Madnis
[12] Conqueror
1: Used game buyers don't give developers any revenue, hence they bought it used, not NEW. Assuming they buy DLC or season passes, which most people just complain about anyways.
that money goes somewhere. where does it go? and in turn what does it help those companies do? USED games are part of the ecosystem that was created by these companies because they saw a need for them. Taking them out will have a blow back on the industry as a whole.
2: One time buyers buy the game day 1, beat it, then resell it a week later. So now there isn't much point to buy the game new for $60 when you can buy a used one for only $50. The developer just got screwed.
So. buy the game new and a percentage goes back to the developer? a percentage also goes where?
I'll ask you some more questions.
Now,
one time buyers will buy the game day 1. beat it. then what? goes in the garbage? That's wasteful. collects dust on some shelf? again that's wasteful. Can't lend it out to noone so they can't experience it for themselves. So what happens to the game? If knowledge of knowing you can't return it or trade it in, and knowing it's just going to end up in the garbage or on a shelf, will that deter some gamers from playing those games? The power of borrowing and renting and even buying a used games does have its merits when it comes to marketing. Because it adds to what?
see my next response.
3: Games are not completely gambles. A game's success is almost always dependent on how competent their marketing department is. TV commercials, Youtube ads, gamefaqs ads, etc.
not entirely true. I'll agree marketing has a huge role to play in a games success, but it's also the developer's name. Naughty Dog for example. You hear their name and associate with their recent success, you're more willing to see what they come up with. Trust is there. But anything that requires you to sell anything to anyone is a gamble. Because once something is out in the public, it's all WORD OF MOUTH. If the public says this is shit. doesn't matter what you or marketing says. Society has already branded you. you have that reputation. and it's a hard stain to wipe off. Usually it's wiped away with a success.
So do not underestimate the public consensus. Word of mouth literally dictates your entire life.
4: Developers don't have a Hell Gate from which they can pull infinite supplies of money! They need profits.
This is true. But Developers get their main source of income from who? Who writes their checks? Who do the developers have to impress?
What you're getting mixed up in a huge way is that, developers don't really see the consumer's money. They don't get the lion's share of it. But they do sell their games, they sell them to the publishers. Your publishers in turn sell them to retailers. retailers then sell them to you. Lion's share of your buy goes to the publishers. When you return used games, all that goes to the retailer. Which in turn goes out to buy more new games from the publishers. who then pay your developers to make more games.
to get to my point.
NIGGAS GET PAID WHETHER YOU BUY A USED GAME OR NOT.
but understand, shit's not all black and white. It's all shades of grey.
there. I said it.
Edit:
for anyone interested, since we talkin money, and money grown folk talk, I present to you an interesting read.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-01-10-where-does-my-money-go-article