By Joel Smart (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: December 6, 2011
With an increasing focus on digital game distribution—both in the mainstream gaming industry as well as in the mobile market—the used games market has suffered a near fatal blow. Without a physical copy of a game, it becomes impossible for a player to simply sell it off cheaply when they no longer want it. This means that the demand for the game at full price remains much higher, and so the need to drop the price over time becomes far lower – a win for game developers, and a major loss for the economical gamer.
The digital model has gone largely unchallenged, especially on mediums that seem to require a downloadable model. Many games available for the iPhone or Android operating system have remained at or near their original prices long after the time they would have had their price dropped at a retail store. The same can be said for the games available on the PlayStation Network Store, Xbox Live Marketplace and WiiWare. Although these networks do offer “sales” and discounts on certain older games they offer, they are often only temporary, or incredibly minimal.
The benefit of an online distribution method for gamers is the long-term availability. Even years after a game is released, it can be found and downloaded without much trouble off of the online store. In real life this is rarely the case, as retail outlets need to get rid of older products in order to make room for new content. So, there are some benefits to an online distribution model.
However, for gamers who can’t afford to buy every game they want, it has long been a godsend to having a secondary market where they can buy older games for cheap – either through Craigslist or in the bargain bin at the local mall or a games store. And, unlike a good book or film, players will no longer be able to lend their copy off to close friends to have a go. That’s a major downside that is becoming an all-too-common reality as gaming delves deeper into the digital realm. With the PSP-Go, every single game available was download-only. Sony would likely have offered the same system with the upcoming PSP Vita if the Go had sold better.
Frustratingly, these online games often sell at the same price as their retail counterparts. However, with a downloaded game, the player has saved the distributor shipping costs, as well as the cost of producing the disk, booklet and packaging. Plus, they have to incur the cost of saving the game onto their own hard drive. At the very least the game should be discounted to account for the cost of the space the game takes up.
Making the situation even more troubling is the way digital rights are being constantly haggled and bought in court by distribution companies. Is downloading a copy of a movie, album or game more like stealing than it is to borrow a copy from a friend? The companies that make money from distribution would have you believe that even borrowing a friend’s copy is wrong. Ultimately, gaming will become less accessible if the current trend continues.
Though we’ll likely never move away from the digital distribution model, a fair compromise would be for a standard price-lowering policy to be put in place – so that more gamers will be able to opt into the gaming experience. However, if we allow these online distribution models to completely wipe out the retail version, then we will lose our say in the discussion. Fight for the right to share or sell the products you buy – once it’s gone, it’s not coming back.
