Buying and selling used video games has become a fact of life for many consumers -- but if game publishers get their way, it's about to become a lot more difficult.
One 2009 estimate puts the size of the used game business at about $2 billion, representing about one-third of all annual game sales. That's a big deal, especially for market leader Gamestop, which is thought to get over 40% of its profits from reselling traded-in games. Major retail chains like Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon have all dipped their toe in this lucrative market over the past year.
But while it's a serious earner for retailers, it's a complete bust for game publishers, who make nothing from secondhand sales of video games. They're looking for ways to get a piece of the pie -- or, failing that, to take the pie away altogether. Here's a few of the tactics they're using to make buying and selling used games harder for consumers.
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Here's my personal opinion on this matter. WTF! That's like a car manufacturer subjecting you the original purchaser (who happened to have paid full price for the vehicle) to some kind limitation on your car-keys. So, that you couldn't sell your car to another person, because they won't be able to start the car without paying up some extra fee to the manufacturer to get an unlock code first... Just so they can reap more profit from the second-hand sale.
Game makers made their profit from the original sale, that's why the games cost $50+ to begin with. Why would they suddenly feel they need to dip their fingers into someone else's pocket AGAIN?!
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