Cory Ledesma—a creative director for video game publisher and developer THQ—made a statement to ComputerandVideoGames.com Aug. 23 claiming consumers who purchase used games are “cheating” his company. His statement sparked angry backlash from the gaming community and generated widespread online debate, with gamers and developers alike throwing in their two cents on forums, blog comments and Twitter feeds. While it’s not quite fair to say consumers are the ones cheating developers, the sale of used games

does hurt them financially.

When a game is purchased used, the people who created it get absolutely no money from that sale—the price of a used video game goes entirely to the retailer. Video game stores like GameStop can buy games from consumers for a negligible cost and mark them up to slightly below what they cost new, and that markup is pure profit for them. It’s hard to blame developers for being upset that somebody else is making a huge profit off their products.

To say the customers themselves are cheating developers isn’t an accurate assessment of the situation. However, if anyone is directly responsible for undercutting new game sales, it’s secondhand retailers. Many gamers don’t consider who their money is supporting when they buy a game. Their primary concern is getting the best possible value for their hard-earned cash, so when brand-new games retail for $60 each, buying used becomes a more appealing alternative.

Some major game publishers, including Electronic Arts and Ubisoft, have made moves to combat used game sales by requiring a one-time-use online code to access certain features of a game, such as the ability to play multiplayer modes online. Once a game is purchased, the player must enter the code online before they can access the full features of a game. The codes are packaged with new games, and anyone who buys used has to pay extra to access those

same features.

While it goes without saying that creators deserve to be compensated for their work, punishing customers for buying used isn’t the way to do it. It would be different if they had to pay for bonus content that new buyers got for free, but as it stands now, developers are essentially holding integral parts of their games for ransom. Instead of imposing more financial burdens on gamers who are just trying to save a buck, developers and publishers should consider pricing their products more competitively or try finding an incentive to encourage new sales and recover some profit back from secondhand retailers.

The decision to buy or avoid used games is ultimately up to individual consumers. Some gamers want to support their favorite developers and will buy their games new on principle. Others will buy games brand-new or preorder them because they’re eager to play them as soon as the games are released. These types of customers will continue to support the developers who make their favorite games, which is beneficial to the video game industry

as a whole.

On the other hand, many gamers simply can’t afford to buy new games for $60 apiece. They’ll buy used games because it’s the only way they can afford to continue enjoying their hobby. It’s certainly not “cheating” to buy games used. While they don’t support the creators, secondhand sales is a legally-protected part of a free market economy. Used CDs, DVDs and books are bought and sold freely without corporations trying to squeeze royalties out of them.

There’s no morally right or wrong way to purchase and play video games. People should be aware of where their money is going and who it’s supporting, and if that information matters to them, they should change their spending habits accordingly. If not, they should do what they can to get the most bang for their buck.