The War on Used Games

As we prepare for the coming wave of next generation systems, we have to be anticipating improvements on all of the good things we associate with the current crop of systems. Continue we expect: better graphics, faster processors, more engaging games, you obtain the idea. However, not everything that we're anticipating will be a progressive movement for gaming. At the very least, as far as Sony and Microsoft are concerned, it is possible to wave goodbye to playing used games on their systems. Although these are just rumors at this time, it wouldn't be surprising should they came to fruition. It's very plausible, especially when taking into consideration that several game publishers have previously fired shots at the used game market.

Perhaps most obviously is Electronic Arts(EA), who became the first publisher to institute the practice of charging gamers, who bought used games, a fee to access codes that include the overall game. To elaborate, Downloadable Content(DLC) codes are included with new copies of a particular game and only with those codes, can that content be accessed. EA expanded its project to add playing used games online. Gamers would will have to pay $10, in addition to the cost of the used game they purchased, in order to have access to the web the different parts of their game. Ubisoft has since followed suit, requiring an online pass because of its games as well. You can identify the games which require an online pass as they bare the,"Uplay Passport", logo on the box.

Ubisoft decided they'd take things a step further and implement Digital Rights Management, a practice more often associated with DVD or CD anti-piracy efforts. Assassins Creed 2 was the first game to be effected by this practice. So as to play the PC version of Assassins Creed 2, gamers are required to create a merchant account with Ubisoft and remain logged into that account in order to play the game. This means that if you lose your web connection, the overall game will automatically pause and make an effort to reestablish the connection. However, if you're unfortunate enough to be unable to reconnect to the internet you need to continue from your last saved game; losing any progress you may have made since then. This is the case for all of Ubisoft's PC titles, no matter one playing single-player or multi-player. While Digital Rights Management has been used to combat DVD and CD piracy for a long time now, this can mark the first time it's been used for a video game. In light of Ubisoft's implementation of DRM, Matthew Humphries of Geek.com, cautions that it's feasible that eventually even console games will require online registration so that you can play them.

So what's the reason for all of this? According to According to Denis Dyack, the top of Silicon Knights, the sale of used games is cannibalizing the profit of the primary game market. He also claims that the used game market is somehow causing the price of new games to rise. His proposed solution would be to move away from physical disks and embrace digital distribution. Essentially he'd like to see services like Steam or EA's Origin replace traditional hard copies. You can find even rumors that the X-Box 720 will embrace the exclusive usage of digital downloads rather than use disks at all. Whether Microsoft will in actuality follow through with that plan remains to be observed.

destiny303  could argue that Sony has already laid the ground work with preventing used games from functioning on their future system. At least, they've already made quite an attempt to create used games considerably less desirable. Kath Brice, of Gamesindustry.biz, reported that the most recent SOCOM game for PSP, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3, will require customers who purchase a used copy to pay an addition $20 dollars to receive a code for online play.