Getting a second-hand game to work..

Well I didn't know they were tied to an account until a couple of hours ago :p

For a game downloaded from Steam I'd accept that you'd almost certainly know the rules with second-hand games - but for a copy bought from a store, that just happens to be activated through Steam - it's less cut and dried IMO.
 
because maybe they genuinely didnt know?
its not that hard to think of reasons why, especially if it was the first game they had use steam for activation/online play.
 
Semiskimmed said:
because maybe they genuinely didnt know?
its not that hard to think of reasons why, especially if it was the first game they had use steam for activation/online play.
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How is it not?

Last time I added a game to steam using a serial key, it told me that this game will be tied to this account and can not be untied or sold...
 
Mammalian said:
unfortunately it's against the rules to talk about cracking games on here though other forums it's ok
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Other forums are happy to flirt with illegal talk because they are not necessarily associated to such a large business.

Discussion of illegal practices on the OcUK forums would be utterly foolish for the company.
 
ive never installed a shop bought game and had to install it via steam so dont know specifics.
but anyway, how many of us just click through the 'next' keys to install it, how many people would be oblivious to the fact installing a hard copy of a game onto their computers, and auto think they could sell it on?
maybe they owned or have seen the previous game being sold on second hand and just assumed.
a lot rides on peopel reading everything in those install boxes i agree but its amazing what people can miss, if theyre not in the know, theyre not always 100% guilty of ripping people off...
 
Semiskimmed said:
but anyway, how many of us just click through the 'next' keys to install it, how many people would be oblivious to the fact installing a hard copy of a game onto their computers, and auto think they could sell it on?
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Then they have nobody to blame but themselves?
 
Which doesn't mean it was a deliberate attempt to defraud a fellow MM user, it just means they didn't read the EULA, or whatever.
 
You'll also find that selling games already linked to a Steam account is against the MM rules - you might want to take it up with the admins.
 
Essentially, the only way out from here is a refund or the seller (Mammalian I guess) giving you his Steam account.

I highly doubt he is prepared to do the latter.

Lesson to be learnt here for both parties - check that games aren't account locked before buying/selling them second hand. This is becoming increasingly common with PC games and you need to pay attention to it.

There is a third option, in that the seller could show the box and serial etc. to Valve and explain the situation but then Mammalian would run the risk of having his account banned or something by Valve for selling a game tied to his account. If he had done this on purpose and you felt like being a **** then you could do this - as it appears to be a genuine mistake, I think this would be a pretty damn harsh action to try and take though.
 
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Yup, way to kill the PC gaming market Steam :thumbsup:

Especially when this game's for sale from them at a lolworthy £39.99, at well over a year of being released.. and BlackOps is available from here for that :p
 
miniyazz said:
Yup, way to kill the PC gaming market Steam :thumbsup:

Especially when this game's for sale from them at a lolworthy £39.99, at well over a year of being released.. and BlackOps is available from here for that :p
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Surely selling second-hand games is what drives sales down? Two people playing the game but only one person's money goes to the developer. Besides you don't have to buy from Steam. It's £10+ cheaper on shopping sites.
 
I see your point there but I'd argue that
a) two people using it at different times (so one person buys it, plays it, sells it) is no different from one person buying it and his whole family playing on it as well as him
b) if the game has no resale value then fewer people (as per Mammalian's post earlier) will buy the game new, as they can no longer hope to reclaim some of the initial cost - and those that do buy it will have less money to spend on further new games since they won't have recouped any cost by selling their old games on
c) having a flourishing second-hand market keeps numbers online up, making a better multiplayer experience. Get rid of second-hand buyers-->fewer people online-->fewer people stay online-->online gets rubbish-->no-one buys it new either
d) I can't justify spending £30 or £40 on a PC game; neither can many other people, hence second-hand market instead of buying on release. They're not missing revenue from us by allowing second-hand sales, because they're never going to get that revenue.

So IMO, they're just cutting off their nose to spite their face. All it's going to do for them is increase piracy and restrict the PC gaming environment. It's not like you can't sell your Xbox 360 or PS3 COD:MW2 second-hand, why do it to PC games?
 
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miniyazz said:
I see your point there but I'd argue that
a) two people using it at different times (so one person buys it, plays it, sells it) is no different from one person buying it and his whole family playing on it as well as him
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How is this any different from piracy, really? The developer sees no money from the person who buys it second hand, so why don't they just pirate it instead?
 
In piracy you have say two people playing the game for each bought copy simultaneously whereas bought 2nd hand only one person plays the game for each bought copy at any one time. You might as well argue that retail copies of windows shouldn't be sold on once someone's finished using it.
 
miniyazz said:
I see your point there but I'd argue that
a) two people using it at different times (so one person buys it, plays it, sells it) is no different from one person buying it and his whole family playing on it as well as him
b) if the game has no resale value then fewer people (as per Mammalian's post earlier) will buy the game new, as they can no longer hope to reclaim some of the initial cost - and those that do buy it will have less money to spend on further new games since they won't have recouped any cost by selling their old games on
c) having a flourishing second-hand market keeps numbers online up, making a better multiplayer experience. Get rid of second-hand buyers-->fewer people online-->fewer people stay online-->online gets rubbish-->no-one buys it new either
d) I can't justify spending £30 or £40 on a PC game; neither can many other people, hence second-hand market instead of buying on release. They're not missing revenue from us by allowing second-hand sales, because they're never going to get that revenue.

So IMO, they're just cutting off their nose to spite their face. All it's going to do for them is increase piracy and restrict the PC gaming environment. It's not like you can't sell your Xbox 360 or PS3 COD:MW2 second-hand, why do it to PC games?
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A)Not really, One is subject to scam as the other isn't.

B) You're logic is null. If there were no 2nd hand market, people would still pay full value.

C) LOL that's a load of tosh right there, how do numbers go up if someone sells their game?

D) Most people will justify spending £30/40 on games that require CD Keys. Those who buy those sorts of games 2nd hand are stupid and prone to scams. Fair enough some people have done it fine and dandy, but still.
 
A) I don't understand? :confused:

B) No, some people would still pay full value. Others would no longer be able to justify paying that much when they know they won't be able to recoup any money at resale.

C) Because if someone sells their game, it means they don't play it any more. Selling it on means someone will play it, ergo numbers go up :rolleyes:

D) CD Keys have been around for many, many years, and this is the first time I've encountered a game where the CD key permits only a once-only activation. And, massive generalisations for the win. Now, back to your hole, please, unless you'd like to throw any more insults my way :/
 
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