Why we should be allowed to resell games?

[DeltrusDisc]

I've been in this Intro to Business summer course this summer as an 8 week course, and just today, my teacher wanted to hit on stocks a bit and secondary markets. He mentioned how say you buy a 2012 Corvette for $50,000 and then something happens where they become really rare, and it goes up in value and you're able to sell it for $75,000 later on. The comparison isn't so much about things becoming rare or what not, but he talks about how the money obviously doesn't go back to the company, rather the new title owner.

Why can't this be the same with games going forward? More and more often lately, they've been making it harder and harder to resell games, whether to friends or Gamestop, etc. PC games have been the worst ever since the 90s, perhaps before? We already paid our fair share to the company and if we no longer wish to play said game, the latest big issue being Diablo 3 and how many people are displeased with that, the option isn't there for us to just sell it for a lower price to a store/friend. I am sure there is a way they could figure out to track and enable CD keys based on who is the new rightful owner, etc. Like, I personally would just love to sell this SWTOR disc for $20 or what have you, but the option isn't there.

What do you guys think?

[Ave07]

Well on greenmangamingyou can sell certain games for store credit I think so it is possible to sell digital stuff.

I agree we should be able to sell games we no longer want just like console players can. I think publishers are just too greedy to even allow that to happen since they are not getting any of the cut.

[Thetruth1400]

As far as I'm concerned, if they want to have single use codes or whatever to limit it to a single buyer model, they need to extremely lower the price. It's highly unreasonable to expect people to pay $60 every time they want to try a new game. With the new model, you wouldn't even be able to rent a game because the single use code would prevent that. I see the only way that a single use model would even stand a chance is if the game costs $20 tops.

It all comes down to corporate greed essentially. Games are not made for the consumer, instead they are made for a fat paycheck.

I really wish I understood how companies feel that they can makes rules that essentially force you into keeping their product. As far as I'm concerned, when you own something, you should have the right to decide what to do with it. Now, for internet properties, I guess that's slightly different, but overall I still see it as something you should be able to control.

[Xanjori]

Well the EU has ruled that consumers must be able to sell on games, digital or not, perhaps the US will follow?

[klaps_05]

in most cases, you dont own any part of the game, so you don't have the right something that belongs to the developer.

[cncrules45]

Games are not made for the consumer, instead they are made for a fat paycheck.

This is how the world works... Products and services are offered to make money for the company offering the products and services, not for the products and services themselves.

[DeltrusDisc]

Well on greenmangamingyou can sell certain games for store credit I think so it is possible to sell digital stuff.

I agree we should be able to sell games we no longer want just like console players can. I think publishers are just too greedy to even allow that to happen since they are not getting any of the cut.

Totally agree with you man, if anything, I hope courts sometime jump on it. I mean, they did in EU(or was it South Korea) or wherever it was and got people something of a refund.

As far as I'm concerned, if they want to have single use codes or whatever to limit it to a single buyer model, they need to extremely lower the price. It's highly unreasonable to expect people to pay $60 every time they want to try a new game. With the new model, you wouldn't even be able to rent a game because the single use code would prevent that. I see the only way that a single use model would even stand a chance is if the game costs $20 tops.

It all comes down to corporate greed essentially. Games are not made for the consumer, instead they are made for a fat paycheck.

Definitely sir, after the pain of buying SWTOR and then regretting that and then buying the Diablo 3 CE to only enjoy it severely for a few weeks, I must say, as amazing as GW2 looks, I am really just thinking to wait until a month or so after its launch and seeing how it does. Been too disappointed in games lately, a $20 cost would certainly make the purchases hurt less, that's for sure.

Hell, I bought Amnesia: The Dark Descent for the full $20, and even though I hardly ever play it (big baby), I still totally respect it as an amazing game. If it had been $60 I might be a little more annoyed that I'm too scared to go further, but again, $20 is definitely not as painful.

[Xanjori]

in most cases, you dont own any part of the game, so you don't have the right something that belongs to the developer.

What makes you say that? They produce something that is sellable, I buy it from them, therefore I do own it. Legally its mine.

[Thetruth1400]

What makes you say that? They produce something that is sellable, I buy it from them, therefore I do own it. Legally its mine.

For WoW, you agree to the ToU and ToS, which basically say that they own the product and what you purchased was the right to play with their product, not the actual product. It's an incredibly shady thing, but there are no laws preventing it currently to say otherwise. In the US at least.

[Xanjori]

For WoW, you agree to the ToU and ToS, which basically say that they own the product and what you purchased was the right to play with their product, not the actual product. It's an incredibly shady thing, but there are no laws preventing it currently to say otherwise. In the US at least.

WoW is different in that you DO own your copy of the game, what is happening though is that you rent the account to play on their server. Your copy though is still your own, as ruled by the EU court recently in deciding that all games need to be resellable, even digital downloads.

[Rotted]

I believe it works as,

You own the account,
You own the hardware side of the game,

You can resell the discs,

Where as on a console, the "account" is saved on your actual hard drive, and not on someone elses server

But you agree in the TOS that you wont sell the account, so you can't really QQ about it, the only way to fix it would be a mass load of people to protest and not buy the game / expansion until the issue is addressed, GL with that

[DeltrusDisc]

I believe it works as,

You own the account,
You own the hardware side of the game,

You can resell the discs,

Where as on a console, the "account" is saved on your actual hard drive, and not on someone elses server

But you agree in the TOS that you wont sell the account, so you can't really QQ about it, the only way to fix it would be a mass load of people to protest and not buy the game / expansion until the issue is addressed, GL with that

Sure I can resell the discs but the CD keys need to be made active again so as to be able to be worth something. The WoW discs on their own are worthless, as anyone can get the install files.

[TommyJohn]

WoW is different in that you DO own your copy of the game, what is happening though is that you rent the account to play on their server. Your copy though is still your own, as ruled by the EU court recently in deciding that all games need to be resellable, even digital downloads.

and you're more than welcome to sell someone your WoW install discs. Good luck finding a buyer for hollow software you can download free.

As you said, you're buying your account; the game is just there to entice you into buying the account. Which leads to the double whammy that blizzard has the will and power to take away your account at any point for any reason, leaving you with useless softward and the discs to install it. So the game is just the box that the account that you don't own and is not under your control comes in.

You're literally just paying for permission to log onto their server. Permission they can waive at any point after "purchase"


The video game industry is almost as shiesty as the bankers...

[Xanjori]

and you're more than welcome to sell someone your WoW install discs. Good luck finding a buyer for hollow software you can download free.

In the EU WoW has to allow me to sell the code that comes with the disc to activate them, so I dont really need luck

[TommyJohn]

In the EU WoW has to allow me to sell the code that comes with the disc to activate them, so I dont really need luck

Yea, well the US loves to give businesses all the power to do whatever the fuck they want. So I DO need that luck.

[DeltrusDisc]

In the EU WoW has to allow me to sell the code that comes with the disc to activate them, so I dont really need luck

Just another reason I should move to EU, I've got quite a few games I would not mind selling.

[Xanjori]

Yea, well the US loves to give businesses all the power to do whatever the fuck they want. So I DO need that luck.

Like I said earlier though, perhaps if it is viewed as working well US courts will follow precedent? I think especially as companies move towards all digital (as EA have announced they plan to do) then perhaps the courts will feel the need to get involved?

[Otaka]

WoW is different in that you DO own your copy of the game, what is happening though is that you rent the account to play on their server. Your copy though is still your own, as ruled by the EU court recently in deciding that all games need to be resellable, even digital downloads.

you dont own the game content, you just own the disc and access to be able to play it.
No matter what game, they still have the license agreement that you are not allowed to modify or "steal" data from their game to use in your own game.

With discs you get the copy of the game to be able to install it, in future we will all download games from internet and and have access to play it but we just dont have the physical copies anymore.

[Xanjori]

you dont own the game content, you just own the disc and access to be able to play it.
No matter what game, they still have the license agreement that you are not allowed to modify or "steal" data from their game to use in your own game.

In what sense are we talking? Because I thought you could modify games, you then just cant pass those modifications on to others without permission of the authors (such as addons in WoW.) Although with online game play too (such as Diablo) you also cant modify it, but for example my copy of er, Rome Total War that I can only play on my PC, I can do whatever I want with.

[Spl4sh3r]

I agree I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to sell games to someone else. If we take Blizzard for example and selling a WoW account, though rather than selling we can say trading. If we were to trade an account to someone else I think it should be possible by just making a ticket where you include scan of both your ID and the receivers ID. How hard can that be? This would make sure the owner is changed so that the old owner can't just make a ticket to get his account back saying it was hacked or something like that.