A lot has been said in the last few days about the upcoming move to an all-digital, used-gamesless future. There was a time in my life when the prospect of a world without used games would have sent me into a rage. As the years have gone by, however, my view has changed considerably. That being said, the past few days have brought me to a harsh reality: I don't think I would be a gamer today if not for used systems and games.

My family's first system was an Atari 2600. My dad bought it used with a box of games from a garage sale. He is an electrical engineer and had an interest in the tech, but mostly got it as a cheap toy for my sisters and I. The games that came with that system were the only games we ever had, and while they weren't any of the classics, we played the hell out of Big Bird's Egg Catch and loved every minute of it. A couple of years later, my parents decided that the price of a used NES had dropped enough, so that and a used copy of Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt / World Class Track Meet was the sole Christmas present for myself and my four sisters. Over the next few years, we slowly built up a library of great games and... less than great games. This trend would continue throughout the SNES era. Once a used system was cheap enough for our meager budget, we'd have one.

This pattern led to an intense obsession with games and the gaming industry in my middle school years. I was able to save up enough money of my own in 7th grade to buy my first ever new system, the Nintendo 64, but each game was bought used with money I'd save from working jobs around town. On and on the story goes, throughout my college years and into my early 20s. A couple of years ago, however, something changed.

I don't know for sure exactly what the catalyst was. It may have been an article on the dark side of used games, it may have simply been the fact that I had a bit more disposable income, but one day I decided that I needed to make sure I support the developers and the games I believe in. Hell, I even went so far as to buy four copies of Rayman Origins because I loved that damn game so much. Does this mean everyone should be like me? Of course not. However, I do think the industry needs to find a way to allow people on varying budgets to access more games and support more developers.

The proliferation of indie games during this generation has helped with this a great deal, but as with many, I look to Steam for what is perhaps the best system currently on offer. Making older, big-budget games available to everyone at regularly discounted prices would seem to be the best of all possible worlds. Those on restricted budgets can be choosy with their money, but also have access to a wide range of titles, and those with a little bit more money to spend can also discover games they may otherwise have overlooked simply because a game is so cheap (a factor of Steam sales which I think is too often overlooked).

How then, does this bode for the coming generation of consoles? Honestly, I'm cautiously optimistic. PlayStation Plus has been a wonderful tool for getting a diverse selection of games into many homes for a minimal fee, and I've likewise discovered a few underrated gems because, "Why not spend $4 on de Blob 2?" While Microsoft has notoriously been worse with regards to digital pricing, their recent Games on Demand sale gives me hope.

All in all, while I understand the apprehension, I think that Sony and Microsoft have a good road map of how to lead us to a future without used games that is beneficial to both developers and consumers. All I can do at this point is cross my fingers and hope that they stick to that road, and don't get lost in the woods.