So what in the world is collaborative consumption? And more importantly, why should you or any gamer care about it?
Collaborative consumption is all about the sharing and swapping of goods….think Zipcars or AirBnb.
“Good stuff,” you might say. “But seriously, how in the world does this relate to me and my love of video games?”
…because it is going to make your video gaming experience a whole lot better…and CHEAPER!
So take a moment here to imagine being able to play over 4000 video games for your Xbox, PlayStation3, Wii or Nintendo DS, just because you own a single, solitary video game. Now open your eyes and realize that this isn’t imagination any more. This is Waygoz; A place where gamers can leverage a single video game into a world of gaming experiences just by meeting other gamers who live near you.
Waygoz is a local social video game swapping service
Waygoz enable gamers to safely swap their underutilized video games within a local community of trusted gamers. Gamers browse the game libraries of nearby gamers in order to discover new games, propose in person meet ups and swaps and build new relationships. No wasting time and money on mailing a game from Montreal to Pasadena and hoping that someone send you back a game. You meet your fellow gamer right in your neighborhood at a local coffee shop, swap games and gaming tips and go play your game.
Why video games are perfect for collaborative consumption
Let’s face it, you can only play one game at a time (yes, I am sure there are exceptions to the rule, but we are talking about the average person here). Every video game is a mutually exclusive event, if you are playing one game, you can’t experience another at the same time. In fact, you actually don’t need to own more than one game at a time if you have the means to swap it for other games that you want to play when you are tired of the one you currently own.
The reality is that the game you were staring at yesterday while in GameStop is likely sitting on some other gamer’s shelf gathering dust and could become yours in exchange for one of the games you currently own.
Why you should be swapping games
Remember, every video game is an infinite resource; baring physical damage or disruption of the electrical grid, games can be played forever. Just like second hand books are not consumed or “used up” by their first owner, there is no reason a second owner can’t play that exact same game after the first owner. Unless a game disc is physically damaged, it is inexhaustible; No amount of usage will make it any “less available” to the next player.
The Dollars and Sense of Collaborative Game Consumption
This is why you gamers need to care about collaborative consumption. It will save you a ton of money. Let me repeat that so you can understand it.
Collaborative.Consumption.Of.Video.Games.Will.Save.You.A.Ton.Of.Money.
Here’s why:
Collaborate consumption of video games allows gamers to pool their monetary resources as a group, without even knowing one another, so that they can play more game titles than they could if they attempted to buy every individual title.
….And even if you could afford to buy every new release title, why would you even bother?
Video games have to be played sequentially, not in parallel. You can only play one game at one time. Investing in a large video game library means tying money up in a depreciating asset that you can never fully utilize. It is not an economically logical decision, its an emotional decision driven by the need to over consume.
For example, consider how much money you and 9 of your friends could save by swapping games.
10 of you go out and buy the same 10 new video game titles for about $60 a game, $600 per gamer or $6000 for your group of friends. But each of you can only experience one video game title at a time, the other 9 sit there un-played. A more optimal arrangement for this situation would be for each of you to buy 1 title for $60 each and then, when you finish your individual games, find another gamer to swap with. As a group, you guys spend about $600 on games and each have the exact same gaming experience as if they had each of you spent $600 on 10 games.
That’s all the math for today boys and girls 