http://www.computerandvideogames.com/34 ... es-braben/

Sorry but that's a load of crap. The second hand market has existed for over a decade, and I'd guess it's like the average cinema release these days when your first two weeks or so are make or break. That's not even taking into account internet sales, they're rarely out of stock...

The second hand market's existed for considerably longer than a decade .

He has a point, in one sense. You see more and more games with utterly spurious multiplayer that requires a bundled one-use 'online pass' (Mass Effect, I'm looking at you) the sole function of which is to depress the second hand price of the game, since you'll have to shell out and extra 8 quid or whatever once you've bought it.

These spurious multiplayer add ons are taking away resources from the development of the associated single player experience. Every bit of MP game for these titles is a bit of SP game that didn't get made. And that sucks. I have no objection to games like Battlefield that are all about the multiplayer but the way SP games are being.. parasited by MP just so the company in question can carry on some pointless jihad against second hand sales winds me up.

Of course, that's not at all the point he's trying to make...


Jon

I agree. On the decade comment I kinda meant on the scale we know it today ie PS1 onwards. I remember when it was just a bin filled with Megadrive games

When I was younger an old guy and his grown son turned up once a week in a caravan on my road to sell/trade games. Very strange thinking back now.