5 ms·

You say this as if people shouldn’t be able to resell information, as packaged in a disc. Does this extend to other things, would you want to prohibit used book

You say this as if people shouldn’t be able to resell information, as packaged in a disc. Does this extend to other things, would you want to prohibit used book sales for example, or cars from being resold? The ability to resell books didn’t lead to only works the size of war and peace being sold...

whynotminot 6y ago
Not really comparable. For example, the cost to produce a major book release does not scale nearly as quickly as the cost of producing a modern AAA video game.
- jasonpeacock 6y ago
  There is a massive secondary market for cars, and those costs scale much higher than producing a AAA video game, but you don't see car manufacturers blaming used car lots? Perhaps the game's price should reflect the cost of production, or they should limit the cost of production to what's sustainable by sales.
  - whynotminot 6y ago
    Also an entirely different industry, with entirely different costs, constraints, and production practices. Can we stop using oranges as we talk about apples? While we're here though, actually, yes, car manufacturers would love it if people would stop buying used cars. In fact, there were whole lawsuits in the past about planned obsolescence, and dealers today often run promotions to get you to turn in your used "clunker" and buy a new ride.
    - georgeecollins 6y ago
      And also, what do you think warranties, dealer repair shops , and certified pre-owned cares are about? They are trying to take a cut of that business? If we could sell our games as a "certified pre-owned" DVD then it would have made a lot more sense to make a short, tight little single player game.
  - kungito 6y ago
    You always need a car and it depreciates in quality with time. You need the game just until you finish it and every replat is of same quality. Of all the possible analogies, you could have made a better choice
    - jasonpeacock 6y ago
      What's a better analogy?
zdragnar 6y ago
That is not a charitable reading. OP wasn't discussing should or ought, merely real effects. Your book analogy is flawed, considering that, for the most part, books aren't obsoleted when the new console comes out every three years.
georgeecollins 6y ago
I am not saying anyone should of shouldn't be able to sell information. I am just saying it affected the business. Oh btw, the next time you read a non-fiction book with a thesis that grabs your attention, but that could probably fit into a long essay.. there is probably a book editor that said it had to be X number of pages because there isn't a business in selling pamphlets.
- gumby 6y ago
  This phenomenon affects almost all business books, which, even for some very good ones, are typically only a few pages long. In an extreme: Crossing the Chasm, which explains a powerful insght, is basically one diagram.
brundolf 6y ago
This is a bad-faith reading. The GP was just pointing out one non-obvious negative side-effect of having things play out the way they used to.
- anonymousab 6y ago
  The existence of a second-hand market meaning a few less sales for fresh/new/retail product seems very self evident though.
  - brundolf 6y ago
    The way it shaped game design is far from obvious, and honestly fascinating
  - felipelemos 6y ago
    If the game was good it wouldn't be resold in first place
    - fredophile 6y ago
      Not necessarily. A game can be good on the first playthrough but not have much replay value. An example of this would be the Pheonix Wright games. Once you've solved the mysteries they aren't really that fun to play again.
  - imgabe 6y ago
    That assumes that people who buy the game used for $20 would have otherwise bought it new for $60. People who are waiting a couple months to save money are not going to buy new games.
    - Dylan16807 6y ago
      It only assumes that a few of them would. Which seems obviously true to me. Ignoring marketing factors, which I think is fair here, the ability to resell will always decrease primary sales.

whynotminot 6y ago

Not really comparable. For example, the cost to produce a major book release does not scale nearly as quickly as the cost of producing a modern AAA video game.

jasonpeacock 6y ago
There is a massive secondary market for cars, and those costs scale much higher than producing a AAA video game, but you don't see car manufacturers blaming used car lots? Perhaps the game's price should reflect the cost of production, or they should limit the cost of production to what's sustainable by sales.
- whynotminot 6y ago
  Also an entirely different industry, with entirely different costs, constraints, and production practices. Can we stop using oranges as we talk about apples? While we're here though, actually, yes, car manufacturers would love it if people would stop buying used cars. In fact, there were whole lawsuits in the past about planned obsolescence, and dealers today often run promotions to get you to turn in your used "clunker" and buy a new ride.
  - georgeecollins 6y ago
    And also, what do you think warranties, dealer repair shops , and certified pre-owned cares are about? They are trying to take a cut of that business? If we could sell our games as a "certified pre-owned" DVD then it would have made a lot more sense to make a short, tight little single player game.
- kungito 6y ago
  You always need a car and it depreciates in quality with time. You need the game just until you finish it and every replat is of same quality. Of all the possible analogies, you could have made a better choice
  - jasonpeacock 6y ago
    What's a better analogy?

zdragnar 6y ago

That is not a charitable reading. OP wasn't discussing should or ought, merely real effects. Your book analogy is flawed, considering that, for the most part, books aren't obsoleted when the new console comes out every three years.

georgeecollins 6y ago

I am not saying anyone should of shouldn't be able to sell information. I am just saying it affected the business. Oh btw, the next time you read a non-fiction book with a thesis that grabs your attention, but that could probably fit into a long essay.. there is probably a book editor that said it had to be X number of pages because there isn't a business in selling pamphlets.

gumby 6y ago
This phenomenon affects almost all business books, which, even for some very good ones, are typically only a few pages long. In an extreme: Crossing the Chasm, which explains a powerful insght, is basically one diagram.

brundolf 6y ago

This is a bad-faith reading. The GP was just pointing out one non-obvious negative side-effect of having things play out the way they used to.

anonymousab 6y ago
The existence of a second-hand market meaning a few less sales for fresh/new/retail product seems very self evident though.
- brundolf 6y ago
  The way it shaped game design is far from obvious, and honestly fascinating
- felipelemos 6y ago
  If the game was good it wouldn't be resold in first place
  - fredophile 6y ago
    Not necessarily. A game can be good on the first playthrough but not have much replay value. An example of this would be the Pheonix Wright games. Once you've solved the mysteries they aren't really that fun to play again.
- imgabe 6y ago
  That assumes that people who buy the game used for $20 would have otherwise bought it new for $60. People who are waiting a couple months to save money are not going to buy new games.
  - Dylan16807 6y ago
    It only assumes that a few of them would. Which seems obviously true to me. Ignoring marketing factors, which I think is fair here, the ability to resell will always decrease primary sales.