There isn't a clear-cut answer. I like the used games market here in the UK - it's a good way of getting rare stuff if nothing else, and a means for paying for full-price games a little easier, too. I'm not sure whether GAME here do anything along the lines of GameStop in the US with the preowned stuff - it's usually clearly marked as preowned - but I'm certainly not averse to trading stuff in if I'm done with it.

I will build up a selection of "keepers" over time, though - stuff I'll NEVER get rid of, whatever the circumstances. Stuff that will either be hard to find again, or stuff that I loved so much I don't want to get rid of it. Most of my PS2 catalogue falls into that category now as the PS2 market is very very gradually starting to disappear in favour of the "big boys".

I've actually traded far fewer games recently than I have in years past. And on reflection, I'm much less likely to trade in something with a good story than something in which the gameplay is the sole point, if you get my meaning.

There is no clear cut answer to your conundrum, to be honest.

I've come to the point where I only buy games that I know I'll keep; I got tired of buyer's remorse when trading a game in and getting a fraction of the cost back when they mark them 'used' for what, maybe three bucks under the original MSRP?

Not that I'm having issues like you do myself; I rent a lot, which is also not putting any money into the pockets of deserved developers. Right now I'm playing through Dead Space: Extraction, which is an underrated and undersold gem. And I'm contemplating picking it up off of GameFly...for a reduced price, of which none goes to Visceral Games.

I wouldn't worry about being called a hypocrite; at some point, everyone has been in your position. The used market is nothing new; people have been bootlegging entertainment for decades. It's just that the used games market gets criticized and is in the public eye a bit more.

I have nothing against used markets in general, but there's something underhanded about the primary videogame retailer selling used games right next to their plastic-wrapped counterparts. That's something you don't see in any other market.

That said, I've mellowed on the whole "Down with GameStop" stance. The game industry has brought this situation on itself, and it's not the consumer's responsibility to support a stupid business model. New games are too expensive—both in terms of production costs and MSRP—and the margins for retailers are too small. If that weren't the case, GameStop wouldn't have to resort to villainy in order to turn a profit.

And if the publishers don't like it, and don't want to change the way they operate, they can always take their business elsewhere. No one is forcing them to sell to GameStop. Gamers will go where the games are.

You have every right to sell your video games to whoever you want. That's not hypocrisy. In the future, you might consider a buyer who ISN'T going to leverage that used copy against brand new copies, thus cutting into the developer's profits.

But don't let anybody tell you that selling a game you've finished is wrong. The clear-cut answer to that accusation is "Get lost."

Make friends with GameFly. They buy the games in bulk from pubs, you pay them a fair monthly rental fee, play however many games you want, and if you choose to buy one, it was their copy from the start.

There, problem solved.

For whatever reason, GameFly and I don't really get along. I play games just fast enough that I don't want to wait around for them to ship, but not so fast that I ever feel like I get my money's worth from the subscription.

I almost traded in Brutal Legend in the exact same manner, but in the end I just couldn't do it.

It's tough to keep up with all the newest releases. I think one has to make sacrifices - either by reselling games, overspending, or worse - pirating.

Personally I try to go after only a few key new releases, and wait for other games to go down in price. That's not really helping the developer either. In fact, you can yell at me for not buying Darksiders to begin with. But hey, we're not all millionaires.

I'm makes you a hypocrite, but more important you willingly got ripped off... which makes you stupid imo. I'm looking on Amazon.com used right now and you could have directly sold it to another person for $40 on 360 or $45 on PS3. I've never understood why people want to get ripped off so badly by Gamestop when there are other easy alternatives to getting significantly more (over 30% on PS3) money for their games.

In the end, there's really no definite answer to your question. The way I think of it isn't really a binary definition, but being in support of developers/publishers is really more of a spectrum.

Hell, if you want to think of it like a game, just consider every positive thing you do (buy new games, buy DLC, don't support primary game sellers/try to sell directly to other gamers/use trading services) and contrast them against every negative thing you do (buy used, trade-in games to primary sellers like GameStop, pirate junk). In the end, if you did more good than bad, I think you're doing just fine with respect to lots of people out there.

I end up doing a mix of new and used games. I got Borderlands and Brutal Legend this way while picking up GTAIV, Dead Rising and Endwar used. As Jeff states, money is tight. I'm actually saving money right now so that I can be ready for the likely Gamestop Buy 2 get 1 free offer for Memorial Day (May).

The Used/New problem for purchasers will always persist. It's the publisher's job to include incentives that will boost the perceived value to that high $60 launch price. Stuff such as DLC out the door (Dragon Age), presale discounts ($5 off Bayonetta presale), Bonus Items (Burnout Paradise Steel Wheels) need to become more commonplace (in addition to Day 1 availability). The other catch is that this premium benefit needs to be non-transferable, so that resale customers do not get this benefit unless they buy it new. While you may think this shafts the customer, the fact is that the game buying public does the math every time they make the choice between new and used, and will go for the one that gives the most value (assuming that marketing is equal).

So don't feel bad if you buy used. It is literally not your problem. If you buy new, you buy it for a reason. I bought Brutal Legend and Borderlands new because I wanted day 1 delivery, to play with my friends and play online competitively and to help these specific publishers. Those were my reasons which got me to pay the $60 price point. The other games I mentioned were a good deal during the B2G1 offer, and let me catch up on the games I should have tried but didn't have the money at the time.

I agree with the people stating that you should find a different alternative for selling your old games.
I've had a hatred for Gamestop for many years and have refused to do buisness with them.
Around the time Modern Warfare 2 came out I was low on funds and I really wanted to play that game. Against my better judgement I decided to head to Gamestop with my copies of Killzone 2 and Socom Confrontation to trade in towards MW2. I wasn't expecting much because I know the way Gamestop operates but when the clerk told me I'd get 10 bucks for the two of them I almost crapped my pants. I'm sure they would turn around and sell KZ 2 for 39.99 and Socom for at least the 10.00 bucks that they offered me, if not more. I just couldn't make the trade and fell good about myself so I decided to keep the games but just bite the bullet and pay for a new copy of MW 2. The only problem was is that hey were going to try and sell me and open copy of the game as new. I know they only open them to put the boxes on the shelf and it probably was a "new" copy but if I'm buying something new I want to actually open the packaging myself. I turned that down, gathered my games and walked out of Gamestop with a horrible taste in my mouth. That expierience reminded me why I hadn't shopped at Gamestop in at least 2 years and why I will never shop there again.

@William There are ways to disagree with someone's actions without insulting them.

To address your point, not everyone has the time or patience to sell games on Amazon or eBay. GameStop trade-ins are far easier, and in exchange, you get less money. That's how services work.

@William don't you worry, I'm well aware of how stupid I am. I don't know if this story is a good illustration though.

Let's not forget that both eBay and Amazon's services have costs involved, not to mention all of the pitfalls in dealing with strangers. In that respect, Gamestop doesn't seem nearly as bad.

@Craig Ostrin The best comparison I can give is a car dealership. You'll find both used and new cars on the lot, with the used cars priced as high as will sell. Due to how consumers feel about used car, they sell for significantly less than new.

And that's the crux of this issue. Used games sell for nearly the same price as new at Gamestop. But that is not Gamestop's fault. That is our fault, as consumers. We let GS put prices that high by buying used games at those prices. If no one bought used games at those prices, used prices would drop (or disappear). We, as a culture, enable Gamestop to keep this market going, not buy selling games to them, but by buying outrageously over-priced used ones.

Like many have already pointed out, once you buy something, it's youre property and you're fully free to sell it along. Still, I can se where you're coming from.

The only think I could sugest to you is to not trade-in those games whose developer is just starting to make it and that you think has a brilliant future ahead. As for those games from big name developers who are already well established in the industry, I don't really think trade-ins affect them a whole lot.

Jeez, I really need to re-read my comments before posting them. That last one was "mispelling gallore."

There is a simple solution here. You CAN NOT be held accountable for what someone else does. In other words, you trade in the game to pay for another NEW one, but you can not take blame if someone buys your Used copy instead of a New one.

I am forced to do the same thing. I bought Darksiders brand New. I also bought Borderlands and Modern Warfare 2 and Mass Effect 2 brand new. The problem is, those 4 games just cost me $260. I am not a rich man, so my only option at this point is to trade in those four games, and buy two new ones. Then by the time I have finished those, I will have enough of my own money saved to purchase 2 more new. Then the cycle starts over again. Trade four, buy 2 New Games with credit, Buy 2 New Games with cash, trade in 4, etc, etc, etc.

I do not believe in buying used. I demand that my money go to the developers who made the game, but if I use credit to buy the game, is my money going to the Developer, or the store? Especially with a game like Darksiders which was amazing from start to finish, I worry where my money is going. I had so much fun with that game that I worry whether or not they are actually receiving my support. However, I can not worry about what happens to the used games I trade in. Game Developers MUST understand that asking $65 for one game is a lot of money. People are going to have to afford them any way they can.

Most hobbies are not this expensive. Not to mention that most Hardcore Gamers are going to want to play everything that interests them, and that usually means 2 or more games a month. If they really want to cut down on used game sales, then drop the price of games. I said this same exact thing many times over. Most people do not remember that Current Gen games started out at $50. However, they quickly bumped it up to $60 before anyone could do anything. Some believe that the developers built their own coffin, and now they need to sleep in it.

@ Ed: "Most Hobbies are not this expensive

Really? Ever play Warhammer 40k? In order to really "play" a table top wargame, with a sizeable army that's painted and assembled, you're probably going to be putting out several hundred dollars. Want some new models? That'll cost you, minimum, $30-$40, probably more. Don't forget the $10-$20 in new paints and supplies when you run out. Then there's the modding to do, basically buying and cannibalizing parts off "new" models for your project. And when that new edition of the rules comes out, that's $50+ bucks.

Or how about cycling, where you can spend upwards of a couple thousand on a bike. A bicycle. You end up treating it like a car in the end. But take some other examples: fishing (licenses, equipment), golfing (green fees, clubs, shoes/bag/other gear), martial arts (basically a gym membership every month), stamp collecting... etc.

Most hobbies have a cost, plain and simple. Yeah it sucks that we have to put out $60+tax every couple weeks or months, but that's the price of your hobby. Honestly, I don't think the price increase from $50 to $60 in an industry that's been developing since the 80's with the appropriate leaps in development cost and graphical/technical improvement is a lot to ask. Movie tickets probably went up a little less then that over time, but that's a "pay to play" situation. I don't think that game prices in contrast are that bad.

At least, that's how I look at it.

I don't care for gamestop, and have had similar experiences walking in and having high pressure sales tactics, low-trade-ins, opened "new" games, and the like. But then there are opportunities like midnight release and the chance for people like kids and families to be able to afford more games. In the end, game stop is a service. They are giving you, the customer, a chance to make some money off the games you don't want with minimal hassle. In turn, they mark'em back up near the price of a new copy for "hot" titles or "new" releases, and that's a little shady...

But hey, maybe you just made the day for some kid who doesn't have sixty bucks in his pocket.

P.S. Someone mentioned supporting companies by buying new titles you really care about, and I think that's really what's important here. If you have a company or game you love, and want to see them succeed, then go buy it new. That's the best thing you can do.

Jeff by trading in your actually saying something that we all say when we trade in but often don't think about.

You paid $60 for a game. Played it, got bored of it. You traded it back for $35 because you didn't want to play it any more.

The end result is that you paid $25 to play Darksiders for X amount of time (X being however long you had it for).

Your fundamental problem is that you don't think Darksiders is worth $60. Your happy to pay $25 straight to the developers but $60 is a lot and when you have finished playing it you expect to be able to get some of it back.

Problem again is that when you try and get back what you think its really worth you end up indirectly affecting the developer's potential revenue by creating a copy of the game on the market in which the developers receive nothing from.

So the best thing for everyone would be some solution that lets both you and the developer enjoy a transaction that fair for both sides and free of third party complications.

Such a solution would be for the developer to sell the game as non-transferable, to you for $25 for X amount of time. The developer is selling the game for less but not necessarily making less money because they are getting more sales. Every sale that would of been a used game sale they are getting in theory.

This model is already seen in MMOs. Perhaps it is the best model for other game genres as well.

Roy, you're opening a very interesting can of worms. I happen to agree with you, and I think the industry needs to work out a different pricing structure. Sixty bucks for every single type of experience simply doesn't make sense. That said, I'm not sure what the answer is. You would think digital distribution is the solution, but thus far publishers have shown an unwillingness to really change the status quo for pricing.

You'd think it has to happen at some point, right?

I have no issue with buying second hand games, but I do hate gamestop. Gamestop's deal for tradeins is terrible. My local videogame store lets you trade in a game and 5$ and get any other second hand game of the same system.

I did something similar although I don't think EB Games will be making much money from it. I very much enjoyed the game, but EB was running a promotion where you could trade the game in within a week for $60 in credit if you pre-ordered. As a result, I did pre-order and treated the game as a free rental. I was able to finish it within a week and return it. It wasn't even on my radar before this and trailers of the game actually turned me off. However, this trade-in deal got me into the franchise and I know I'll be there Day 1 when the sequel arrives.

With the trade-in money, I pre-ordered Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations and Pokemon HeartGold.

I guess everybody wins :)

current generation used console games are nothing more and nothing less than pirated software.

When you buy a game you are not paying for the disc or the case or the "experience".   You are paying for the rights to utilize that software.  

i dont care whatcha say, it is what it is, spin it however you want.  Whether youre sellin' or buyin' you are still stealing from the folks that work absurdly hard to create this software.  Simply because the law has yet to figure this out is by no means indicative that it is morally correct.

Waah Waah boo hoo, games are expensive. you say? no they aren't. You play 25 hours of Dragon Age: Origins, try spend 25 hours doing ANYTHING else remotely entertaining and spend 60 dollars or less.

Ditch the self entitlement and quit stealing.

no. i dont even work in the gaming industry... I am just a man with a little morality.

@Cameron Is it stealing when one buys a used car, clothes from a thrift store, or a book from a used-book stores?

On a basic moral level, there's absolutely nothing morally wrong with doing a trade-in. Perfectly valid business model and it's a right as a consumer to resell something you've purchased and owned. Companies have every right and reason to try and curb that - which is also I have no issues whatsoever with the Online Pass and any of those initiatives either - but it's an absolutely ridiculous notion for you to think you are "stealing" from anyone by using the used games market.

It's a matter of how strongly you're wanting to support the developers versus your own personal interests. Wouldn't call you a hypocrite unless you've been making a giant moral stand about it all,. Most things in life a lot more complex than "black and white morality" a lot of people like to preach. I credit you for the self-awareness of the issue, you're at least thinking about it.

Not everyone can afford to buy every game they want new. Not necessary everyone can afford to buy a lot of things they want new. Granted, none of us "need" to play every game that comes down the pipe that interests us either; this is very much a hobby of luxury. That's a thought lost upon many gamers and members of the press with entitlement issues about what we "must be able to do" as gamers. There are loads of less expensive hobbies to have. But being a the nature of the expense, so long as you aren't doing things by illegal means I'd say if someone has it in their head to try and guilt you about it to give them a nice gentle shove off their high-horse. Even if that person is you from time to time.

I just bought three used games at GameStop while on vacation (Guam, thanks for asking). They're old titles and unlikely to be found new anywhere, plus I live in a country where language/region restrictions prevent me from patronizing nicer stores. Do I feel bad that a developer didn't get the money? Not really, because I didn't have any other way of getting these games.

Cameron, when you purchase a console game, you're paying for the ownership rights to a physical product. You can do whatever you want with the disc afterwards -- play it in your system, use it as a coaster, and -- yes -- even sell, lend, or give it away. Those are your rights as a consumer.

This is nothing at all like piracy, which is when someone makes another copy of a creative work. You're not making extra copies when you sell your legally purchased product. Copyright only grants the author with the exclusive right to make copies of a work for a limited period of time.

Don't throw away your rights so carelessly. The future may look a lot like OnLive's service if enough people do, which is one where you'll purchase games for full price, won't be able to resell them, and must pay a subscription fee for continued access to your games. Stop paying, and the service takes them all away.

If only everyone cared this much about politics as they do about video games... *sigh*