The Used Game Issue: I Have A Solution
Guess what gamers? This era of gaming is coming to an end. And I don't like it. Not one bit. It is a sad day indeed where more people play Angry Birds instead of Mario. You are all aware of this shift in gaming, the switch from traditional consoles and handhelds to mobile phones, and it is no secret that gamers usually don't like this shift. We are used the status quo, the game with a theme, a meaning, dare I say it, a story to the game other then some ravenously hungry porkers happened to eat eggs that were not kosher. We're used to intricacy, and ways of making the game our own, and being able to tell stories about how we solved a puzzle, killed a beast, or worked our way out of a sticky situation. And I know what you're wondering; what the hell does the used game issue have to do with steady and sure transition towards iPhones with scrabble built in?
There is one obvious answer. These companies who block used games will be the end of the game industry as we know it.
Woah, slow down there editor-in-chief, and all around badass Rio de Leon, why would Microsoft putting a ban on used games cause this disastrous doomsday scenario? Well, let's start at the beginning. Used games are costly to game companies. They loose a lot of revenue from second hand games, more so then pirated games. New games are the only way a developer gets money. Which is why this is such a problem. I promise you, all the games I've bought in the past year, save L.A. Noire, Skyrim, and the re-release of Super Paper Mario were second hand. And do I feel guilty?
No. I bought locally, and I made sure to download the DLC for said games. Hell, I even got the four DLCs for L.A. Noire (even if it was just for the trophies). This support is the only support I can manage with my budget, which would allow for 5-6 new games a year. I can not pull that off. My mind couldn't take it. Call me addicted, call me a cheapskate, call me a bum who needs to get a job, these are all true. But we all have to admit, if we had the money to, we would buy new.
This is a universal truth, but not all of us have the luxury. So we buy used. And we don't pay the full price for the game, in a metaphorical sense. The countless hours sunk into making the game is the reason why we should pay full price. Not the companies. The employees are the people who need the paycheck the most. So how do we fix this problem? Not how we're doing it right now, I can tell you that much.
The games industry is trying to put a lock on used games by limiting online play using play passes, which are God's way of telling us he still hates us for killing Martin Luther King Jr. This is nothing new of course, EA being at the forefront of the movement, aptly called, "We're Fucking Idiots, and We Have No Perception of People's Motivations," and has been going on for years. But now it's time to link these two items together.
If companies start charging for such simple things as online play, it feels like a punishment for playing used games. So people will start leaving, for cheeper, easier to pay for games, and move away from what creates good games. This will leave Nintendo, Sony, and especially Microsoft out to dry, leaving us without Mario, Master Chief, and Metal Gear. Not a good situation.
So I have a solution. And instead of punishing players for buying used games, it rewards players for buying new games! I know! It's a crazy idea, but it just might stick. Here's the pitch. Lots of people know about DLC. It's one of the things that keeps you coming back to your game. But not everyone buys DLC? Because they already payed full price for a game! So you're leaving your committed fans strapped for cash. And this is not fair. So I suggest, instead of giving your fans the boot, and having them pay all the extra costs for DLC, have the people who buy the game new have a free pass for all DLC released for the game.
I always thought paying for DLC was a bit ridiculous, I mean, come on. It's unfair to have people pay twice, three times, or four times for a game that they already own. No body takes DLC for granted though, and it becomes a commodity for people who can buy it. Offering such an incentive would be enough to get your fans to buy new, and boost sales at that! You're not restricting your would-be fans, and turn them into fans!
That's just my idea. What's yours?
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