Random Twitter Conversation About Used vs. Digital Distribution Starring David Jaffe.

by Frank Anderson , COMMUNITY WRITER

Friday, August 28, 2009

DavidJaffe.biz shout out.
David Jaffe

djaffe - Thinks Motorstorm: Arctic will be my first full game digital purchase on my PSPGO!

vvelvetelvis - @djaffe it looks to be a fine choice. im just upset that its not cheaper than retail, seeing as they dont need any physical media.

djaffe - @vvelvetelvis Agree- full download games should totally be cheaper and I can't imagine they won'

djaffe - they will have 2 b cheaper soon if Sony wants people to buy them digitally...

djaffe - Eventually someone is gonna have to provoke the wrath of Gstop. They can't have it both ways. Either cut game makers in on used games

djaffe - and rentals or suck down digital distribution.

ArtGreen - @djaffe Cut game makers in on used games? Why? People have paid for you product, they own it, if they sell it to Gstop, tough shit.

ArtGreen - @djaffe I'm not defending GameStop and I buy new. But once I buy new, I own it. I can sell it and you don't deserve dick from that sale.

djaffe - @ArtGreen Dude you're a fucking dooch. U think u r using logic but you don't understand the dynamics involved. Sit down, shut up.

djaffe - As I've said often, it's not the consumers problem/business. But if Gamestop wants games to sell they need to play ball w/game pubs or

djaffe - soon the shoe will be on the other foot. Better to get in bed together now or be pushed out of business sooner than later.

djaffe - @ArtGreen U are rite. BUT the practice hurts my industry and so my industry is find ways to get around it. Gamers suffer the most n meantime

djaffe - People like u think this is a legal issue. Of COURSE you can resell your own property. But that is not what is at stake.

djaffe - @jasu78 Sorry, I can't hear you, busy listening to the latest CD's I got from Tower Records. Oh wait, no...I'm not.

djaffe - Used games hurt devs/publishers. Hurt devs/publishers go out of biz or find ways (dig dist; all content only on first sale) to stay in biz.

djaffe - Gamer suffers. IF gamestop cut game makers into the deal, Gamestop could stay in biz much longer than they currently will.

djaffe - It’s a pointless discussion tho. History is on game dev/pub side. Just look at music biz. We'll laugh it was even an issue in 5 years.

Joelvamp - @djaffe I know its a buiss but I think you pubs are ridiculous ppl rent,trade,pirate, and resell movies but game pubs think they should make

Joelvamp - @djaffe Think they should make money off used games

djaffe - @Joelvamp yes games are too much. And a player has EVERY right to get the best deal, including used. I would as well.

djaffe - But again-all I can say is: look @the music biz. Games will follow suit. 4me, end of discussion. Stuff to do. 5 years it is all Dig Dist.

Balls187 - @djaffe bad analogy. Music biz was gutted cuz they had to compete against "free" iTunes allowed them to compete by making music ~free.

djaffe - @balls187 Our biz competes against 'free' as well. For us, free games ARE used games cause we don't see a dime.

lesjenkins - @djaffe What you say is a possibility. If it comes to pass then I may stop being a game consumer.

djaffe - @lesjenkins Ah well, c'est la vie. If not being able to sell games keeps you from playing, don't let door hit u on way out....

lesjenkins - @djaffe I'll be sure to remember that when you announce your next title. Thanks for making my decision easier.

djaffe - @lesjenkins dont buy it- you'd just resell the fucker anyway.

djaffe - @lesjenkins I am always customer first. Resell all u like, I support it. I am saying stores need to cut in pubs

djaffe - if they do not, that is FINE but there will be consequences that end up hurting the bottom line of brick and mortar.

vvelvetelvis - @djaffe GStop is also doing what they need to do to survive. When dig dis comes, are devs/pubs gonna help gstop? No, not their concern.

djaffe - @ArtGreen Sure, if they contribute in a meaningful way, yes. Why would we not?

ArtGreen - djaffe Yes,and that's how you'll view them in a dig dist world. There's no place for them there, so they're making $ while they can.

djaffe - @ArtGreen Then fuck them. That is the attitude they have towards us in a non digital distribution world.

Tags: david jaffe, sony, Twitter, PlayStation 3, Gamestop, digital distribution, Pricing

Comments (14)

Frank Anderson

August 28, 2009

Sorry for the formatting errors and such, but I gots to get goin and want to get this up in case any one wants to chime in on Twitter or here in the comments! Shit it is unreadable.... gotta edit quick!!!!!!

Frank Anderson

August 28, 2009

AAAAHHHHHH Everything is fine and then it goes nuts when I post it.

Frank Anderson

August 28, 2009

Wow.... Twitter conversations reeeeallly break Word and the Bitmob blog poster. Sorry guys, this was as good as I can get this post. This must be karma for making djaffe be pink instead of some manlier color. I will check back in a bit and see if anyone has put some advice on how to fix this.

Lance Darnell

August 28, 2009

David Jaffe should go into politics. He was strong convictions and would hopefully tell a lot of people off. This was really well put together Frank! But what are your thoughts on the matter?

Chris Cosmo Ross

August 28, 2009

I'm surprised Jaffe took the time to respond so much, but he seems like a pretty passionate guy.

Frank Anderson

August 28, 2009

I am all for a world where both digital distribution and retail are feasible options. I perfer disks, but think that developers deserve to see more of the profits from the games they produce. I think that Jaffe's points are hard to debate, even though I also know that I could never buy as many games as I do if I could not trade them in... That is unless the price goes down. As a Gamestop worker I have to say that I am starting to see that they do not care about the long term viability of the industry at all. They seem so concentrated on their bottom line for the moment that they are totally neglecting their bottom line in the future. I have never had a job where I enjoyed helping the customer as much as I do at Gamestop, and have also never worked for a company that has as much contempt for their customers, workers and industry as Gamestop. I think that digital is the future of this business, but fear that we will move from companies like Gamestop screwing us to publishers and platform holders screwing us. In the end I choose which ever option makes games cheaper and more of a mass market/impulse item. I see games selling much better at $30 than they ever will at $60, but don't see the industry being savy enough to make this happen sadly.

Frank Anderson

August 28, 2009

J. - Jaffe does this a lot. He makes Twitter worth while, but it can be a bit hard to follow him since you cannot see the posts in descending order. I do not always agree with him, but he always has some rant worth checking out. Thats why I made this post!

Daniel Feit

August 28, 2009

I'm still waiting for someone to explain why video game makers are magically vulnerable to second-hand sales while every other maker of commercial goods handles it just fine.

Rob Savillo

August 29, 2009

As difficult as it was to read a twitter feed, I gave it my best shot. I skimmed some of it. I'm sorry, but David Jaffe doesn't know what he's talking about. Used games create a lower price point at which younger gamers who are cash-low and time-high can enter. Used games build a consumer base by lowering the barrier to entry. Libraries didn't tank the book industry, did they? I buy used records all the time, and the labels that release music I enjoy aren't going out of business. The issue is too complex to go into detail in a mere comment, but suffice it to say that if Jaffe had his way, you'd never again own a piece of software in your life.

Frank Anderson

August 29, 2009

Sorry about how hard this was to read. It looked a lot better in my Word doc, but for some reason when I try to post it everything goes crazy. This was the best I could get after multiple attempts. I guess maybe I should just scrap the idea, but I think there is enough meat there that it is worth fumbling through the formatting errors. Rob- I agree with you in some respects, but I think the record industry is a bad example because they have in fact been hurt pretty greatly by piracy. While piracy is not the same thing as used sales I think that Jaffe has a point when he says that they are for him as a developer, because he does not see the profits from either form. I think an important thing to point out is that Jaffe is really calling for profit sharing with used games, and I think that is a very good idea. I am game for anything that makes this industry stronger and more mass market!

Frank Anderson

August 29, 2009

Whooo hooo! I got it to it's most readable form yet! Editing in Firefox did the trick!

Daniel Feit

August 29, 2009

Jaffe does claim that he supports the idea of consumers re-selling the games they own, he just insists that stores that offer used games should somehow compensate the developers. And while that sounds nice because we all want game makers to turn a profit, I just don't see why they deserve a cut when no other retail environment works that way (to the best of my knowledge).

Rob Savillo

August 29, 2009

[quote]the record industry is a bad example because they have in fact been hurt pretty greatly by piracy[/quote] This is highly debatable. There's evidence to suggest that file-sharing has both hurt and helped the music industry. And you're right, piracy is not the same as used content, so it really has no place in a discussion about compensating developers with money from second-hand sales. I have to disagree with Jaffe -- his logic is not sound, and he does not deserved to be payed twice for the same copy.

Toby Davis

August 29, 2009

Have you shown Jaffe this love yet ?

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