Gamestop seem to be making a bit of cash out of it, much to the bane of some.
I don't know why people are angry about GameStop how they pay so little for a game they get from you but resell it at a high price. It's a free market. You're not obligated to buy it from GameStop. Nor are you obligated to sell it to them. They deserve money for making it easy to give you cash for a used game and for you to buy a "new" used game at a lower price.
If you don't like it, then you can certainly use Ebay, Craigslist, forums, private sales, etc to get a better deal for yourself. It seems that a lot of people like the convenience that GameStop provides to them.
Gamestop seem to be making a bit of cash out of it, much to the bane of some.
I don't know why people are angry about GameStop how they pay so little for a game they get from you but resell it at a high price. It's a free market. You're not obligated to buy it from GameStop. Nor are you obligated to sell it to them. They deserve money for making it easy to give you cash for a used game and for you to buy a "new" used game at a lower price.
If you don't like it, then you can certainly use Ebay, Craigslist, forums, private sales, etc to get a better deal for yourself. It seems that a lot of people like the convenience that GameStop provides to them.
It's true. I could complain about GS. But I buy at least half my games there. Because it's convenient to research which stores have shit in stock and they're everywhere.
I agree with elvis about the poor business model of publishers. They think it's easier to get a free ride and let the government keep their game prices inflated forever for them, but reality is knocking on their door.
Let me share the case of a famous Brazilian band and how it solved its distribution problems. A lot of people in the First World take for granted that digital distribution is the main answer to the crisis of distribution models in music. Well, since internet is not nearly as present here as it is in other parts of the world, I'm gonna tell this.
So, there's this horrible band, Calypso, which has most of its fanbase in the poorer regions of Brazil, North and Northeast. I think you guys don't have any idea of the piracy rate down here, so let me illustrate: there's a dude in every street corner selling a pirated CD or DVD. And they sell it for insanely low prices, often hitting R$1,00 or R$2,00 (about US$0.50-1.00).
In this scenario, it's very difficult for a band like Calypso, of which the public is generally very poor, to sell their records in the usual manner.
It's safe to say that the marginal reproduction cost of CDs and DVDs is very low, since street sellers sell them so cheaply. Thus, Calypso cut the middleman and started distributing their records themselves. They made an agreement with the street sellers and now everyone of them has an original copy of their CDs and DVDs for sale. They're not as cheap as pirated records (CDs sell for about R$10,00 - 5 dollars -, DVDs for R$15-20 - 7-10 dollars), but they're cheap enough. Also, obviously, the media is of better quality, there's actually a CD case, unlike other CDs that sell in plastic bags, and a booklet inside. So, it's a better product that sells for marginally more and keeps the band's (poor) fanbase hooked and buying official products. The model has been followed by similar bands.
And it's not like Calypso needs their official products to be sold so badly. They're incredibly popular. They do 300 concerts a year, and most of them have more than 50,000 people in the crowd. For them, selling CDs and DVDs is a bonus.
Most (Southeast) bands and artists still cling to the "legit" market of selling records in ordinary stores for R$50,00. However, the model doesn't even work in the Southeast, let alone in poorer areas like where I live.
So it's not like there's no way for companies to distribute their CDs more cheaply. It's that they choose not to do so, since they can still keep their prices high and rely on IP enforcement mechanisms, which are not working perfectly, but it's sufficient for their purposes.
Now, I'm not saying that this model would or could work with international companies selling games in Brazil. I'm just saying that there are alternatives besides shouting "YOU SICK PIRATING FILTH" every time someone says they're copying a product they're not able to buy.
And certainly there are other complicating variables, such as the fact that this country is extremely protectionist and it's difficult to import anything. Customs taxes are so high people often have to sneak around the airports with laptops bought abroad like they're hiding cocaine. But, then again, while that's not the publishers' fault, nor is the customers'.
similar case to jfrost's happened here an extremely popular(and maybe filthy rich) local musician created his own record company lately(or so I believe) and he decided to sell his original CD for what I think $5 ! It is only $2 more than a pirated copy and original CD's are usually sold for $15.
I bet now he is making money out of every single person listening to his music because it is cheap enough.
as for elvis I would agree with you. In a second release they can release new games for what the used ones are selling(lets be honest , it cost like $0.01 for a cd burned). This works well, developers should join to create a retro online store. For like $50 you can purchase SNES games or ps1 games NEW for rare and highly popular titles(dragoon saga for saturn, neo geo games). That would be cool and profitable. Lesser valuable games can be found at lesser prices.
Something people need to understand now is that digital distributionis not going to lower costs because the cost of the DVD and such is negigible. At most they save 0.5€ per unit, great deal for you dear costumer.
The "second-hand" debate is pure bullshit. I own the game. They don't rent they game, they rent it so I can do whatever I want with it. They are just trying to get more cash. It's not like Nintendo likes competence.
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General_Norris wrote:Something people need to understand now is that digital distributionis not going to lower costs because the cost of the DVD and such is negigible. At most they save 0.5€ per unit, great deal for you dear costumer.
I'm pretty sure it costs a bit more than that for the DVD + manual + packaging, but you're right that it isn't at the $10+ level.
The "second-hand" debate is pure bullshit. I own the game. They don't rent they game, they rent it so I can do whatever I want with it. They are just trying to get more cash. It's not like Nintendo likes competence.
Ummm... what? Not sure what you're trying to say here.
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
In the discussion of morality and legality, it is worth mentioning religious imperatives. As a Christian, I look at the scriptures and see that I am commanded to obey the laws of man, even if I think they are stupid.
Though the above comment may be getting close to out-of-bounds discussion for this board. I haven't read the rules in awhile. If it was against the rules, it would be humorously ironic.
Limewater wrote:In the discussion of morality and legality, it is worth mentioning religious imperatives. As a Christian, I look at the scriptures and see that I am commanded to obey the laws of man, even if I think they are stupid.
Though the above comment may be getting close to out-of-bounds discussion for this board. I haven't read the rules in awhile. If it was against the rules, it would be humorously ironic.
We don't have any specific prohibition against bringing up religion. Many communities tend to shy away from it because of how polarizing an issue it is and how quickly the discussions can turn ugly. In this case, though, it is a valid point as to your views on the subject, even though others on the board may not share your religious views.
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
