[B]Digital downloads. Publishers love the higher profits; gamers love the convenience. But while publishers also love the fact that digital downloads have no resale value — effectively short-circuiting the used-games market — many consumers avoid them for that very reason.[/B] For those who share that frustration, [URL=http://www.geek.com/articles/games/green-man-gaming-digital-distribution-portal-offers-game-trade-ins-20100121/]Geek.com[/URL] points out a new digital distribution portal called [URL=http://www.greenmangaming.com/]Green Man Gaming[/URL] that has at least a partial solution.
Green Man Gaming allows customers to turn in their digitally purchased titles for credit, paying royalties on each sale to keep potentially furious publishers at bay.
Gian Luzio, COO for Green Man, explains:
"Previously the minute you had paid and downloaded your game it had no resale value. This is extremely expensive for the gamer and does not encourage the consumer to try new genres or franchises. Our leading edge technology gives downloaded games a value that gamers can trade-in at any time."
Well, sort of. You can't [I]buy[/I] a used game from Green Man; you can only sell them your old ones. Still, it's a step in the right direction, one we imagine established distributors like Steam will eventually have to take themselves.
Green Man Gaming will launch with 400 titles in March, with 2000 more up by the end of the year.
[url=http://www.gameculture.com/2010/01/21/new-gaming-portal-will-buy-your-039used039-digital-downloads]More...[/url]