Digital Only Distribution

[Nintii]

@ gahnzz ... I did understand where you were coming from, i just wanted protest against the fact of how ridiculous the gaming industry was getting to protect themselves and now you're just pointing out how their greed is shutting doors on the smaller guy who wants to make an honest buck ... yes i understand where they are coming from to combat piracy and all that but I draw my line in the sand when it gets stupid like permanent internet connection.

 

@ hoofhearted4 ... I also like the feel of owning something solid like a disc ...

 

This is just a case of pure corporate greed ...

[antonkr]

The reason digital distrubution costs as much as it does on disks is because the company distrubituning if it's a third party company (example being Skyrim for Steam), Valve in this case would take some of the money from the sale and give it to them, and eat some of the money you used on Skyrim for lunch.

[gahnzz]

@ gahnzz ... I did understand where you were coming from, i just wanted protest against the fact of how ridiculous the gaming industry was getting to protect themselves and now you're just pointing out how their greed is shutting doors on the smaller guy who wants to make an honest buck ... yes i understand where they are coming from to combat piracy and all that but I draw my line in the sand when it gets stupid like permanent internet connection.

 

I agree persistent connection is just plain stupid. I prefer to target my frustration at the publishers (EA, Activision, etc) and the huge corporate behemoths (Best Buy, Gamestop, etc.) not the developers. I just want direct access to the people who create the content and get the leeches out of the system... Content to consumer - direct.

[StormTemplar]

Second hand sales is not a solid argument for this at all. Torrents exist. This is nonsense. Besides, many people like to have the actual CD/DVD and box and other goodies for the sake of collection.

[HeyYou]

Steam, and the like are killing the second hand market. Online registration of the games tied to a specific user are another. Persistent internet connections are simply a form of DRM. Thing is, NONE of them really combat piracy. It really doesn't matter what the company producing the game does, it is generally on the pirate sites BEFORE it even officially releases. So, as I see it, the company spending large sums of money for some DRM scheme, are actually shooting themselves in the foot, as the more draconian the DRM becomes, the more likely folks are to simply torrent the game, and get a version that actually WORKS. (Spore anyone? Released on the pirate sites 3 WEEKS before it's official release?) Game companies simply don't want people trading used games. They don't make any money off of that, so, if they can kill the second hand market, anyone that wants to actually have a legit copy of the game, will have to buy it new. (and the company gets its cut.) It's the corporate mentality, where the bean counters make the decisions on something they have absolutely no clue about.

 

From my perspective, any particular game producer would more than likely realize MORE sales, and profit.... if the used something simple, like a disk check, and dropped the price of the game a bit, on their savings from NOT spending it on some silly DRM scheme, that doesn't work anyway.

 

I won't buy games that are digital distribution only. I want a real disk. I want to install when I want to, and not have to spend several hours downloading the game. (I will spend several hours downloading mods instead.....)

[Ghogiel]

Economics of how second hand markets fuel the industry suggests that, second hand sales adds more disposable income to consumers who then have more money to spend on buying new games. Ultimately generating more total money in the industry.

 

 

anyone remember trading in games for store credit or for more $ to buy new games? that equates to sales in my book. I have no idea who is making these decisions to wipe out second hand sales. It's obvious that is what is happening.

Edited November 3, 2011 by Ghogiel

[brokenergy]

I find it funny that people support second hand sales when it doesn't support developers that they want to support (not that I don't support second hand sales, I just find that having no profits transfered to developer from these sales being wrong, which is the sole cause of the problem). Instead making GTA V digital, why don't they follow EA's lead and do project $10, it worked well for them. As well as that they could go like EA and ask for a share of profits from second hand sales from retailers, since it's their games that they made. Either way it's not going to stop :pirate: and people will always :pirate: games (which isn't the whole point of the going digital thing).

 

In my personal opinion I hate this and find it a s**** move by Rockstar (I have a wi fi network only and Australia's Internet speeds ain't exactly the fastest). It hurts people who don't have these things and isn't going to be useful in the longrun.

[HeyYou]

Auto manufacturers don't get a cut when I sell a used car. When I have a yard sale, I don't send a portion of the proceeds to the manufacturers of anything I sell. (although, I DO use some of the proceeds to purchase new products, that may or may not be from the same manufacturer....) Why should a software company get a cut of a game they have already gotten the initial profit from? I fail to see the logic in that.

[draconix]

Attacking the second hand market only makes sense when one considers the following argument to be true: "If a buyer cannot buy a used game at a discount price, they will buy a new one at full price," which everybody who doesn't operate on an executive's salary can see the inherent flaw.

 

My beef with online-only distribution (a disk is still "digital") is that prices of older games never seem to drop. I can't go onto the PSN and get a 3 year old game I want for less than $40, which is insane. There aren't sales or coupons either, and you can't get a good deal on a game of your choice. That will hurt IP owners more than help.

[HeyYou]

Attacking the second hand market only makes sense when one considers the following argument to be true: "If a buyer cannot buy a used game at a discount price, they will buy a new one at full price," which everybody who doesn't operate on an executive's salary can see the inherent flaw.

 

My beef with online-only distribution (a disk is still "digital") is that prices of older games never seem to drop. I can't go onto the PSN and get a 3 year old game I want for less than $40, which is insane. There aren't sales or coupons either, and you can't get a good deal on a game of your choice. That will hurt IP owners more than help.

 

And there is another argument the bean counters look at. Why discount the game, when you don't have to? Of course, I think that is more on the retailer than the publisher...... I got my GOTY edition of Oblivion out of the bargain bin at Wally World for 5 bucks. With online only distribution, that will never happen.