UK consumers sitting on £1.8bn in used games - SwapGame

According to research carried out by SwapGame, consumers in the UK have GBP 1.8 billion worth of used games in their collections.

Twenty two per cent of consumers have over 10 or more games at home they haven't played in over six months, while 6 per cent claim to have more than 25 titles, according to a survey of 2000 people.

On average consumers buy five new games per year, with 12 per cent claiming to buy 10 or more titles. The research also found that 10 per cent of consumers throw unwanted games away, while 67 per cent admit to having a preferred location for storing finished games.

SwapGame has recently launched its trade-in service, allowing users to gain credit for old games – the first online store to offer such a service in the UK.

"We are all looking for ways to cut costs and it appears that we really should be heading for our cupboards to unlock the value we have in unused games," said Marc Day, SwapGame founder and CEO.

"If you’re holding out for the latest titles like Modern Warfare 2 or Assassin’s Creed 2, our new trade-in service means the old games you’ve got stored away can now get you significant discounts on new ones, an ideal way to save money on your Christmas shopping."

The survey also found that 38 per cent of people have over GBP 100 of unused game in their home, over 36 per cent spend between 1-5 hours playing a game before moving on to a new one, and almost 63 per cent buy games brand new.