David Jaffe: Used games are none of the consumer’s business

God of War creator and Youtube video poster David Jaffe has posted his latest diatribe, this time tackling the thorny issue of used games. You already know our stance by now — that publishers need to stop whining and accept that some parts of capitlism aren’t as kind to them as others. Jaffe, however, believes we should keep our sticky beaks out.

According to Jaffe, it’s none of our business. We, the consumer, should have no part of the ongoing used game debate, and it should be a matter for publishers and retailers only.

“I don’t mean this in a mean way, like it’s none of the consumers business,” explains Jaffe. “But literally, it’s none of the consumer’s business. It should not affect the consumer at all. All the consumer should worry about is, can I get the best deal possible?”

Right, and a part of getting the best deal possible is worrying about the future of secondhand games. I don’t agree with Jaffe that consumers, those people whom publishers seem to believe are a right and not a privilege, shouldn’t have an opinion on the matter. I understand that he’s on our side, and he brings up some great points, but it’s good that we know what’s going on. It’s our money, and we all know that eventually publishers will exploit digital distribution and choke the secondhand market out of existence. What happens then? What happens when publishers can price-fix with extreme prejudice? Is that not our business either?

The debate between secondhand retailers and publishers IS our business, especially due to the fact that it keeps happening in a public arena. If publishers don’t want us getting involved, then maybe they should stop airing their dirty laundry for all to see.