On my commute into work this morning, I listened to a little NPR, I got myself an everything bagel with cream cheese, and while munching and driving, I listened to the second episode of Wired's newly rebooted GAME|LIFE podcast. In that podcast, they talked about how the increasing prevalence of downloadable games is killing the used game market. This is, of course, game publishers' primary intent - they make no money from re-sales of their games. And while I can certainly see the argument that after you've purchased something it's yours to sell, it does seem inappropriate that the bulk of the resale profit goes to a place like GameStop. But regardless of the current reality, it seems fairly evident that the used game market is not long for this world. The next generation of consoles may likely be disc-less. As is, the Sony Vita will allow you to get games either via download or by purchasing a flash cart - I'm guessing that the game on that flash cart will be indelibly tied to the specific Vita unit on which it is to be played. The Wii U will use game DVDs, but my guess is that the Playstation 4 and the XBox 720 will have downloadable-only games, or some other format that will preclude any game aftermarket.
One very good point made on the podcast that I'd never before put much thought into is this: places like GameStop have paid out X millions of dollars over the past X number of years to trade-in patrons, and the vast majority of that money goes towards the purchase of new games. When people pay out $60 for a new game, they're doing so with the implicit understanding that they're buying something with resale value. If that is taken away, will people still be willing to shell out sixty dollars?