When talking about gamers being "overcharged" I always like to point out the inflation over time. This article by Ben Kuchera (now of the Penny-Arcade Report) is a favorite:

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/10/an-inconvenient-truth-game-prices-have-come-down-with-time.ars

The problem with gamers using the "I want a bargain" argument is that they often pay 55 bucks plus tax for a used game that's a new release. That same new game from Amazon.com (for instance) would be nearly the same price, but directly support the developer.

Publishers have actually brought the cost of games down while making them bigger than ever (look at Kingdoms of Amalur or Skyrim and compare their value per dollar to the games of even ten years ago).

Less than a coffee at Starbucks. That's the difference between a new and used new release. One supports a company that's ONLY about making money. The other supports a company that's about making money AND art.

The answers are as obvious as everyone pretends--it's just not in favor of the people shouting about overpriced games.

what would happen in publishers started putting in their own trade in value of a game and went down from there? do you think people would still trade in titles

I've said it before but it bears repeating. Used game sales are nothing new and the only reason whay it's become a problem a problem of late is because the trade in timeline is cutting into their new sales timeline. This is because most games can be finished in a few hours and there's no replay value. If publishers really want to stem this problem, they need to start green lighting games that aren't going to be traded in almost immediately after purchase.

And before anyone asks, no, Early DLC or tacked multiplayer is NOT the way to fix this. The former is simply more junk to download and install before it gets burned through and the latter only lasts until it gets boring. Compelling gameplay that lasts and promotes replaying the game will offer FAR better results than the other examples (and yes, that is pointed straight at Bioware with the ME3 mess. Yes, it was successful, but promised to be even more so if they hadn't been such ignorant jerks when it comes to their user base.)

"First, we must recognize what each side wants from one another.  Publishers want money.  We shouldn't deny it."

Publishers have no right to make money off the sale of a secondhand item. They already received money from the sale of said item from the first buyer.

The first-sale doctrine, accepted legal precedent for more than 100 years, establishes that consumers assume property rights to anything they purchase. In other words, if I buy a book, that specific copy of the book is mine. I have the right to sell it, lend it, or give it away without giving further compensation to the copyright holder (who is not always the author).

What you're suggesting is that video game publishers deserve money each time a single copy of a game exchanges hands. And that's ludicrous.

Unfortunately, I disagree with several points in this article.

First, the Napster comparison doesn't make any sense. And while people did use Napster because they wanted digital music; don't kid yourself -- They also used it because it was free.

Secondly, my blood boils every single time I hear the industry cry about used game sales because of the reason the author gives:

"Publishers want money.  We shouldn't deny it.  They do deserve a right to make a profit and to get reimbursed for the investment in making the product that the consumer wants  They see the sale of used games as lost income and are looking to find ways to recoup that."

That's a bunch of crap. I am a businessman. I am all for capitalism. But capitalism goes both ways. And I can name a thousand industries that have to deal with, and overcome, used sales -- From cars to furniture to DVDs to music CDs to MP3 players to TVs. This ignorant idea that the gaming industry can somehow force Gamestop's hand to not sell used games in ridiculous, to be kind. This idea that publishers are being cheated by used games sales is ridiculous, to be kind. Go take a lesson from the thousand other industries that have to deal with used sales and figure out how they get consumers to buy new.

Until then Gaming Industry, welcome to capitalism, the free market, and STFU.

Publishers and developers scream and cry that the used game business is killing them. Nevermind the fact that they are lying, but what makes me laugh is the fact that they do everything in their power to make buying used the most attractive option for many buyers, and then complain when those buyers buy the game used.

Just think about how many hoopes you have to jump through just to play the games you want to play today. It starts with pre-order bonuses, which right out of the gate tells me that no matter where I buy the game, I am getting an incomplete version of it. Then we have online passes, which annoys users with codes and blocks used buyers from accessing the full game. It also blocks families from enjoying the same game online, since if you want to share a game with someone in your house, they would have to re-buy the online component if they want to play it on their console, even though you already purchased the game.

And what about the online passes that lock out single player content? So much for the whole "It's because of server costs" eh every publisher in the world? So much for all those gamers who don't have their consoles connected online. Oh well, their $60 isn't worth as much as a gamer who does have online connectivity. Then we have DLC, which again, right out of the gate I already know I am NOT getting the full experience. It has gotten so dirty now that developers and publishers are locking out the endings to their games to sell it to you later. Like Asura's Wrath. Many publishers are now just putting the DLC on the disk, and charging you a large fee for an unlock code for something you've technically already purchased.

Oh, but they don't stop there. Huge, story related content is being held back to sell to you later as DLC as well. Cheat codes that used to come on the disk is now being ripped out and sold to you for a price. But this isn't enough. Next we need to ask people to pay more for a digital version of a retail game compared to the price of the actual game at a retail store. This is my favorite one.

If they were really worried about used games, and if they really wanted to combat it, don't you think the logical thing to do would be to offer their customers incentives to buy new? That would be the logical thing to do, just like the movie and music industry does. They pile on content into their products as an incentive to buy new, instead of removing content behind a pay wall like the video game industry does. No, this would all make sense, so instead the video game industry asks you to pay MORE for the same product compared to the price at a retal store.

If I wanted a game, I would have three options as a consumer legally buying a game. I can most likely download it digitally on my consoles, or I can go to EB Games or an electronic store and buy it new or used. 10 times out of 10, buying it used is the cheapest alternative, so that's what I do. Now this should tell publishers that reducing the price of their digital games would be the smart thing to do, since they are already saving a ton of money by releasing them digitally and offering us a discount on these games would still get them a large profit.

Everyone would be happy. We would get the game cheaper, and publishers would make more of a profit than they do at retail. And since this makes sense, publishers do everything they can to do the opposite. On Microsoft's "Games on Demand" service and Sony's "PSN" service, games that can be bought for $10 to $40 at a retail store is often priced $20 to $60. I have yet to see a single game on either of those services costs less than what I can buy it for used at a store.

And they wonder why people keep buying used? All they would have to do is be reasonable. That's all. That is all they would have to do. If I wanted to buy a game, and I saw that EB Games was selling it used for $30, but Microsoft's Games on Demand service had it for $35, I would pay the $35. I would pay the extra $5 for the easy of use. However, publishers greed makes them ask much, much more. Most games that can be purchased for $30 elsewhere is priced at $45 to $60 on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

So what am I to do? I go to the store to buy it used. The publishers just lost a sale because they are unwilling to give their customers a break. They are unwilling to give us a good price. Even EA refused to offer us a $5 discount on their games when purcahsed through the PS Vita store. A measly $5, and they refused to offer us even that. No wonder everyone buys used. If publishers are unwilling to give us a break, and if they refuse to understand that we can't afford to pay more at every turn, then they deserve to have their games bought used.

All gamers want is reasonable prices. That's all. I can't tell you how many sales they have probably lost because of their resistance to offer us affordable prices on their downloadable retail games, or their insistance on shoving so many pay walls into their games. While the movie and music industry has lowered prices and thrown in a ton of extra content, video game publishers have done the opposite, and then complain when people buy used. They have nobody to blame but themselves, and I have zero sympathy for them.

Also, nickel and diming your customers doesn't help.Day one DLC, project 10 Dollar, which was about server costs, btw, yet now we have single player content locked behind a paywall. Pre-order bonsues spread across multiple retailers makes a lot of customers feel like they aren't getting the entire game, etc.

But make no mistake, used games will stick around and publishers are scared of gamestop. Look at the Deus Ex debacle with Gamestop. Gamestop ripped open PC versions of Deus Ex to remove the vouchers Square Enix put in their for a copy of a downloadable game because Gamestop had a competing service. This would have been a PRIME moment for the industry, especially a (former) Heavy Weight like SE to say "You know what? Fuck you. You gutted our product and made it worth less than it was before you opened it. We aren't doing business with you any more".

Instead Square Enix apologized to Gamestop and sent out copies without vouchers.

The industry can complain all they want about the chain, but they're not going to go all digital without letting gamestop in on it. Publishers know they need retail, and retail knows that.