Poll - Used games
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008 at 10:03am by David
Face it; there are just too many good games out there to afford them all when they come out. Waiting for price drops can take forever, but there’s another way to play games on the cheap. This week, we want to know:
Do you buy used video games?
For the results of last week’s poll, tune in to Infendo Radio 96.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:18 am
I will buy used games when I can. But with Wii games I’ve been getting many of them new simply because I don’t want to wait. I also have a habit of keeping games I’ll probably never play again…
March 18th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Most of the time used games are only $5 cheaper than the new version. In that situation, I’d rather pay the extra amount so that the developers get paid for their work. I’ll buy used if it’s an out of print game, but otherwise, I don’t see much point in stuffing Gamestop’s wallet.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Usually I buy cartridges as used games (GBA games), but I try to shy away from used discs unless there’s a considerable price difference, like $90 to $80 on my used copy of GH3.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:37 am
I don’t buy used games for the sake of them being sratched or ruined.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:38 am
I don’t even want to put a used game in my systems..I’m afraid.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:52 am
I buy used games online when I can’t find them new (for example, older games like Beyond Good and Evil or Rez I ended up buying used) and from the bargain bins in Gamestop when they’re 10 bucks or less (I got all the Jak and Daxter PS2 games this way, having bought my PS2 fairly recently.)
Otherwise, I buy new, both because I can’t wait and because the kind of games I play often really need the sales figures. Okami launch day can’t come soon enough.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I answered “Often”, but that’s probably misleading.
I almost never buy used Wii games, unless buying them directly from a friend… but almost all of my small library of GameCube titles are used games. The same thing goes for GBA, where buying used cartridges is sometimes the only option since local stores no longer carry much GBA stock.
That said, I usually wait for Wii games to drop in price before buying. With a hefty backlog of great titles to enjoy, I don’t mind waiting a few months to save $10 or $20.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:16 am
I collect a lot of old consoles and I import… a LOT… and sometimes the only way to get those hard-to-find import games is to buy used.
I prefer to buy used carts whenever I can because those almost always work (with a little cleaning) whereas the CDs are MUCH tougher to get working if they’re scratched up (even with disk buffing).
But yeah, if it saves me cash… used is ok by me.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:20 am
You need a selection between Often and Rarely…like “Sometimes.” I will buy older games used if it’s worth it. I’m not paying $50 for Bully on Wii, but I will pay $35 for it used in a few months.
But, when an excellent game comes out that I have been anticipating, I will pay full price for a new copy to make sure the developer gets paid (No More Heros, Zack and Wiki, BWii).
March 18th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I generally buy the at the lowest prices I can find. I’ve never had a problem with used games, even used PC games. It’s a great way to save some dough. You need to do it properly though, on half.com or some similar site, to really save the green. Gamestop’s used games often cost almost as much as new games, a real rip off.
My one exception to this may be Bully 360. I’d like to buy it publically, since it got all that flack. I’ll think about that soon as my 360 is fixed and returned…
March 18th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I rarely buy new games. I usually sit on a game for a long time, due to either replay value or the fact that I’m pretty busy with other tasks. For example, it took me about 2-3 months to get through Metroid Prime. Being a busy married man has made it so that used titles are a better investment
March 18th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I hardly buy used games, ever, for several reasons, but I’m thinking about going on a used game spree for old classics that I’ve never had a chance to play. I like to buy brand spankin’ new because I always keep all of my games, good or bad, so they mean a lot to me.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I click “Keep It” on GameFly a LOT. It seems easier to me than going to Target and trying to get someone to open a case for me. And a line with even just one person in it at GameStop can still take too long.
I kind of wish I hadn’t done this for Zack and Wiki, though, since they won’t get credit for my purchase.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
i don’t mind used games if i get the original book, case, and the price break is worth it.
March 18th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
I almost ALWAYS buy my games used, the only exception being games that have very limited publication, like in the case of some games from Atlus (Persona 3, Etrian Odyssey, Odin Sphere, etc.). Games with a very limited run will rarely show up used, and when they do they are priced as new or even higher than new (like the original Disgaea).
Another exception would be games that I can’t wait for because of their online gameplay requires you to hop on when it’s still fresh, like with Halo 3 or Super Mario Bros Brawl, which I’ll probably have to buy new in the next week or so.
But when the games are relatively new, I rarely buy them used from specialized video game stores like GameStop which only take off $5 or so… I go to pawn shops or used CD stores, which are not always up to date on the current pricing. That’s where you can get a great deal!
On that note, once in a blue moon there is a grea deal on a relatively new game on BestBuy that they want to get rid from their inventory… just this last weekend I got Batallion Wars II for $20.00! And the previous week I got Crayola Adventures for $5.00 (my three-year-old LOVES it!)
March 18th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I own about 150 gamecube games, and probably 95% were purchased used on Ebay (only twice did I get a game that wouldn’t work). So for the Cube, almost always used.
For the Wii, almost alway new. There hasn’t really been enough of a price difference to get a game used when you can get if for almost the same price new. BUT, now you can start finding some good deals over on Amazon for used Wii, games, so I imagine I’ll start getting more of my Wii games used as well.
For my PC, I like to wait until the new games are marked down to clearance prices, and pick them up new but at low prices.
March 18th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I buy used games when I can. When I lived in Madison, WI, there were a couple of great, local stores that sold used games. I used to buy NES, GBA, DS, PS2, Xbox, and Game Cube games all the time from a store called Pre-Played (they also sold used DVDs as well).
Now that I’m back in podunk North Carolina, the only store that sells used games is GameStop. Unless I am getting a really good deal, like the prices are super low and there’s buy 2 get 1 free, I avoid buying used from GameStop and EB Games. It doesn’t make sense to me that they sell used copies of games that have been out for over a year or two that are only $5 off the new price. Not only that, but they needlessly plaster their used games (and a lot of their new ones) with stickers.
Nowadays, I’ve been mostly buying new Wii games. I don’t want to wait for games like No More Heroes or Super Mario Galaxy to drop in price in the used game market. Since GameStop is the only place in town selling used games, I will have to start checking eBay, Amazon, etc to find used games. I’m tempted to do GameFly just so I can have the Keep It option, but I can’t rationalize the monthly cost right now.
March 18th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
i only get used games if i can’t find them new, i.e. out of print games
March 18th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Often, but as you said, only for financial reasons. I try to buy them new to benefit the companies making them (and when really big titles like Smash Bros., Galaxy, or Metroid Prime 3 come out), but sometimes my wallet gets angry at me for it.
March 18th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I usually only buy used when a game is out of print. Like Yukon Jack said, with new games it’s usually only a $5 price difference, and i’d rather not support sleazy companies like gamestop.
March 18th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I don’t like to buy used games, but since it’s either 145 bucks on a new copy or 70 on an used one, it’s a pretty obvious choice.
March 18th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I do the try before you buy thing using gamefly. So I hit the keep it button if I really like a game.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Very rarely, usually some obscure GC game that I can’t find new. Never from ebay or gamestop, though, usually from Blockbuster. Thats where the deals are now. That should dry up pretty soon.
March 18th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
I’d say that 80-90% of the games I own were previously owned games. I am a bit of a strickler, though - I’ll only buy a used game if it has the original case, cover art, and the manual (unless it’s a really rare game like Persona 2 or something like that, in which case I will compromise).
March 18th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
If i can i do. The stores that sell used games are pretty trust worthy over here in the Denmark. I have myself tried to sell used games to the same stores and some of them didn’t make the quality check. So the quality standard is good enough for me to buy the games used when i have the option. Often (But the truth is the games im looking for rarely have been returned, unfortunately)
March 18th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I only started buying used games when I started working at gamestop. The employee discount with the edge card totaling at 25% is pretty much the deciding factor. When I bought my 360 I also got a used copy of Mass Effect and it ended up being $15 less!
That said, I’ll only buy used games if they’re in good condition. I won’t buy them if they have scratches unless they’re hard to find, and I won’t buy them if the insert/manual is in bad condition or missing. If the case is in bad condition I can find a good one to swap it with, but you mess with my insert/manual and it’s a no go.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
I missed out on the cube era and have picked up a TON in the last couple months for around five bucks. Considering they’re graphically not far behind the Wii, and the best Wii games thus far don’t use motion controls, its a great deal!
Additionally, most VC game are overpriced.
For example….F Zero on the SNES = $8
Used Fzero GX for GC at Gamestop = $8
March 19th, 2008 at 12:15 am
Yukon Jack says… “Most of the time used games are only $5 cheaper than the new version. In that situation, I’d rather pay the extra amount so that the developers get paid for their work. I’ll buy used if it’s an out of print game, but otherwise, I don’t see much point in stuffing Gamestop’s wallet.”
Wow. That’s a great point. I almost always buy used (I have them check the discs first to make sure they’re not scratched) for my kids so I can save $5 or more on the games. But now I’ll think of this when I go buy games next time. If there’s a small difference, I will consider instead supporting the game’s maker and buy new.
With that said, our household is typically one system behind the crowd. We have a Cube now. Unfortunately my son is caught up on all the games with that. I think the only one we haven’t finished is Harvest Moon. We’re all really wanting the Wii, but it’ll still be awhile before one sees our household, as the games for it are very expensive. We’re also extremely picky about what games we do purchase.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:42 am
I only buy used games if I have no other option. This could be because the game is older or because there are so few copies of the game shipped to Australia. For modern games though I will opt for new 99% of the time.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:04 am
I buy more used games than I buy new, and I usually get them on Half.com or eBay or even Amazon. But unless it’s a game I’m really excited about and have been waiting for for a long time, I probably won’t buy it new.
March 19th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I tend to buy used games for my 360/PS3, but I’m more willing to shell out the full $50 for a for a worthy Wii game to support third party developers.
March 20th, 2008 at 11:42 am
I buy used games, obviously, for my NES, SNES and N64.
For GameCube…I will buy used games provided that they are in great to near-mint condition, aren’t covered in stickers and crayon, have a clean manual and cover insert. Surprisingly, my strict rules for used games are often met, particularly for older GameCube titles.
I buy only new for Wii and DS, though.