Anyone sold a PC Steam based game like CODMW-2

[67688c]

These dam Steam based games are a real pain in the bum, I bought both a PS3 and PC versions of COD MW 2 around xmas time.

I've only played the PC version for a couple of hours at most, and recently while selling a few items on ebay I also listed the PC version of this CODMW2 game, it was played for less than 2 hours, but of course had to be activated on line by setting up a Steam account which I did.

Anyway someone purchased it on Ebay and it appears he cannot play it because I activated it by creating a steam account when I installed it.

From what I can gather this means you can no longer sell on any of your retail boxed games as they wont work on the new owners computer.

The guy has emailed me back saying he cannot play it, so I've emailed him the steam account details so he can play the game, with the option of a full refund if he would rather have his cash back.

Am I correct in assuming that the only way he can play the game is by using the same steam account details that were used by me when initially installing the game. ?

One thing is for sure, I doubt I shall be buying any more steam based games, unless its something you definately intend keeping yourself for a long time. IOW you cannt sell them on.

[Ollie]

You are correct.

It's so that you can't (copy and/or) resell the game (like you can with PS3/Xbox). It sucks and is a complete con. If all software houses adopt it then it will kill the 2nd hand PC games market dead. However, you do get to play the excellent game in full HD (if you have an HD monitor and good enough graphics card), and the gameplay is infinitely superior to the Xbox and PS3 versions.

[neverton]

[Ste]

One thing that puzzles me is the legality of selling games on the second hand market.

OK, if it's a copy then that clearly is infringement, but what about totally legit originals?

[Ollie]

That is normally legit, but the Steam overlay/registering stops you from doing that. There are other systems that do the same one, just that Infinity Ward chose Steam this time around. It's been nothing but a pain in the a55 - took 2 hours to install my game as well - 12Gb of data from 2 DVDs and then registering/updating over the net (8Mb broadband). At least in the consoles you can just plug in/insert DVD and play the game...

[67688c]

The game is completely legit, it's a retail boxed version with 2 dvds etc. purchased from Play.com and cost £35.

I've had to refund the guy his £24 back, and he is posting it back to me.

No more Steam controlled PC games for me in the future. I'll stick with the PS3 stuff. Main reason I like the PC versions because I find them easier to play as you can use the keyboard and mouse. Also because I've spent a small fortune upgrading the machine, with the fastest quad cpu's and new fast video cards, large monitor etc. It's nice to show off what it can do with some of the latest games. So if I'm not going to be playing any games on the PC, the hardware upgrade companies are going to be losing out too, as I would'nt need to keep upgrading so often.

We know it's to prevent copying but its a bit ridulious when you cannot sell your legit game on afterwards when your've finished with it, or you may not even like it so sell it on. You can no longer do that.

I think this Steam crap will definately damage the PC games market, well they have lost me for starters...

[Birchy63]

It's to stop piracy.......

PC games once installed can often be played without using the disk, so essentially you could install the game and resell the disk.... This is why for many year you couldn't return PC games to the shop.

PC games cost like half the price of PS3/XBOX games too, so I personally don't have an issue with it.

[neverton]

It's to stop piracy.......

PC games once installed can often be played without using the disk, so essentially you could install the game and resell the disk.... This is why for many year you couldn't return PC games to the shop.

PC games cost like half the price of PS3/XBOX games too, so I personally don't have an issue with it.

Really? Last few times I've had PC games they've been around 35-40, I don't have a console but surely you're not paying 70+ for console games? If so I'm glad I use my PC lol.

And actually, most PC games nowadays require you to install a disk to run the game, its about the only decent thing about steam, you don't need to insert a CD/DVD to play the games

[Ollie]

PC games once installed can often be played without using the disk...

That's normally only if you've download a crack for them - they nearly always require the original CD/DVD to be in the drive when you're playing the game, which is also a pain.

PC games cost like half the price of PS3/XBOX games too, so I personally don't have an issue with it.

Hmm... All at Argos, right now: Xbox 360 - £39.99, PS3 - £39.99, PC - £39.99. On Amazon they're £35, £35 & £30.

Granted on pre-purchase and day of release, consoles were more like £50 and PC was £35 but that's still not "like half the price". Although... I preordered from Amazon and ended up paying £28.65, which is 'about half' the (original console) price.

Edit: Oh, I was a bit late.

[67688c]

It's to stop piracy.......

PC games once installed can often be played without using the disk, so essentially you could install the game and resell the disk.... This is why for many year you couldn't return PC games to the shop.

PC games cost like half the price of PS3/XBOX games too, so I personally don't have an issue with it.

Of course its to stop piracy, and I have absolutely no issue's with publishers trying to prevent piracy, its not something I condone anyway.

I had a computer business myself many years ago called DMS, ie. Dudley Micro Services, and we used to write programs for the BBC Micro, Archedes machines, and Commodore 64, with some minor commercial success. The BBC programs were mainly sold in a Rom or in some cases a eprom, and pirating was a issue even back then, and that was in the early eighties. BTW any of you olduns heard of a modem called the Pace NightingGale 1200/75 baud, or Comstar, a comms Rom for the BBC micro, if so they were ours. That program bought us a new house...lol.. good days!.

I know the sort of work and time that goes into producing software, in those days I used to write in something called assembler code, and it would take ages to write a program for a 16k rom. These days of course programmers write in much higher level languages, and have special software tools to help them, but it still takes much time and resources to produce the products they have today especially games.
What I call Bloatware because they are so big...

So I fully understand why they protect their work.

What I object to is the fact, that you should be able to sell it on when you have finished with it. The exception to that is when they have merely given you a licence to use it, in which case, as in case of the PC version of CODMW2 they should legally have put a notice on the box to the effect that you only have the right to use it, but it cannot be sold!

Steam should have included the option to delete the game from your account when you remove it from your computer, ie, as long as only 1 cd key licence is logged with them surely thats all that matters.

You come up against the same issue when you buy a operating system such as Windows 7.
If you wish to be able to sell it later so it can be used on another computer, then you have to buy the full boxed retail version. If you buy the cheaper OEM version then once installed it's tied to that machine or at least to most of hardware on that machine, so it cannot be officially sold on.

The reasoning behind it is obvious, in fact as you probably know you can buy the online version of CODMW2 and download it.
It's common knowledge that these downloadable online versions from Steam have always been limited to that users account, and people knew they could not be sold afterwards.

It seems that the full boxed retail versions are too, which puts a new light on the monetary value of the boxed retail game, when it cannot be sold on.