To elaborate one of my points better - I actually recently purchased two NEW Shin Megami Tensei games off Amazon after buying the original Digital Devil Saga used at a local Gamestop.
big deal, just buy one of those nifty carrying cases. Not only are some of them very affordable and economical given the amount of space they contain, but lots of them are pretty stylish and slick looking as well.
Hardcore gamers are who have been keeping this entire industry alive for years. Without us, there is no need for JRPG's, strategy games, enchanced and updated 80s and 90s classics, some (if not all) MMO's, indie games, etc. Many hardcore gamers like buying used because they enjoy not only the lower prices, but the social comraderie of it. With many of these non-casual player genres, one of the biggest reasons these companies can actually flourish and continue making games is primarily due to the second-hand market. Me being an example - I would NEVER have gotten into Atlus or Shin Megami Tensei games if it weren't for the second-hand market. There are many other various extensions of my current benefit for not only me but for the market as well.
If console manufacturers do away with the used game capabilities, they are not only dismissing a giant target audience, but also the very people who have kept them going and growing for the past 30 years. Casual gamers are not reliable! Only the hardcore fans are the ones crazy enough to buy 2 or 3 system updates for the duration of a system's life, only they are dedicated enough to buying entire consoles JUST to play one or two games. Heck, there are still hardcore gamers buying Playstation 2 systems JUST to play the games that now can only be found in the used game market. Many times (if not all) the only reason many people get into gaming in the first place is due to the influence of hardcore gamers. Hey, and let's not forget about the poorer people who simply can't afford to buy every game brand new; while they may have to pony up and buy a new system, they may solely rely on used games because of tight budgets... hence there are a good number of game systems now sold even if new games aren't sold.
So we have that not only will manufacturers lose out on publishers who actually want to or CAN make games for their systems (because if they have no money, they can't make games), but they will lose out on console sales as well. If they aren't smart enough to predict this, and don't look into the long term, then the video industry will die a sad and meaningless withering demise in the next gen, and it will be solely due to the greed and impatient haste for money on the part of all the console-making big names and the aim to ONLY please the casual gaming crowd. And where will the casual crowd of soccer moms and ignorant elementary school kids be if gaming dies? Nowhere... whereas they would probably have been uncaring anyway, and the hardcore crowd would be standing there shaking their heads with arms crossed at the the big wigs saying "you know, if you hadn't forgotten about us, you would STILL be making money right now."
So awesome to finally see a multiplayer not only with this much intense gore and violence, but also NO GUNS! As a work in progress this looks incredible already!
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