I used to work for GameStop, when i was right out of grad school and needed something to buy my subway fare and two meals a day with.  It was actually a surprisingly great gig; I had a phenomenal boss and some good co-workers so it was probably the best GameStop I've ever been in.

That said, the company itself, at the time I work there, made almost no money from new games or consoles.  Those have fixed prices and where a big box store like Wal-Mart can make up the profits elsewhere, GameStop... not so much.  So yeah, all of the money game from used sales.

I'm a big believer in putting cash toward artists you want to support: musicians, game development studios, authors, etc.  Money on the table is what keeps them working.  But by the same token, I'm really, REALLY tired of this unspoken but constantly implicit concept that you need to be above a certain income or socioeconomic threshold to be a gamer.  We're doing well enough, but there's no way my husband and I could afford every game new its first week out at a $60 price point, even if we wanted to.  We wait 6-12 months for some, catch some on epic sales (Steam), and buy some used.  Because in the real world, most gamers aren't made of money.

And while at least sales and delayed purchases still have money going to the developer, rather than just to the used game vendor, I still resent the implication that we're responsible for studios' collapsing and lack of innovation just because we can't spend ALL the money.  Most gamers can't, especially the ones who have families.

In fact, most creative industries are so desperate for cash (and I don't blame them) that there's this constant accusatory tone toward those who won't spend $15 per person on a 3D IMAX movie the day it opens, or $60 on a ten-hour game the day it's released, or $20 on a hardcover on the day of publication.  I don't know how to fix that culture clash, but somehow it'll have to change.

I've written on this before, but I don't believe the individual gamer has any sort of obligation to "support" the industry. Just as the publisher keeps a sharp eye on the bottom line, it's incumbent upon the consumer to get the best deal possible--whether that means new or used ("value" is a relative term). Altruism doesn't factor into the equation. We're not responsible for the industry's "rut" (which I think is vast;y exaggerated). If the gaming industry is suffering, it's because they've gone creatively stagnant, and refuse to evolve. Why must crappy narratives and shitty dialogue be permitted in gaming but nowhere else? The industry has nobody to blame but itself.

@Kate - Sounds like it was common knowledge when you worked at GameStop that most of their revenue came from used games. GameStop's never admitted that they have any solid numbers on the percentage of business that comes from used games sales - their public estimates put it around 35-40% (at least, that's what Brandon Justice said in the article.) I'm curious: was this something GameStop knew unequivocally? Or was it based on your own store's observation?

@Jason I think were people get tripped up is this idea that I'm sure is in the minds of many a hardcore gamer - the games industry is just one big happy family, and everyone does it for the love of it, it's about the games, not the money, etc. It's hard to imagine the people who are responsible for thsi hobby you're so passionate about as cutthroat businessmen. I think the industry folks (including Justice) are sort of playing off of gamers' naivete in that regard.

Thanks for that, Rob. It's possible some of the articles I perused for clarification on the issue while writing this article were outdated. I Guess I shouldn't have taken the percentage Justice quoted in his article at face value, either.

Obviously, I agree with your point - looking at the amount of used sales GameStop makes doesn't give us any data on how new game sales are affected. Developers see those consumers as lost customers but there aren't any statistics to back that up.

I didn't want to get too bogged down with the numbers and particulars in this article - the spirit of it was really my dismay at Justice's point that, as someone who occasionally buys used games, I'm culpable for the industry's woes on some level.

I can't be 100% sure that he's read it, but it looks like I got Brandon Justice's attention: https://mobile.twitter.com/#!/jokeontheworld/status/94450257919881217 Behold, the power of Bitmob!