[game_preservation] Authenticating factory sealed games

[Devin Monnens]

Yeah, I can see that. Didn't know about the take-home policy.

I've used those shrinkwrap machines (worked at Gamestop and another local
retailer). I'd never resealed game boxes, just opened consoles. These games
DO say 'Used' on them, so it's not false advertising. The sealing just makes
the game look a little better when you sell it. But they're definitely
resealed. But anyway, now I know, so I guess I could open those at any time.
I will say that having a shrink wrap over the game can be helpful for
preventing scratches on the box.

I guess it all comes down to the vent holes and how good a job was done, but
at the same time, I think it's a dead giveaway if the box has wear on it
WHILE it's sealed. Of course, ones made in Mexico are in
question because they used different machines (and again, no good pictures,
but these will say 'made in Mexico'). Essentially, these will have a row of
vent holes (tiny pinprick-size dots that you can see in the glare of light).
On H-seal models, this is on the front or back, and on Mexican models, it is
on the top or bottom (the short side seal will also be on the right side if
the box is facing you).

I have also heard of people opening up the cartridge and replacing chips. So
instead of getting Final Fantasy II, you instead have some crappy sports
game. This doesn't seem very common though, as the only reason I'd think
people would do that is if they wanted to cheat out Blockbuster.

On Sun, Dec 13, 2009 at 11:41 AM, Jim Leonard <trixter at oldskool.org> wrote:


> Devin Monnens wrote:

>

>> That's what I figured. The only conclusion I can make from that is that it

>> would increase the game's salability by passing off a used product as 'new'.

>> Definitely false advertising, but not something a kid like me would have

>> been looking for (though I DID have sense enough not to open them).

>>

>

> Sometimes, they should be opened.  If the shrink is under question, the

> contents could be incomplete or missing.  I would rather have an opened

> verifiable item than a closed questionable item.  I suppose I wouldn't be

> very entertaining on Deal or No Deal :-)

>

> The above is why I think VGA and all other professional grading of

> software/games is a sham.  Unless they xrayed it or something to see that it

> was complete, how can they properly grade it?

>

> The thing that stopped wide-scale reshrinking was an early 1990s article

> by, I think, Jim Seymour (or some other PC Magazine writer, can't remember)

> where he bought QEMM (6.0?) for review from SoftWarehouse (later COMPUSA)

> and when he ran INSTALL he could see that the software had already had a

> prior owner's name burned into it as part of a prior registration.  Around

> that time there were also reports of people supposedly getting boot-sector

> viruses from stuff they bought at the store.

>

> --

> Jim Leonard (trixter at oldskool.org)            http://www.oldskool.org/

> Help our electronic games project:           http://www.mobygames.com/

> Or check out some trippy MindCandy at     http://www.mindcandydvd.com/

> A child borne of the home computer wars: http://trixter.wordpress.com/

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-- 
Devin Monnens
www.deserthat.com

The sleep of Reason produces monsters.
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