More Reviews
REVIEWS Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D Review
Gamers have gone bananas for Nintendo's 3DS, but can this port of Retro Studios' 2010 Wii game make the jump to your portable?

Pandora's Tower Review
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but swords and chains excite me. Should you climb the towers in Xseed's JRPG/adventure hybrid to save your cursed (and tragically whiny) girlfriend?
More Previews
PREVIEWS The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot Preview
Ah, the joys of destroying your friend's castle and the pains of your friend destroying yours. Alas, such is friendship.
Watch Dogs (PS4) Preview
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger Preview
Release Dates
NEW RELEASES Metro: Last Light
Release date: Out Now

GRiD 2
Release date: 05/28/13

Fuse
Release date: 05/28/13

The Last of Us
Release date: 06/14/13



LATEST FEATURES GR Showdown: Are There Way Too Many Remakes And Reboots?
Gamers continually complain about the lack of innovation from publishers and developers, but in this tough economy, it would seem that sequels and remakes are their bread and butter. Are there not enough new IPs?

Tips For Surviving Metro: Last Light's Mutants And Men
On higher difficulties, 4A Games forces players to utilize stealth and combat planning, but with these tips and the right tools, you'll make short work of the opposition.
MOST POPULAR FEATURES Sanctum 2: Exclusive Developer Diary
Designer for Coffee Stain Studios, Armin Ibrisagic, reveals and expands upon their much improved story for the upcoming Sanctum 2.
7 Best Video Game Franchises Of All Time
5 Ways Microsoft Could Screw Up The Xbox Reveal
Next Xbox: Everything (We Think) We Know About Microsoft's Next-Gen Console [Updated]
 
Coming Soon

More Cheats
LATEST CHEATS
Raiden Legacy
Action
05/17/13
More Cheats
MOST POPULAR CHEATS
Temple Run
Action / Adventure
04/08/13

LEADERBOARD
Read More Member Blogs
FEATURED VOXPOP nick_olsen
Welcome home, Mario; we’ve missed you!
By nick_olsen
Posted on 05/13/13
[ Editor's Note: As Nick Olsen is a writer for Theory of Gaming, this won't be counted in the monthly Vox Pop prize. However, it is very much a worthy read. ] By Nick Olsen Co-founder, Theory of Gaming In 1985 Nintendo started a revolution when it...

Home News Volition: Disallowing Used Games Would Be A "Fantastic Change"

GAMING NEWS

Volition: Disallowing Used Games Would Be A "Fantastic Change"

Posted on Monday, February 6 @ 11:31:22 Eastern by

The rumor of the upcoming Xbox console not allowing play of used games has prompted comments from various developers, particularly Volition's design director Jameson Durall who loves that idea in an article on #AltDevBlogADay:
The system is already there for Microsoft. all they'd have to do is use the DLC and codes model they have to tie a game to your Xbox live account. Each retail disc would likely need that unique key somewhere in the code so the account would be able to link it properly. Ideally it would tie a full version to the console it is registered on so family members can play even if the main account isn't signed in, but this is exactly how their model works now anyway.

I could see Microsoft implementing their own rental service which would maybe give them a code that activates the game for X days and they are charged a small amount. This could work when you borrow the disc from someone or even with digital download of the full version. It would also send a percentage of the rental to the developer with each rental - likely improving the overall revenue we would receive from it.

Another issue would be with simply lending the game to a friend but maybe they could implement something similar to what Amazon is doing with their Kindle Books lending policy. The license of the game could be transferred for a set time to another Gamertag and the original owner won't be able to play during that time. Seems like it could work.
This speaks to the industry's desire to transform consoles, however they can, into the Steam model. If that's the intended target, I would feel slightly better about it, but the lending policy he proposes for lending games to friends is far too unfriendly. The lending policy for Kindle Books is exactly why I like, you know, regular books. Just drop this in the "stop screwing everyone over piracy" box.
Tags:   Xbox 360, Piracy


More from the Game Revolution Network




Comments
    Comment hidden due to low quality. Show Comment.
  • 00frenchie
    00frenchie
    Joined: Jun 2010
    Posted: Feb 6th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
    Once again turning owning something to only really borrowing it. i paid for that copyright and th disc if i want to lend it to someone for free then i should be able to. I do agree that the online pass is fair to charge extra, but to link a game only to one machine is petarded!
    Maybe Microsoft will use its Kinect to find out how many people are watching a movie at your house and charge you per person.
    0 1
  • kor2disturbed
    kor2disturbed
    Joined: Dec 2010
    Posted: Feb 6th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
    My main problem with this is I rent all my games and usually buy them later if I liked them enough. If this is implemented I wouldn't be able to play rented games would I?
    0 0
  • De-Ting
    De-Ting
    Joined: Nov 2006
    Posted: Feb 6th, 2012 at 12:54 pm
    SHOULD WE ALSO STOP USED CAR SALES???
    2 4
    • Comment hidden due to low quality. Show Comment.
  • De-Ting
    De-Ting
    Joined: Nov 2006
    Posted: Feb 6th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
    It's exactly the same, just on a different scale. You buy anything used, and the original seller is out some money.
    1 4
    • Comment hidden due to low quality. Show Comment.
  • xxlordskullxx
    xxlordskullxx
    Joined: Nov 2007
    Posted: Feb 6th, 2012 at 3:20 pm
    Buying a used game is not like pirating it. pirating involves obtaining a game with out any sort of purchase being made. At least buying used, the game was purchased at retail at one point. Even if you were to say that at pirated copy would have to have to have been purchased by the uploader at least once, used games will only change hands a few times per disc, as opposed to hundreds of downloads from the one uploader.
    0 1
  • ShadeTail
    ShadeTail
    Joined: Nov 2006
    Posted: Feb 6th, 2012 at 8:34 pm
    That's completely ridiculous. Buying or selling used game discs is the exact opposite of piracy. Nobody is making and distributing extra copies. One person is surrendering ownership and the other is assuming ownership, along with the exchange of money. Precisely like buying and selling new games.
    0 0
  • OdiousLupous
    OdiousLupous
    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posted: Feb 6th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
    Cops come and arrest you for replacing the muffler on your used car.

    What the hell did I do?

    When you replaced a piece of the car with a modified new piece you violated the EULA. Take him away boys.
    0 0
  • OniAkuma2126
    OniAkuma2126
    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Feb 6th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
    Computer games have done this for ages. Regristration keys are a standard for that avenue of gaming. Piracy still happens though and there are always going to be ways around it. Console gaming has a decent idea with the one time use keys and on launch DLC but killing used games as a whole would really take something away from the gaming culture on consoles.
    0 0
  • xxlordskullxx
    xxlordskullxx
    Joined: Nov 2007
    Posted: Feb 6th, 2012 at 3:26 pm
    I'm not going to say used game sales don't hurt the industry, but I doubt they're the killing blow that seems to be necessitating these sorts of steps. I buy used games. I also buy new games. really, the only used games I buy are games that have gotten $20 or below. By then, the developer is no longer really making the financial bang they were hoping for as in release week (or month or whatever). I don't buy used games at $54. I just drop the extra ten bucks and get it new (taxes).
    0 0
  • Axelownz
    Axelownz
    Joined: Apr 2011
    Posted: Feb 6th, 2012 at 4:33 pm
    I think all this stuff they are trying to do is stupid. Trying to make it so people cant borrow games anymore, except with some stupid rental or license policy. Also making so used games dont work would piss me off. I very rarely buy a game used , but when i do its usually because its next to impossible to find the game new. Recently i bought Eternal Sonata used since i wanted to play it, and i could not find it new, and i hate games on demand since they take up so much space and cost quite a bit more than if you found it in stores, for example, Far Cry 2 was 20 bucks new in store, and it was 40 on demand at a time.

    Pretty much just screwing everyone over this stupid piracy crap.
    0 0
  • Imnickson
    Imnickson
    Joined: Jul 2006
    Posted: Feb 6th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
    I don't think the industry is taking into account the amount of people who can buy new games because they can sell there used games to the store they are buying the new game from. If a no used game policy is implemented then the stores are not going to buy these useless disk back, which means some people are not going to be able to buy more new games.

    What developers and publishers need to do is instead of punishing the consumer, they should reward them. By giving the consumer reason to keep that disk. By giving free DLC or just really good paid DLC. If the publisher/developer can limit the amount of used disk available then they will sell more new games.

    They also don't understand why people buy used games. Most people are not concerned with saving that $5. They want the other incentives to buying used, which is mainly the fact that you can return it if you don't like it. I know that when I buy used I often return it within the seven days and purchase a new copy.
    0 0
  • Imnickson
    Imnickson
    Joined: Jul 2006
    Posted: Feb 6th, 2012 at 5:06 pm
    The price for games is also antiquated. Games are still $50-$60 because they were $50-60 dollars. Disk and digital distribution are so much cheaper than cartridges but the publishers didn't pass the savings along to the consumer because they knew they could get away with charging the same amount.
    0 1
  • ShadeTail
    ShadeTail
    Joined: Nov 2006
    Posted: Feb 6th, 2012 at 8:38 pm
    Ugh. I'm sick and tired of Hollywood and its peers pretending that their customers have no rights here. When I buy a disc, then that disc is *mine* to do with as I please. I can't distribute digital copies of the content, but they have no right to tell me that I can't sell the disc itself.

    Any console that does this will *not* end up in my entertainment center.
    0 0
  • Rinnon
    Rinnon
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Feb 7th, 2012 at 2:52 am
    There IS a wonderful way to get away with this without alienating your fan base completely.

    It's called making them VOLUNTEER to buy the game digitally! Make the game 10 bucks CHEAPER if you only buy online! Make it come with some trivial piece of DLC, or some kind of small bonus that you only get if you buy the "Digital" edition. Only, unlike what EA is doing now with their constant "Digital Deluxe Edition" and making it more expensive, make it cheaper!

    In other words, make digital purchases of games the convenient, economical, SMART thing to do, and people won't even notice when you phase out physical disks. It won't take more than a single console generation to establish it as standard fare to buy your games digitally. IF you entice your costumers, and don't make them feel like they are being taken advantage of.
    0 2
  • OdiousLupous
    OdiousLupous
    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posted: Feb 7th, 2012 at 2:45 pm
    I approve of this message^
    0 1

Post a Comment
LOGIN or REGISTER to post a comment or rate this article.
More On GameRevolution
STAFF | CONTACT GR | ADVERTISING | GRADING SYSTEM | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS OF USE | AdChoices
GameRevolution.com is a property of CraveOnline Media, LLC, an Evolve Media, LLC company. ©2013 All Rights Reserved.
monitoring_string = "9825918b2b361fb0e003f4935ce18ae6"