Second hand online passes

Project $10, Online passes, a Kombat: call it what you will, but are they necessary? These measures have been brought in by publishers as a reaction to the growth of the trade-in market.

Games no longer hold value to many players. They are played and when the player is done with them, they are discarded. There is actually more of an incentive to play through quickly to maximise the monetary value of the traded in title. Games in my local stores can be purchased for €45 and if traded in very quickly, are worth €35.

The second hand market is a volatile one. Gamestop has posted massive profit margins on second hand titles in the past. Yet, the original developers see no money from this. As a result, actual sales of titles often suffer. That is, unless they are similar to Call of Duty in that the multiplayer sucks people in. Is the idea of charging those who purchase a second hand title the right one?

Before expanding on this post too much, I will admit that I don't really buy second hand titles. I bought Blitz The League II because I couldn't find it new. Why is this? I don't trust people to play nice with their own belongings, I like to get some games at launch when there is little difference between prices of second hand and new, and I will wait for sales for other titles.

I, for one, think it is. It's fair to say I love my games, and I like when developers try new things. When this is done via a retail title, the game can suffer as it will be traded in. So why would developers and publishers bother to take the risk? Mirrors Edge is one example that a game that was hit hard. It was a bit quirky and out there, but it was a good game with new mechanics. However, there was no typical multiplayer outside of online leaderboards. Walk into any local retailer and you will see multiple copies on the cheap.

Gamers aren't necessarily punished with this project. There are some games where the multiplayer is not going to be played. This means that you never have to purchase that pass. Many shooters will not match Call of Duty in terms of popularity or appeal. It is worth trying the multiplayer for most games, but not essential unless there are amazing reviews.

Perhaps it is time to redirect anger. Shops that are benefiting from second hand sales will have to react. Even if they drop the price of a second hand title, there is still a profit margin from many titles. The exception of course is when people burn through a game and instantly trade it in. Time to "think outside the box" as business people are so fond of saying.