So here's another video.
Will It Blend?
iPhone 3G Edition.
Until later.
the end/beginning.
14 years ago
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Why You Shouldn't Support--Volume 1: Used Games
This is a biggie. Every time I walk into the local Gamestop/EB Games, I cringe, because I see far more yellow stickers on game packaging than I do plain white ones. For those not familiar with the nomenclature and labeling patterns of the Electronics Boutique family of retail outlets, white stickers denote new, retail games. Yellow denotes the game is used and has been traded in to the store for store credit or cash, often in exchange for a discount deal on a future purchase. The yellow-tagged used games are often cheaper, anywhere from $5 to $25 less than retail. Great deal, right? You get a disc that's been tossed around a bit and save enough buck to buy a CD or two.
Wrong.
While in the short term and for the consumer, the discount seems to be almost a godsend. Cheaper games and the ability to get cash for games? Sounds like the college gamer's dream! But wait, there's a catch here. What's the downside for all this trading and used buying?
Game developers get no profit for their efforts. Used games generate NO revenue for the people who created the games, and Gamestop, Inc. gets 100% of the money spent on that used game. This not only leaves the developers high-and-dry for the game they worked so hard to create (and yes, game developers work arduously for several months, often up to 80 hours a week, so you can have that finely polished copy of Halo or Metal Gear Solid), but it feeds the fatcats that run Gamestop, Inc. and doesn't give them any incentive to give consumers fair deals. Current trade-in for most brand-new, one-week-old games is about $20. Most games retail for $60. You're getting back 33% of that game that's only a week old. That's a depreciation value of something like $7 a day. Of course, you also only get $20 back if you bought it the same day you trade it in. See something wrong? They give you one-third back (which is among their highest trade-in values, and it's only in store credits), but they get to keep every cent of that $35 that they make by reselling it for $54.99.
See a problem here? Instead of paying the developer and publisher, which would result in less profit, they get to keep everything of what they sell, and the people who made and published the game get left out to dry. That brings up the next part, which is even worse. Like I mentioned before, game developers work exhaustingly hard to bring games to fruition. Games can be indevelopment for months, even years (here's to you, Duke Nukem Forever and Starcraft: Ghost), with the staff working round the clock to make sure the game comes to store shelves in the best possible way (the good studios, at least. some studios still just put out shitty games or rehashes), all while counting on that cut they get from retailers. Trading and buying used games completely cuts out the developers from any money to be made from people who aren't into buying the game the first week or two. That's part of what drives up the cost of games and forces studios to make cuts and budget fixes to deal with diminishing returns. Then Gamestop (and don't think I forgot Hollywood Video and Blockbuster and other such outlets) just tells people to trade/buy, and it spirals downward from there.
What I'm asking is for people to buy games new whenever possible to support the developers and publishers of those games. Don't support the irresponsible and unfair practices of Gamestop, Inc. and its imitators.
Need old/hard-to-find/out-of-print games and peripherals and consoles? eBay works wonders. You can get more, find more, and often pay less for your used game needs. Buying/selling used games at large corporate game stores should be used sparingly, if at all. Just think of that extra bit of change as your contribution to the gaming industry--a thanks, a nod of appreciation, or your part in social justice. That, or the last Lincoln in your wallet now goes to gaming instead of that extra Big Mac--a kickstart for your health and diet.
Wrong.
While in the short term and for the consumer, the discount seems to be almost a godsend. Cheaper games and the ability to get cash for games? Sounds like the college gamer's dream! But wait, there's a catch here. What's the downside for all this trading and used buying?
Game developers get no profit for their efforts. Used games generate NO revenue for the people who created the games, and Gamestop, Inc. gets 100% of the money spent on that used game. This not only leaves the developers high-and-dry for the game they worked so hard to create (and yes, game developers work arduously for several months, often up to 80 hours a week, so you can have that finely polished copy of Halo or Metal Gear Solid), but it feeds the fatcats that run Gamestop, Inc. and doesn't give them any incentive to give consumers fair deals. Current trade-in for most brand-new, one-week-old games is about $20. Most games retail for $60. You're getting back 33% of that game that's only a week old. That's a depreciation value of something like $7 a day. Of course, you also only get $20 back if you bought it the same day you trade it in. See something wrong? They give you one-third back (which is among their highest trade-in values, and it's only in store credits), but they get to keep every cent of that $35 that they make by reselling it for $54.99.
See a problem here? Instead of paying the developer and publisher, which would result in less profit, they get to keep everything of what they sell, and the people who made and published the game get left out to dry. That brings up the next part, which is even worse. Like I mentioned before, game developers work exhaustingly hard to bring games to fruition. Games can be indevelopment for months, even years (here's to you, Duke Nukem Forever and Starcraft: Ghost), with the staff working round the clock to make sure the game comes to store shelves in the best possible way (the good studios, at least. some studios still just put out shitty games or rehashes), all while counting on that cut they get from retailers. Trading and buying used games completely cuts out the developers from any money to be made from people who aren't into buying the game the first week or two. That's part of what drives up the cost of games and forces studios to make cuts and budget fixes to deal with diminishing returns. Then Gamestop (and don't think I forgot Hollywood Video and Blockbuster and other such outlets) just tells people to trade/buy, and it spirals downward from there.
What I'm asking is for people to buy games new whenever possible to support the developers and publishers of those games. Don't support the irresponsible and unfair practices of Gamestop, Inc. and its imitators.
Need old/hard-to-find/out-of-print games and peripherals and consoles? eBay works wonders. You can get more, find more, and often pay less for your used game needs. Buying/selling used games at large corporate game stores should be used sparingly, if at all. Just think of that extra bit of change as your contribution to the gaming industry--a thanks, a nod of appreciation, or your part in social justice. That, or the last Lincoln in your wallet now goes to gaming instead of that extra Big Mac--a kickstart for your health and diet.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Full blog coming tomorrow.
This is amazing. Thanks to Darin for the link. Mos Def '08.
Full blog with real opinions tomorrow. Expect me to rip Gamestop/EB Games a new asshole.
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