With the March 24 VentureBeat's GamesBeat 09 game conference a couple of weeks away, the used game industry is threatening the prospects of new games - making inroads into the gaming business, thanks to the deepening recession in the economy.

Some big names venturing into the used games arena include Amazon. com, by introducing a used game sales service whereby gamers can buy and sell used games for store credit; Toys R Us, planning to begin test sales of used games in its stores; and Best Buy, also intending to take a dig at the used games industry.

GameStop is already into the used games business, so much so that nearly one-fourth of its overall sales are generated from this source. Such a practice leads to the indignation of the game publishers and gaming business professionals, as they think the retailers - like GameStop and Dawdle - do not extend their actual share of profits to them.

What is more infuriating is the fact that since GameStop pays high prices for recent games, it flattens the sales of brand-new games. And as the game publishers and developers get a cut of only the brand-new game sales, the likes of GameStop hurt them no end.

The recession is further making things worse, as gaming enthusiasts prefer buying used games rather than shelling out comparatively big amounts for new games!