Preowned Games

Recently THQ creative director for wrestling games Cory Ledesma made this statement.

"I don't think we really care whether used game buyers are upset because new game buyers get everything. So if used game buyers are upset they don't get the online feature set I don't really have much sympathy for them....That's a little blunt but we hope it doesn't disappoint people. We hope people understand that when the game's bought used we get cheated," he continued.

This is after the upcoming Raw vs. Smackdown 2011 will come with a one time code for online play. Meaning that if I buy the game, use the code, if/when I sell the game it will not be online.

This is NOT the first time this has happened. They did it earlier this year with the UFC game. EA Games has done it as well.

Personally I don't have a problem with this. From a business standpoint it makes sense. Take games that come with DLC at shipment. Dragonage for example came with certain DLC. If I sell my version of the game it won't come with that DLC.

THQ, EA or whatever makes no money on the resale. On the site, http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=261330, the responses made me laugh a bit. One person compared it to a used car. I see that to a certain extent. However I think that is a strange comparison. The DLC is that case is like the warranty you can buy. If I buy a used car I don't get that option and that could come back to haunt me. I see it as the same thing.

I don't understand buying used games anyway. Often you save 5 dollars. FIVE DOLLARS! Most of the time the DLC is worth the extra five bucks.

If you decide to buy a game used, which is your right, then you take the good with the bad. You saved yourself a few bucks but you don't get the rights as the original buyer.

Now I see some complaints like not being able to take the game to a friends house and playing online. My guess is that it is associated with your online tag so when you log in you gain access. If not...well tough shit. We as consumers created this problem and now we deal with. Or as the old folks would say we made our bed and now we sleep in it.

EDIT: Upon further investigation if you buy the used game you can BUY the code just like any DLC. So it is no different then Dragon Age or the Rock Band games ability to import old games songs.