The environmentalism angle makes no sense. Videogames hav...
“The environmentalism angle makes no sense. Videogames have a thriving secondhand market. If any end up in a landfill whoever put them there should be slapped upside the head.”
Summary
The video‑game resale market is indeed robust, generating billions of dollars annually and remaining profitable for retailers. Nonetheless, studies confirm that gaming production and use create notable emissions and waste, and while secondhand sales can lower lifecycle impacts, environmental concerns about the industry remain valid. Consequently, dismissing the environmental angle is inaccurate.
Sources 60 searched
- The rise of the retro video game market: Eye-popping prices and risk abound in the latest collectible boom - The Athletic
Old video games are grabbing headlines with big sales in the latest alt asset boom. But is it a rising market or a bubble waiting to burst?
- Why Reselling Used Video Games Is Still Profitable – ISB Research
ISB study analyses secondary game markets, showing how pricing, collector demand, and digital rights keep used-game reselling lucrative for retailers.
- Manufacturer’s “1-Up” from Used Games: : Insights from the Secondhand Market for Video Games: Information Systems Research: Vol 32, No 4
In contrast to industries of other types of information goods, the video game industry still has a sizable secondhand market for games. This is particularly notable because some of the major gaming...
- Resale Industry Statistics: Market Data Report 2026
US video game resale $5 billion in 2023. Worldwide art resale $65 billion in 2023. While the world debates whether it's chic to be cheap, these numbers scream that resale is no longer a closet affair but a full-blown economic juggernaut, proving ...
- Sustainability In The Video Game Industry Statistics 2026
In 2023, the global “reconditioning and resale” platform economy increased; one peer-reviewed economics paper reported that recommerce can reduce lifecycle emissions compared with new product purchases by a measurable margin (peer-reviewed 2023).
- If Gaming Is an Environmental Nightmare,… | The Breakthrough Institute
What aviation offsets are best for defraying the emissions impact of a transoceanic vacation? Video games, the court of sustainability judgments has declared, are sinful. Following recent research papers investigating the growing energy consumption ...
- The Environmental Impacts of the Video Game Industry | Earth.Org
The gaming universe is always evolving, and PC gamers and those who stream and use cloud storage are demanding more energy usage – a console, on average, uses 156% more energy when cloud gaming compared to local gaming – while also contributing to sustainable efforts such as Games as a Service and digital subscriptions. These innovations may not cut down on energy use, but they do contribute fewer tons of waste to landfills. You might also like: Uncovering the Environmental Impact of Cloud Computing
- Gaming industry spotlights threats to the planet
SB: That’s a good question. I’d say it’s still too early to be equivocal on this. That said, a survey of 380,000 gamers ran last year showed that gamers care about the environment and that they would like to see green activations in games, if they are authentic to the games.
- Video Games Industry Statistics By Revenue, Market Size and Facts (2026)
Explore the latest Video Games Industry Statistics and discover how gaming competes with film and music in revenue.
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