In my youth it was appealing; discarding older games to acquire credit towards my next video game adventure. I had yet to establish a true sense of appreciation for the games I had spent countless hours engulfed in. Combine that with the mentality of a child and it was no surprise that establishments like Gamestop were able to obtain numerous titles and even consoles from me. However with age comes wisdom, or at least I’d like to think so as I attribute this to my change of perspective on the matter. It no longer seems wise to discard games that are able to invoke a feeling of excitement and enjoyment.
Video games are works of art. From the most critically acclaimed title to the often under-funded indie genre, each is reflective of a dream that is channeled through passion and expressed through this medium. If video games are seen in this light then it makes little sense to discard them the way I see many fellow gamers do. To be clear, my position does not apply when referencing games that fail to invoke that sense of enjoyment. If that game doesn’t suit your preference do what you deem necessary, but as an alternative sell your games with the minimum amount of third party involvement. This approach may take longer while utilizing sources like Ebay or Amazon but in the end you will often time receive a better amount of compensation then going to a video game retailer.
Let’s look at the facts. As of 3/11/15, the trade in value at Gamestop for Evolve was thirty dollars. Keep in mind this game was released just over a month ago on 2/10/15 and its already lost half of the initial value. More than half if you are attempting to receive cash and not store credit. This trend continues for a majority of games and is so commonplace that most gamers shrug it off and accept the deal.
Earlier last year when I was contemplating the purchase of an Xbox One, I called Gamestop to evaluate the total credit I would accumulate by trading in my Xbox 360 and all the games and accessories I’d acquired over the years. The results were predictably despicable. Not only was the total offer offensive, but one of my favorite titles wasn’t even valued at the cost of the materials used to package it. I’m referring to my collectors edition of Mass Effect 3. That was my boiling point, a lackluster offer of seventy-five cents.
After hearing countless examples of situations similar to my own, I would like to express this to all gamers: We invest in our enjoyment. Don’t expect a fair offer from entities that are out to make a profit. Save your games if you are fond of them, and if not then use the resources at your disposal to get the best deal.
