GameStop 's CEO Defends Game Resale Market

In these tough economic times, buying used games and trading in old titles for store credit or cash have become common methods of saving a few hard-earned bucks. Speaking to Gamasutra, GameStop CEO Dan DeMatteo says limiting these options creates "a bone of contention with the consumer," adding that each consumer believes a game purchase holds a "residual value" of $20, a figure revealed in a study conducted for a book on Micromania, a French videogame retailer recently acquired by GameStop.

DeMatteo was also quick to note that although they may not profit from it directly, the used game market supports videogame publishers as well as ocnsumers:

"Also, we will give out approximately $800 million in credits this year -- trade-in credits that will go toward the purchase of new video games. The consumer, oftentimes and especially now, needs that residual value from those games as a trade-in to be able to afford a new video game."

Even though I’m a strong proponent of digital distribution and find it terribly unfortunate that publishers and developers claim to be so negatively affected by the resale market, I must admit DeMatteo has made a strong defense for his company’s business model. If the resale market begins facing roadblocks, would you be upset?