Miscellany!

[lady_ganesh]

Why Used Games Benefit the Industry. Via miss_anthropy. Take that, Penny Arcade!

Also, The World Ends With You is terrifically enjoyable so far, despite the fact I still fail pretty hard at combat.

I have a ton of memes I'm supposed to be doing them. Am neglecting them in favor of that damn ship_manifesto I keep failing at. I think I have rewritten the same paragraph four

Comments

[lindentreeisle]

I really think the whole "are used games good or bad" argument is besides the point; by even making it, we are buying into the game publishers' fantasy world where it's impossible for anyone except them to own property. The game publishing industry is not entitled to an opinion on what I do with the game that I have purchased. I paid $60 for it, and it is mine. If book publishers suggested that libraries were foul dens of iniquity or that people who loan their copy of Angels and Demons to a friend were pirates, most people would laugh at them and go on with their day. The film, television, and music industries long for a day when no one is allowed to own music or movies they purchase, but they are generally afraid to make this desire explicit because the public is so against it. So why is it that in the gaming industry, we're allowing developers and publishers to dictate the discussion?

[lady_ganesh]

I'm not sure we really are. I mean, sure there's this discussion in the blogosphere, but in the real world, that's exactly what we're doing. I mean, I got The World Ends With You for ten bucks!

[lindentreeisle]

That's true. I guess I am just too used to seeing this in politics: pundits rant about this non-issue, and despite the fact that most of the public either doesn't give a fuck or holds the rational opinion, it becomes "common knowledge" that this batshit version of reality is a legitimate one. So when I see people writing Serious Articles trying to argue with a nonsensical piece of industry propaganda, it annoys me because I see it as buying into their bullshit, helping create the illusion that the industry position is even worth arguing with.

[lady_ganesh]

Oh, yeah, fair enough.

Also, I wrote 'pilot' instead of 'wallet' up there and just realized it now. Boy am I glad I didn't try posting fanfic.

[karenhealey]

Hi! Friending you.

[lady_ganesh]

Welcome aboard! :D

[childofatlantis]

What does Penny Arcade have against used games?

[lady_ganesh]

I don't think they to per se, but they've cracked on GameStop more than once for being, IIRC, a glorified pawnshop.

[lindentreeisle]

To be fair, I get the sense that Tycho's gripe against GameStop is more based on the fact that he feels he's seen evidence that GameStop is understocking new games with the intent of preferentially selling used copies. (There's also GameStop's 'preorder' system, which is a bunch of bullcrap.)

See this, this, this, this and this.

Although I can't entirely defend him because I think he's bought into the Big Lie about how game tradeins are bad for the industry. See this for example.

[lady_ganesh]

The preorder system is indeed shit. But...I don't pre-order. So!