Todd Friscia GuestSpotter

Now Playing: Prince of Persia (GC), Ikaruga (GC), Metroid: Zero Mission (GBA), Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)

Second-Handed Compliment

You know, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft must have a real love/hate relationship with stores that stock used games alongside their new games--stores like Electronics Boutique or GameStop. It's a pretty amazing concept when you stop to think about it. You can go to any number of these retailers and purchase, say, a used Xbox, used accessories, and used games. You can experience all the joys of the machine just the same as someone who bought it new and spent a few more dollars than you, except that you didn't give Microsoft, the game developers, or the game publishers a thin, red cent. Instead, the retailer is enjoying a nice, fat profit margin, where the markup is in the neighborhood of 200 to 1000 percent. And this is no exaggeration. Check the used retail price of that game you just traded in for $2. I'll bet they're selling it for $17.99--a whopping $2 less than the price you could buy the game for brand new.

Too bad we'll never see this again.

Mind you, I'm all about saving money. Who isn't? But a good deal isn't, or at least shouldn't, always be the bottom line, especially when the deal wasn't so good to begin with. Maybe it's the punk rock in me, but I firmly believe that if you're lucky enough to find art or entertainment that you really connect with--be it a music group, a movie, a video game, or whatever--the people responsible for bringing it to you deserve to be compensated for it. It's kind of similar to an underground rock band that you really like. You should feel compelled to go to their shows and buy their material, because you know that they're doing it by the skin of their teeth, you really like their music, and you want them to be able to continue making music. If you don't support them, they're not going to be around for very long. They need to eat and pay their rent, too; it's as simple as that.

If you don't care for the morality of the issue, here are some more selfish reasons for you to swallow. The bottom line is this: Money talks. When you buy a used game, your money isn't going toward sales profits for that game. Beyond Good & Evil is an excellent example to use. Here we have a game that has been well-received by most gaming magazines and online sites, and thoroughly enjoyed by most that have played it. However, it sold like crap. If you go to the store and buy it used, you can play the game in all its glory, however, no one but the retail chain will know you bought it. Buying used is equivalent to the game not selling at all in the eyes of developers and publishers, and when games don't sell, they don't get sequels and excellent concepts and, therefore, opportunities are lost. One could argue that Beyond Good & Evil would've still sold like crap if it hadn't been available used, and that would probably be true, but it exacerbates the problem nonetheless.

I admit that I work at one of these game stores--the name of which will remain anonymous--and I can tell you that we sell a lot of used merchandise. I also must admit that I love Nintendo. I always have, and I always will. And I will never, ever purchase a used piece of anything for my GameCube, nor will I purchase a third-party accessory for it (that's another issue entirely, but it relates here as well). It's no secret that Nintendo is facing some hardships right now--dwindling third-party support, scant new releases, criticism of its focus on connectivity over online gaming, age demographics, and image--and it annoys me to no end when I sell a used GameCube and games to customers who I know will love their Cube and never give Nintendo a cent for it. Rather, my store gets richer and richer--while not even doing much for their employees, I might add. I, for one, want to continue to see Mario and company for decades to come, and I want to see them prosper on a Nintendo platform.

Whether or not you agree with my views on Nintendo is irrelevant. This isn't an article crying out for Nintendo's support. You can apply these views on just about anything you could possibly purchase. The message is this: Be mindful of where your money is going when you spend it. Show the right people your support. Sure, you might save yourself $5 right now (the typical absolute maximum you'll save when buying a used game over a new one), but if said game isn't still around five years later, and you're left thinking to yourself, "Man that was an awesome game, why didn't they keep it going?" don't come complaining to me. 'Cause I'll just beat you up.