool with giving them that revenue.

 

[Vampyrbyte]

[citation][nom]ltgrunt[/nom]The reason that slippery slope arguments are considered argumentative fallacies is that the rely on generating outrage or other negative reaction based on something that hasn't happened, isn't happening, and typically isn't reasonably expected to happen.Sure, you can talk about how bad that fictional, make-believe scenario might be, but that's not the situation we're actually looking at right now. Right now, what we have is publishers trying to make a buck by charging used-game buyers a small fee in exchange for the same content that they give away to new-game buyers as extra freebies.[/citation]

I know im going to drag this right off the point with this, but it was exactly that kind of attitude that allowed the Wehrmacht to rampage across half the planet and Hitler and his cronies kill 6 million Jews and all the rest of it.
If the situation we are looking at now is a success for EA, not only will EA increase the stakes in one way or another but other game developers will take the lead too. It can only get worse for the consumer.

 

[babybeluga]

By the way, people are leeches, too. The World of Goo publishers tried to do something relatively novel in the gaming world and do a 'name your price' tactic with $0.01 being the minimum. I'm not sure, but the people who paid that $0.01 wouldn't even cover the transaction cost. On the forum in which I saw this "deal", over half of the people were paying the one cent.

I heard that the publishers did this because of the over 90% piracy rate for the game, and they were trying to be nice while generating some revenue. People are just as greedy as the gaming companies and until one gives in, this crap is going to keep happening.

 

[Zingam]

[citation][nom]lorddrake[/nom]As somone who almost only buys used games from Gamestop Ive always supported not Copying games, just buy them if you want to play them, or wait for them to hit the 20 dollar price range. But if they start doing this I will swap to the "pirate the hell out of games" side! I think this is complete BS. And instead of buying games legit at a used discount price, I will steal them instead![/citation]


Now actually when you buy a game from Gamestop it equals to a piracy because none of the money goes to the developers and you do not support them in any way.
In fact you might be better off with pirating

 

[subaru41]

[citation][nom]ryanjm[/nom]EA's "Project Bend Over" will be countered with many users' own "Project Pirate the Shit Out of Your Products to Spite You."[/citation]

I give my best answer award to ryanjm.

SO what happens when kids want to take their games to a friends house for a sleep over? Are they going to have to take their system with them? So no more borrowing games from friends?

Because of this article, I am burning 32 copies of Mass Effect 2 for PC from a torrent file. I am handing it out to everyone in our corporate office that wanted to play the game but didn't want to buy it. I will do the same with Battle Field 2, Bad Company.

 

[Guest]

I think this is great! It creates more opportunity for other publishers that provide good customer service (ie. don't screw their customers) to fill the void EA is bound to leave. Hell, i can see a publisher adopting a simiilar model where they sell games for cheaper ($30-$40) but have much better for-purchase downloadable content from the get go. So customers can either 'buy-up' to the retail cost of a game (and then some) if their game is worth playing, or deem their game isn't all that great and don't lose out on as much money. it also diminishes the used market since retail cost will be lower. Win Win no? Well, maybe except for GameStop, but i'd rather have the money go to the developers than gamestop anyways. I'd gladly pay for more content on kick ass games where I still want to continue to play after beating the game, like Tales of Vespeira, Mass Effect, etc... And for people that bought the game because of all the hype but ended up not liking it, well they're out $40 instead of $60.

 

[Guest]

You know, why is anyone crying for the used game retailers? They are one of the biggest ripoffs in the retail sector today! You buy a new game, play it for anywhere from a couple of hours to MAYBE completion, trade it in for LESS THAN HALF PRICE, then they sell that used, and usually slightly damaged disc for ONLY $5 LESS! I'll tell ya, what can you do but laugh your azz off when thief is calling a con artist out for their so-called unfair practices. $60 for a game, especially as most games usually clock in at no more than 5 to 10 hours these days, is a ripoff! I am a gamer, but, I have been a LOT smarter about how I acquire my games. No, I don't pirate, and am completely for pirates being hammered when caught. Just remember, you DON'T have to pay FULL price for games anymore. There are trading/swapping sites. And Amazon gives the best trade value at the moment. Amazon has been my gaming retailer of choice lately. I haven't paid $60 for a new game in about a year now. Also, they have release date delivery! I get my game the day of, not the day after. Stop using GameStop and stores like them suckers! They are a ripoff!

 

[dreamphantom_1977]

I'm sure this is illegal. If you buy a game, it is legally yours. You own the disc. You can do what you want with it. As long as it is not illegally copied and distributed then you can sell it to whoever you want. IT'S YOUR COPY, YOU PAID FOR IT, IT'S YOUR TO DO WHAT YOU WANT WITH IT. If they pull content from the game after you buy it, then they are stealing what you already paid for. It's like they are taxing the game again after you bought it. YOU ARE THE OWNER OF THE GAME, THE GAME IS YOURS EXACTLY AS YOU BOUGHT IT. The only way I could see them winning this, is if they put it on the box that they are gonna do it.

Solution: BITCH, COMPLAIN, MOAN, DON'T BUY ANY GAMES THAT HAVE THIS.

It's just like DRM, if you keep buying games that have this, they are gonna keep doing this. THIS DOESN'T DO ANYTHING BUT HURT THE CONSUMER.
It's punishing the consumer by lowering the resale value of the game, and it's gonna hurt the game industry.

WHAT EA DOESN'T MAKE ENOUGH MONEY? NOW THEY HAVE TO STEEL FROM US?