Our take...
Screen Digest supports the concept of pre-owned downloads. Despite the nature of the digital format meaning that physical characteristics of second-hand goods no longer apply, it makes eminent sense, in the context of the bricks and mortar format that games are gradually transitioning from. Pre-owned games have become a vital part of the physical games market, to the extent that many large retail chains, such as HMV and Toys 'R' Us, have adopted the scheme. Gamers have long been keyed in to the existence of a pre-owned market, which allows them to increase the number of new purchases made, by sheer dint of impact on pricing. Green Man Gaming's initiative remains to be seen, but existing market pressures alone intimate a role for pre-owned digital content, even if the standards involved in implementing such a pipeline do not yet appear intuitive.

One of the core issues with pre-owned gaming is the lack of returns seen by publishers, and hence developers, from the marketplace. Currently, Xbox Live is coming under fire from users, for releasing existing physical titles in the download space at an RRP which clashes severely with the value of equivalent titles on the pre-owned market. If iPhone apps are involved in a 'race to the bottom' with regards to pricing, online console re-releases risk remaining too rigid in order to retain control and parity. Sales promotions soften this, but pre-owned would essentially allow publishers to permanently maintain a more fluid pricing range and value proposition, without having to relinquish royalties. Moreover, PC gamers have long been trading digital commodities in pre-owned fashion, both within games and on a more general level (such as the recent sale of a Steam account via eBay), further suggesting that the market itself is ready to accept the digital delivery of pre-owned content, regardless of whether publishers yet are.