kinggraves
Distinguished
- May 14, 2010
- 951
- 0
- 19,010
[citation][nom]back_by_demand[/nom]The second hand games market is a parasite on the games indistry, always has been, a game can swap hands a hundred times just to save a couple of $$$ and none of that money goes back to the developers[/citation]
Pretty much everything else I purchase is resaleable thanks to the First Sale doctrine that states the creator only has the right to distribution once. Digital media is the only thing that has escaped these rules so far. The First Sale doctrine is what allows libraries and other rental agencies to exist. Why should digital media be exempt? Do car dealerships prohibit selling your car? Is that the kind of world you want to live in, where you can only purchase something brand new directly from the copyright owner? People who can't afford to buy it brand new would not have bought it anyway, no sales are lost. People who sell their used item have more funds to buy new products. Resale not only doesn't decrease profits, it increases profits. I don't see resale causing the collapse of any other industry.
[citation][nom]Camikazi[/nom]You never could, you only owned the media the software came on and they let you transfer that because once you no longer had it you could no longer use it (unless you crack it which is illegal). The companies only ever gave you a license to use the software and once the media was gone the ability to easily transfer the license was made harder. You can't compare buying hardware (the clock) with licensing software, the hardware can't be easily copied and if copied will take you time and you have to buy the materials making it yours completely. Software on the other hand can now be easily copied with you doing nothing but giving away another persons work and not paying them for the usage.[/citation]
It's easy to copy it regardless, a few clicks and I can copy any DVD with the right program, but I can still resale that DVD. Matter of fact, it would far easier to copy the physical game disc than to copy it from Steam and resell it. Steam can quite easily have a system that checks to be sure a product is only being used once at any given time. Microsoft has already used such a system for years. Steam checks your folder to be sure the game you're selling isn't currently installed and deletes it if it is. EASY The technology exists to be sure a digital product is only being used once, there is no longer a reason to be afraid it will be copied.
[citation][nom]back_by_demand[/nom]People say "DRM" like its a dirty word...[/citation]
DRM is a dirty word (or several words, really). It's far too often poorly implemented and causes more hassle to legit customers than it does to pirates. Pirates will get around any and all DRM if given enough time, it is completely pointless and has not at all prevented piracy. More than anything, it encourages piracy. The best anti piracy is to release a product that consumers want to buy. If Diablo 3 didn't require online, less people would be looking for cracked offline versions. Their inability to deliver the product consumers wanted has led more consumers to pirate.
The Steam fanboys are out full force today. If this was Origin no one would be backing it. Steam offers lower prices for licenses, that's fine with me. Just don't fool yourself into thinking you actually own the game, you don't. You get what you pay for. You buy a retail copy at full price, you can resell it. You buy a Steam bundle for less, you can't resell it. Seems fair, I use it. Funny thing is, Steam doesn't discount everything. New and popular games cost about what they do for retail, except you don't get the box, extras, a physical disc, or apparently the right to resale. Not sure if that's as good a bargain.
Pretty much everything else I purchase is resaleable thanks to the First Sale doctrine that states the creator only has the right to distribution once. Digital media is the only thing that has escaped these rules so far. The First Sale doctrine is what allows libraries and other rental agencies to exist. Why should digital media be exempt? Do car dealerships prohibit selling your car? Is that the kind of world you want to live in, where you can only purchase something brand new directly from the copyright owner? People who can't afford to buy it brand new would not have bought it anyway, no sales are lost. People who sell their used item have more funds to buy new products. Resale not only doesn't decrease profits, it increases profits. I don't see resale causing the collapse of any other industry.
[citation][nom]Camikazi[/nom]You never could, you only owned the media the software came on and they let you transfer that because once you no longer had it you could no longer use it (unless you crack it which is illegal). The companies only ever gave you a license to use the software and once the media was gone the ability to easily transfer the license was made harder. You can't compare buying hardware (the clock) with licensing software, the hardware can't be easily copied and if copied will take you time and you have to buy the materials making it yours completely. Software on the other hand can now be easily copied with you doing nothing but giving away another persons work and not paying them for the usage.[/citation]
It's easy to copy it regardless, a few clicks and I can copy any DVD with the right program, but I can still resale that DVD. Matter of fact, it would far easier to copy the physical game disc than to copy it from Steam and resell it. Steam can quite easily have a system that checks to be sure a product is only being used once at any given time. Microsoft has already used such a system for years. Steam checks your folder to be sure the game you're selling isn't currently installed and deletes it if it is. EASY The technology exists to be sure a digital product is only being used once, there is no longer a reason to be afraid it will be copied.
[citation][nom]back_by_demand[/nom]People say "DRM" like its a dirty word...[/citation]
DRM is a dirty word (or several words, really). It's far too often poorly implemented and causes more hassle to legit customers than it does to pirates. Pirates will get around any and all DRM if given enough time, it is completely pointless and has not at all prevented piracy. More than anything, it encourages piracy. The best anti piracy is to release a product that consumers want to buy. If Diablo 3 didn't require online, less people would be looking for cracked offline versions. Their inability to deliver the product consumers wanted has led more consumers to pirate.
The Steam fanboys are out full force today. If this was Origin no one would be backing it. Steam offers lower prices for licenses, that's fine with me. Just don't fool yourself into thinking you actually own the game, you don't. You get what you pay for. You buy a retail copy at full price, you can resell it. You buy a Steam bundle for less, you can't resell it. Seems fair, I use it. Funny thing is, Steam doesn't discount everything. New and popular games cost about what they do for retail, except you don't get the box, extras, a physical disc, or apparently the right to resale. Not sure if that's as good a bargain.
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