How do I sell my copy of Half Life 2?

[conquistador69]

Its illegal to sell copies of second hand PC games due to the fact you never actualy own it. Rather its licenced to you. Well this is the case in the UK and may differ else where. Go in to game and try and sell it.

That is exactly what people who make money from software want you to believe. They have been pushing very hard to make it so, and they are succeeding. Steam gives Valve what has been lacking in most software releases, and that's a method to enforce their wishes. If it were truly illegal to sell used copies of PC games, then the shelves at Electronics Boutique would not be filled with them. (That's here in the US. I can't speak for the UK, or elsewhere.) But in the case of HL2, EB could not resell it, because of Steam.

So, yes. If you play by the rules you didn't make, you are forever stuck with your copy of HL2. That's one more restriction we get for granting Valve this much power over us.

 

[Odysseus]

Ahh we all know what the deal is here. You buy a legal copy of the game install it, make an image of the DVD, crack it so you don't need the disk or internet connection to play it and then sell it on and get your money back (or most of it).

It can be be installed from scratch and played without an internet connection being active at any time. I know coz I'm living with a guy who did this

With all the copy protection schemes of this game, I am not sure that's even possible. You need an internet connection to get the game to work, since what you get in the CD's/ DVD is an incomplete, encrypted version of the game. Also, it is very likely that the CDs are copy protected.

 

[porl]

Clone CD won't read the HL2 DVD, or at least the version of Clone CD I had wouldn't read it....I was having installation problems with the game, a known problem I get with some games that I can fix by making an image of the disk and mounting it and then installing from the mounted image...so I thought, "I know, I'll fix this in the normal way" so I fired up Clone CD, chose the drive with me HL2 DVD in it and clicked GO and expected it to take a little whle as it's got nearly 3Gb's worth of data on the DVD....but instead the progress bar raced along but the DVD drive read light on the drive with the HL2 dvd in it was not flickering....the result was a 900Mb Image that I was unable to mount......

Interesting....friend of mine though said he'd made a sucsessful Image of the dvd that he can install the game from using DVD Decrypter

 

[porl]

With all the copy protection schemes of this game, I am not sure that's even possible. You need an internet connection to get the game to work, since what you get in the CD's/ DVD is an incomplete, encrypted version of the game. Also, it is very likely that the CDs are copy protected.

Nahhh you can make an image of the dvd that installs sucessfully, and you can (using cracks) get it up and running with no internet connection at all, I know coz I've seen it done right in front of my eyes.....and it's a lot less hassle than setting up a Legit copy......so much anti-piracy that the Pirates get an eaiser install!!
Chraming

 

[Tkmaster]

Its illegal to sell copies of second hand PC games due to the fact you never actualy own it. Rather its licenced to you. Well this is the case in the UK and may differ else where. Go in to game and try and sell it.

its not illegal if you give the person everything related to the game and keep no portion of it yourself...

this is even stated in the EULA
4. Program Transfer. You may permanently transfer all of your rights under this License Agreement, provided that: (a) the recipient agrees to the terms of this License Agreement, (b) you remove the Program from your computer and retain no copies of the Program, and (c) you transfer all of the Program (including all software components, the media and printed materials that accompany the Program, any code used to “unlock” the Program (“CD Key”), any Program upgrades, and this License Agreement) to the recipient. Furthermore, you agree that you will not provide a CD Key to any third party except as part of the transfer of this License Agreement and the entire Program in accordance with the preceding sentence.

So it being illegal to sell used pc games is really questionable since the EULA does allow for a Program Transfer provided you do not keep anything related to the game..

it would be illegal if you were to sell it but still retain a copy for yourself
but if you give all the items related to the game to the person you sold it to and removed the game off the hard drive then it is legal to sell

 

[toymachineb2812]

who cares if selling the account is illegal. no ones gonna know

 

[Odysseus]

Well I have received a lot of alerts from Windows XP saying that Steam is a trojan... I don't know what information about my system Steam currently has, but if it has information about the type of computer I am using now, it might ban the account if it finds that it is being used on a different computer...

Ok that might be a bit paranoid but so is Valve with this Steam system....

 

[Havoc01]

Well I have received a lot of alerts from Windows XP saying that Steam is a trojan... I don't know what information about my system Steam currently has, but if it has information about the type of computer I am using now, it might ban the account if it finds that it is being used on a different computer...

Ok that might be a bit paranoid but so is Valve with this Steam system....

Your useing the windows firewall, aren't you? Its calling it a trojan because if you leave it on it will check for updates. Get Zone alarm and turn off windows firewall. www.zonelabs.com

 

[siorai]

Minerel is very correct. MODs are the real meat-and-potatoes of VALVe's games.

By buying Half-Life 2, you've opened a gate to hundreds of possible, free, games.

And what if you happen to be a person who doesn't care about the mods? I loved Halflife, but never cared for any of the mods that I tried for it. I'm sure I'm not the only person like this either.. I'm not saying that I'll want to get rid of HL2 when I finish it, but I can understand why some people might want to.

 

[r5a]

Blasphmey!

 

[Odysseus]

I downloaded a bunch of mods back in the days of Half Life. Unfortunately, I found even the most popular ones rather pathetic...

 

[donutty_uk]

I think Odysseus has a valid point here.

Almost all things can be re-sold second-hand (houses, electronics, stock market shares etc etc) so I think you, as the purchaser of the game, should have a right to sell it once you have finished it, if you so wish. Wether some people on this forum think that is a bad idea or not is irrelevent.

In essence, Steam denies you the right to sell the game. Any other game and this would be possible. The CD key goes with the game and everyone is happy.

The 'Steam method' could be compared to the thought-patterns of a well known Operating system developer who ties the operating system to the hardware on which it is intalled in some cases.

 

[Odysseus]

All this leads to my next question: How much $$$ can I ask for the game? I paid $58 for it.

 

[chrispo]

i thought it was very bad of valve not to warn buyers on the cover that it was essential to have a internet connection. infact i was going to take it back as my gaming computer isnt connected to the internet. but after ALOT of pissing about i got it running, finished it in a couple of days and now have no intention of playing it again. so im stuck with a game i wouldnt of bought if the correct info was on the cover. cant sell, part ex or give it away............this does not bode well if other game producers copy valve and we all end up with games we cant get rid of.............imagine buying ant other product car, tele etc and not being able to sell it

 

[Speedkills]

Ahh we all know what the deal is here. You buy a legal copy of the game install it, make an image of the DVD, crack it so you don't need the disk or internet connection to play it and then sell it on and get your money back (or most of it).

It can be be installed from scratch and played without an internet connection being active at any time. I know coz I'm living with a guy who did this

Yeah....that's exactly what I said on one of the previous pages.

 

[spencerjrus]

Hello,
I bought a copy of Half Life 2 three days ago, finished it last night, and now I want to get rid of it. Usually I would just sell a game on ebay or amazon.com, but since this game had to be registered online in order to be playable, I am not sure if the buyer will be able to play the game (since the serial number is, according to Steam, permanently linked to my e-mail account), and I don't want to sell an unusuable product.

Does this mean I cannot sell the game? Any thoughts or suggestions?

Go kill yourself.

 

[Wraithen]

I don't understand what someone who bought the game just to play once and then exchange/sell is doing on a Half Life 2 fansite (sorry guys, all the advertising in the world won't change that fact ) to complain that they can't get rid of it. It's not something that I particularly agree with, after all, if it weren't for game trades I'd have three times as many games as I do, but hardly any of them would be recent... but I can forgive them as I wasn't going to trade in Half Life 2 at least until it comes free with Half Life 3.

Besides, if a law has been broken in this, then some American will try to sue Valve/VU Games (whicher is perceived as having more money) and changes will be made. Until then, try to be a little less negative, I'm yet to read somethng from you that was good about this game, and this game is why we're all here.

 

[toomalook]

Can anyone imagine buying a car [or anything] and being unable to re-sell it ? What purchase price should it be, the same as other similar cars that can be re-sold ?

The principle here is that, having paid for an item an owner should be able to re-sell that item. Valve should have clearly stated that HL2 will be unusable except to the original buyer and the item priced accordingly [about half the price of a similar game that can be re-sold ?].

Reasons for keeping HL2 [or anything someone buys] have nothing to do with the above principle but the original price should reflect the lack of future choice of re-selling that affects the buyer of the game.

My wife just re-sold sims 2 because she hated it within an hour of playing. She at least got half her money back. HL2 should sell for HP2 !!!

 

[Tkmaster]

Can anyone imagine buying a car [or anything] and being unable to sell it ? What purchase price should it be, the same as other similar cars that can be sold ?

The principle here is that, having paid for an item an owner should be able to sell that item. Valve should have clearly stated that HL2 will be unusable except to the original buyer[unsaleable on the used market] and the item priced accordingly [about half the price of a similar game that can be sold ?].

Reasons for keeping HL2 [or anything someone buys] have nothing to do with the above principle but the original price should reflect the lack of future choice to the buyer of the game.

common its obvious that seeing you have to register your key online before you can play it and the fact that once your key was used it can no longer be used on other accounts except for the account it was first used on

yea it should of noted on the box true but that isnt the case..

You are stuck with hl2 weither you like it or not...

and technically you do not own the game you just paied for the right to play the game

 

[NikolaX]

In fact people could be complete bastards and do this:

1. Read the dvd to an image file using CloneCd.
2. Get emulation software like Daemon Tools.
3. Register the game on Steam.
4. Run HL2 using the dvd emulation software and the image file.
5. Sell the dvd and box to a second hand games shop.
6. Continue to play HL2 on their PC using daemon tools and their Steam account, thereby stopping the person buying the game from the second hand shop from playing their game (the serial key is already registered)

So they now have a nice cheap copy of HL2 (the original cost - the amount the second hand shop gives them) and some poor bugger buys it and cant play it.

1. can't !
2. can't !

 

[toomalook]

....'and technically you do not own the game you just paied for the right to play the game'.

And when you buy a FORD you dont own the name either, but you can still re-sell the car !!!

 

[darkmistx]

Go kill yourself.

Drop dead.

 

[Odysseus]

The worst part is that if noone can figure out a way around this Steam ****, it is very likely that in the future all games will adopt this technology.

 

[Ownzed]

Why the hell would you want to sell it already!? Your such a douche. Make the game worth your money and play it over 3 times + and wait for the mods or play css...

 

[Odysseus]

Why the hell would you want to sell it already!? Your such a douche. Make the game worth your money and play it over 3 times + and wait for the mods or play css...


CS has been around for years... For how long should I keep playing it?

Also, the mods don't get any better than the game itself. (Sad but true).

 

[subz-]

Dont get me wrong, I love HL2 and have zero intention of selling it as im an avid DoD player and cant wait for DoD:Source, but some people here need to understand that some people wont like HL2 and will want to sell it. Why it should bother you is beyond me, who cares really?

That EULA quote specifically states that you CAN legally sell HL2 if you so choose. That should be end of story

 

[Eon Blue]

I think you don't. I'm pretty sure in the EULA it specifically says you don't have any right to resell it, because it's still VALVe's property. You're just licensced to use it.

 

[Eon Blue]

Dont get me wrong, I love HL2 and have zero intention of selling it as im an avid DoD player and cant wait for DoD:Source, but some people here need to understand that some people wont like HL2 and will want to sell it. Why it should bother you is beyond me, who cares really?

That EULA quote specifically states that you CAN legally sell HL2 if you so choose. That should be end of story

Hmm. My post directly conflicts against yours. Can you show me the quote? I'm not sure on my point anyway, and I'd like to be concrete one way or the other.

 

[subz-]

No problem Eon Blue

this is even stated in the EULA
4. Program Transfer. You may permanently transfer all of your rights under this License Agreement, provided that: (a) the recipient agrees to the terms of this License Agreement, (b) you remove the Program from your computer and retain no copies of the Program, and (c) you transfer all of the Program (including all software components, the media and printed materials that accompany the Program, any code used to “unlock” the Program (“CD Key”), any Program upgrades, and this License Agreement) to the recipient. Furthermore, you agree that you will not provide a CD Key to any third party except as part of the transfer of this License Agreement and the entire Program in accordance with the preceding sentence.

also from the EULA 3(c)(i) sell, grant a security interest in or transfer reproductions of the Program to other parties in any way, nor to rent,

I can see if people didnt read that line properly, which precedes the transfer paragraph then you would conclude you cant sell HL2 at all.

 

[Odysseus]

Ok so it can be sold. The EULA doesn't mention Steam Accounts though.

 

[Eon Blue]

No problem Eon Blue



also from the EULA 3(c)(i) sell, grant a security interest in or transfer reproductions of the Program to other parties in any way, nor to rent,

I can see if people didnt read that line properly, which precedes the transfer paragraph then you would conclude you cant sell HL2 at all.

Ohh, thank you good sir

 

[DieScreaming]

Thats the problem with intellectual property we (gamers) dont own shit. we are just paying for the permission to use the game. I mean what kind of other stuff do you buy that you hae to sign a contract before using, nothing.

 

[NewKleer]

you cant sell steam accounts (steam eula).
you can sell hl2 technically (from what has been said here)

you have activated hl2 with the given cdkey. that cdkey cant be used to activate it again.

so legally, you can sell hl2 (without the steam account). however u will be selling a copy that is unable to be played, if u have previously activated it.

its possible to sell hl2 2nd hand, and it will be able to be played, but this means that u dont activate it first yourself - presumably why resell of games is allowed in the EULA - someone might buy it, but not activate it, so its perfectly possible to transfer that to someone else.

think of the game as a consumable. you cant sell used condoms, but u can sell unused condoms. the same notion seems to apply here, given the restrictions steam places upon the game.

its unfortunate some people dont realise this when buying the game.

hope this helps

 

[Blood.Bullet]

You can only return it.