February 16, 2010
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Questions for Game Returners
Here are a few questions I have for people who trade-in their used video games.
How do you get the disc so scratched? I can understand if accidents happen and the occasional statistically anomalous scratched disc can appear in the used game bin, but how is it that every single used disc I buy looks like it was roughed up with a cheese grater prior to resale? I have game discs over a decade old that look like they haven't left the case since the plastic wrap came off. It isn't hard to take care of these things. When you take the disc out of the system, you put it away in its case where it can't be damaged. Actually, this leads to question two...
How do you lose the case to a game? Some of you may already know this, but many moons ago I worked for a GameStop. I was employed for about a month and worked about ten cumulative hours. I was never actually fired, come to think of it. They just stopped calling me with my hours for the following week, so I never came in. Anyway, during my internment, I was astonished at just how many people came in selling a game without a case. HOW DO YOU LOSE A CASE?! I suppose there are some people who intentionally throw away the case and store the discs in one of those binder-things to save space, but this should be a statistical rarity and not happen with the high frequency that it does. I don't care how hard to find a game is; I will turn it down if it does not have its original case.
Why are you trading in your used games, anyway? I think over the course of my gaming lifestyle, I have traded in a grand total of two games: The Conduit for Wii and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for PS3. They were both dreadful games, but still fairly new so I could get a decent trade-in. I am a hoarder, so selling one of those games was like selling one of my kidneys (I try to keep at least a dozen on ice in the basement). All games have a replay value, so holding on to them is always the best option. I suppose this is purely an opinion, but I still cannot wrap my head around it.
Comments (1)
That first question could also be levied about traditional video stores like Blockbuster. What exactly are they doing that the disc gets all scratched? Do their dvd players have needles like turn tables?