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How often do you buy used game?

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Probably at least once a month. I'm convinced that some places take the security label off of new games and sell them as used. I have seen some utterly pristine discs and manuals in my time.
 
Used games here are like 5 dollars cheaper so I'd much rather get my games new except if the game is really old and can only find it used. However I'm starting to look at other online places and have been seeing some pretty good deals for used games so I might start buying them more often.
 
Lately I buy used. There's not been enough spare money for me to buy new and most of my gaming purchases are old 360 games that cost under $10. When the money is freely available, I prefer to buy new.
 
I use to think buying games used was beneath me, to this day I don't quite understand what the logic was behind that. That turd on a disc MGS4 showed me the light though and since then I have exclusively rented games. I have rented a good 30+ titles and of those I would say at best 2-3 are worth the full £40.

If I know a game is going to be played for a very long time then it's a purchase, if not renting is the way to go. Lovefilm is mint for me, the number of times I have got a game on release date is pretty amazing.
 
The last used game I bought was Brothers In Arms Hells Highway. I try to avoid shitty games like Dark Void and Alpha Protocol nowadays.
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My purchasing for the year
Jan
Trine: 4.99$(Steam New)

Assassin's Creed II: 2.00$(Goozex Rental)
Darksiders: 1.74$(Goozex Rental)

Feb
Devil May Cry 4(PC): 3$(Goozex Used)

March
Espgaluda II: 71$(Import New)
Perfect Dark HD 5$(XBLA New)
Duke Nukem 2.50$(XBLA New)

April
GeoWars 2.50$(XBLA New)

Bad Company II 2.50$(Goozex Rental)
Rome Total War Gold: 3$(Goozex Used)
Nobunaga's Ambition: 5.50$(Goozex Used)
Mount and Blade: 3$(Goozex Used)
Bangai O Spirits 4$(Goozex Used)

May
Nier 2.50(Goozex Rental)
Lost Planet 2: 2.75$(Goozex Rental)
FFXIII: 2.75$(Goozex Rental)
Icewind Dale: 3$(Goozex Used)
Snoopy Flying Aces: 5$(XBLA New)


June
Red Dead Redemption: 2.50$(Goozex Rental)
Kohan: 3$(Goozex Used)
Warcraft III Frozen Throne: 4$(Goozex Used)
EvE Online 2$(Steam New)
Deathsmiles: 50$(Amazon New)


July
Crackdown 2 2.75$(Goozex Rental)
Shin Megami Strange Journey 19.50(Gamestop Used)

August
Obvilion: 3$(Goozex Rental)
DJHero: 21.50$(Toys R Deal)


Running Total: 230.00


So out of everything I bought this year. Technically only 4 titles were bought new. With 4 others bought through Digital Download services. With 18 others, being bought through used sources.

Drkirby said:
I must just get lucky, because when I go to Gamestop I can usually find the game I want at the price I want in good shape. It sometimes may take a few stores, but more often then not the first store I will stop at will have a near mint copy that the only flaw is Gamestop put some stickers on it. Swap out the case and its a good as new (Or you could put in some elbow grease to clean it too, but I tend to just swap them out if I have anther case on hand)

I mean, you don't have to take the first copy you see. Shop around, beats doing something like paying $30 on Amazon for a used cart only copy of Etrian Odyssey that takes a week to get there over checking out the shape of the $10 copy at Gamestop. People are just bad shoppers.
Concur. I found great condition copies of Dragon Quest V, Strange Journey, and Etrain Odyssey over the summer at Gamestop. SJ also came with the cardboard casing and soundtrack. DQ was 25$, EO was 9$, and Megami was 19.50$.
 
As often as I can, because I get to cheat the developers and publishers that way. Feels good man.

The only exceptions are PC games, where I buy on Steam or GOG and it's a moot point.
 
many times actully mostly depending upon game. very few games[aaa] i buy as soon as they are out. most of the time i buy cheap at least right now when money problem is away i will but. i also rent a lot . I buy mostly if used game from kijiji and trade my game some times.
 
The majority of my game purchases are more than two generations old, so buying them new is typically impossible (or ludicrously expensive).

Current gen games I tend to buy new, but discounted.
 
- If its too old to buy new.

- If its too niche to find new (ie. Folklore)

- If I find a bargain

- If all the new copies have crappy "greatest hits" branding on the cover
 
Drkirby said:
How are you coming up with the Goozex figures, whats your math? The token + shipping?
Basically averaging. I spend on average about 25$ for every 1000 points.

When I get a newer title, and then trade it back in. The only costs I take are shipping and trade token. I bought my trade tokens a bit back, 120 for 60$(50cents per). And shipping on average will vary between 4-6oz. So about 2.25-2.75$. Darksiders+AC2 are lower since they had free trading going on then.

When I buy a game, I use the average of the 25$ for 1000 points. Then tack on 50cents. For example, Mount and Blade was 100points. 2.50+.50 = 3$.

Now this is nothing more than an estimate. To be honest, my average is probably quite a bit under. Most of my points this year have come from titles under 20$. I traded in some Toy Storys when the sale was going on for 2.2k. And that was about for 11$(Toysrus deal). :lol But I decided to simply stick with the 25-1k figure for convenience.
 
I used to never buy used because I hate dirty/damaged cases.

Since I discovered that Gamefly ships mint conditions cases with all of their used product I've been buying a couple games a month from their sales.
 
I think I've bought maybe two or three used games ever. The only one I can remember offhand was Digital Devil Saga 1, back before it was reprinted.

I've also never sold any of my games. Although I wish I could sell one now! It's my stupid sealed not for resale copy of Uncharted that came with my PS3 bundle, and the Pain code too. I haven't tried very hard though, maybe I could trade it.
 
I buy used 360 games almost exclusively. Most recently Bayonetta for $20, DJ Hero $25, RDR $40. Next up will probably be Mass Effect 2.

$60 for a new release is completely fucking asinine when you can stay 3-6 months behind the curve and save 50% or more.

But I don't buy OR sell with Gamestop. Fuck them too.

Oh and it seems a good place to add that if games released new for $40 I'd be buying way more overall and probably never bother with used.
 
Never.

As a consumer, I prefer shiny, new unblemished stuff. I have an aversion (perhaps irrational) to stuff that somebody else has used.
 
Mario said:
Never.

As a consumer, I prefer shiny, new unblemished stuff. I have an aversion (perhaps irrational) to stuff that somebody else has used.

Ahem..

Mario
is pro-corporation and anti-consumer
(Today, 01:01 AM)
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You're a dev, you don't count ;)
 
I buy used games all the time, but only if they're in the packaging. Visiting GameStops across the country has kinda become like antiquing for me, looking for hidden bargains. For example today I found a copy of Sakura Wars: So Long My Love used for twenty bucks in pristine condition, a game I've been wanting for quite some time now.
 
Never if possible. Just a nitpick of mine, like how I try not to edit my posts if it's been more than two minutes after I posted so I don't get the "Edited by..." line.
 
I haven't bought a used game in over 3 years. Once I started earning a decent amount of money I decided getting my games new was important. Part of the reason was because I felt it was important my money went to the people who made the games I love to play.

That said, I totally understand a lot of folks, especially kids in college, can't afford to get new games all the time.
 
perryfarrell said:
From ebay, sure.

But never from a store.

It just makes me depressed, the retail situation.

I hear you dude. The last time I bought a game in a store was when the Blur devs were running that awesome manufacture coupon and the total was only $20. Even buying new games online from Amazon makes more fiscal sense as they frequently offer $10-20 credits for pre-orders. B&M video game retailing is in a sad, sad state of affairs.
 
Orellio said:
I buy used 360 games almost exclusively. Most recently Bayonetta for $20, DJ Hero $25, RDR $40. Next up will probably be Mass Effect 2.

Why buy used though when there are constant sales and clearances on brand new games? Cheapassgamer is your friend. I got Bayonetta for 20 back in March. DJ Hero is currently 20 bucks at Toys R Us. I'm sure RDR and Mass Effect 2 have had sales too.
 
I'm piss poor, so I'd buy a game cheaper if I can. if it's second hand rather than new I won't shed a tear. I think my split is about 70/30 new/unused though.
 
almost never, and when I do, it is
a) from a friend, so I know the condition of the game will be acceptable
b) if the game is older or out of print (not gonna pay markup for a sealed copy)
c) if the game is so cheap used I'd be stupid to buy new (very rare)

Not sure if this is a recent trend or not, but it is really easy to find deals on brand new games, so I usually spring for those.
 
Orellio said:
$60 for a new release is completely fucking asinine when you can stay 3-6 months behind the curve and save 50% or more.

But I don't buy OR sell with Gamestop. Fuck them too.

Yeah $60 is way too much for a game. I try to buy the most recent Nintendo stuff, but even $50 is a little bit too much IMO. I love deals though. I'm getting Metroid for $50 from Amazon, but it comes with $20 in credit. Hopefully between deals like that and the annual TRU B1G1 sale, I can keep up with all the Wii stuff for the rest of the year.


Most of my used game stuff comes from Pre-Played, I always find good deals on newer PS3 stuff. (condition wise) Thinking about picking up Uncharted 2 from there, it's only $29. :D
 
Pretty much never, unless the game is really old and out of print everywhere. Gamestop would be where I first go to buy old used copies, though online would probably be smarter.
 
I don't buy used unless it's a previous generation game or a rare game. Partially because, the way it's set up, I feel it is too unfair to game makers, but mostly because I can often find a game new online cheaper (or not that much more expensive than) a used game in some places.

With last gen games, I've been buying games I've missed used recently. Maybe I'm 75/25 right now.
 
I had to buy used games most of the time when I was younger due to that being all I could afford. However, I've always tried to support developers I've respected.
 
Drkirby said:
Just wanted to ask a few small questions for the rest of GAF. How often do you buy used compared to new? Got any rough rules to which you buy? Where do you get most of your used games?
I buy plenty of old games, mostly for older consoles. New games drop in price pretty fast these days, so there's usually no reason for me to buy used games from the current generation. The only exceptions are when the game I'm interested in is no longer being sold in stores or when it has been replaced by an ugly Platinum/Best edition.

Edit: Off the top of my head, I've bought 4 Playstation, 5 Playstation 2, 1 Game Boy Color, and 1 Virtual Boy game used this year. All through the internet (eBay or similar sites).
 
randomkid said:
Why buy used though when there are constant sales and clearances on brand new games? Cheapassgamer is your friend. I got Bayonetta for 20 back in March. DJ Hero is currently 20 bucks at Toys R Us. I'm sure RDR and Mass Effect 2 have had sales too.

I do browse Cheapassgamer quite often actually. That's how I found out about the Blur coupon I mentioned in my last post. But it's like.. I'm sort of spontaneous. I'm not gonna sit on CAG waiting for a good enough deal on a game I want when I can just go on eBay and get it used when I actually want to play it. Hunting/waiting for deals isn't exactly convenient, you know? It's great that DJ Hero is finally down to the $20-30 range but I got it used (and in GREAT condition) for that price 4 months ago when stores were still trying to get rid of it at $50-60, as an example.


And that $40 for RDR included 3 other 360 games and free shipping. You're just not going to find savings like that in retail.

Edit: And before this turns into a witch hunt, I buy plenty of games on Steam to make up for it :p Devs be getting mah monies one way or another.
 
I don't buy very many games, but when I do, I tend to purchase them new. Really, I buy used when I am buying games from previous generations. For the current gen, I buy Nintendo games on day one since they rarely ever drop in price, and I wait for sales or price drops for everything else.
 
I almost always buy used. It's pretty rare for me to pay full price for a game. I try to support the developers I really appreciate with day-one purchases, though.
 
Mario said:
-PXG-
-liar-
(Today, 05:02 PM)
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:)

No context, unless I'm lying about your occupation :O

I'm probably gonna get flamed out the ass for saying this, but oh wel (not directed at you Mario):

GAF is obsequious to the point where it's almost nauseating. Some of you have this bizarre sense of duty towards the game industry. That, or people just have severe OCD. Sure, I like the idea of getting a shiny new game, that's never been touched by human hands. For me, that aspect is pretty trivial and really not worth giving a shit about.

By purchasing new, you believe that it will keep quality workers employed at the companies that make the games you love. There is nothing wrong with supporting good games and developers who don't fuck over their customers. However, unless those employees' salaries rely mainly on profit sharing, your dollar really doesn't matter. Those artists, animators, programmers, musicians, testers, designers, project and community managers, most likely, already got paid for their work.

It's the extent to which some of you take it, that drives me nuts; declaring how used games, and people who buy them are evil, and unworthy of that particular game they just acquired. As much as I love games, at the end of the day, I realize they're just sophisticated toys. It's entertainment. Nothing, at least from a consumer's point of view, that should be taken too seriously. Unless you make them, sell them, or invest in the companies that do the former, you really have no business being as zealous and "passionate" as you are.

Anyway, if there is anyone who is suffering directly by used sales (or even piracy) it's the publishers and retailers that don't do second hand sales

/ two cents

I buy most of my games new, since I usually get them they day they release. If not, chances are I buy them used. *shrug*
 
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