Why some gamers dont like pre-owned

A study by US analyst Cowen & Company has said that fear of buying a scratched disk, missing out on the in-game manual or simply the urge to own new goods is the key motivation behind those who dislike buying pre-owned games.

In total 54 per cent of those who buy new games cited this reason, with slightly fewer – 49 per cent – saying that getting a game on the day of release was the key reason.

Only 26 per cent said that access to bonus content (afforded by the likes of EA’s Online Pass) was important to them while 20 per cent felt obtaining the Collector’s Edition of a game was important.

Developers and publishers alike may be disappointed to learn that only 16 per cent bought new because the actively wanted to support the economic health of the games industry.

Just 33 per cent said that the potential saving made by buying pre-owned made the purchase worthwhile.

When considering some of the tactics the publishers have used to try and steer gamers away from used game purchases, our respondents considered them of lower importance,” Cowen & Company’s Doug Creutz noted.

Interestingly, 70 per cent of respondents said they liked to buy new as they plan on playing titles for a long time” – curious, as newer titles don’t offer any additional playtime compared to pre-owned product.

We suspect there is a behavioural psychology factor at work,” Creutz speculated. Gamers have an easier time justifying the higher price of a new game if they expect to get more use/value out of it.”