This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
Editor’s note: What’s been a seemingly simple consumer choice is becoming more and more complicated for gamers like Jeff. To trade in or not to trade in? Not so clear cut when even our own editors are able to defend Gamestop…well.
Here’s a thought that should make Jeff feel pretty shitty. He took money out of Vigil Games’ pocket to put in EA’s and Bioware’s, who probably need it less! (I’m teasing, I’m teasing….)
What side of the debate are you on? -Shoe
In an earlier post, I suggested everyone should go buy Darksiders to help support Vigil Games, and in turn, that will hopefully spur more developers to concentrate on making the big, sprawling games we all know and love. What was unspoken in that article was that you should definitely buy a new copy and absolutely avoid a traded-in version, even if it means an extra five bucks in your pocket. What good does that five dollars do you in the long run if it means we will never get to play a Darksiders 2?
Soon after I wrote that article, I finished Darksiders, got off of my high horse, and…
…traded it in.
(brief pause for shocked gasps from the audience)
I know what you’re thinking: “Dude. You just said not to buy the traded-in version. Why are you handing them your game, which is about to become said product?”
OK, you were probably thinking something more along the lines of “hypocritical schmuck,” and to be honest I can’t blame you. I have to admit I never really thought about it, and now that I have, I’m still not sure how I feel about it.
The case against:
It’s pretty straightforward. If I don’t trade in the game, Gamestop can’t take it and turn it into the evil $55 version that siphons money away from the developers and into their own coffers.
The case for:
I have Gamestop’s Edge card. After adding the 10% trade-in bonus for Darksiders still being a newly released game, I got $35 in store credit. Money is tight for everyone, and this isn’t an insignificant sum of money. Essentially it will pay for Mass Effect 2.
Also, I don’t like having crap lying around my house, and trading a game in after I’m done with it is one less piece of potential clutter in my life.
This is the dilemma then: On one hand, I’m part of the problem by creating used inventory which hurts developers. On the other, I take the credit I receive and use it to purchase additional new games that I couldn’t otherwise afford, which obviously helps developers.
What do you think? Am I a hypocrite? Is there a clear-cut answer to this debate?