That appears to be an argument of scale rather than one of principle. Currently, I can't even sell a digital game once, to my neighbour.
Games — much more than books, maybe even more than movies — have more value closer to their release date, especially since the medium (again, way more than others) is still evolving technically. Many are likely to have a much greater longevity than a book. A typical game is also, let's remember, much more expensive than a typical book. Of course, some games have vast resources behind them, so more compensation is required.
There's a whole host of factors that play off against each other to determine how the business models work, so they end up with many differences. The question that nobody ever really seems to answer is why, from the consumer point of view, should a game (or other digital media purchase) be unlike any other remotely comparable product and be non-transferable.
Games — much more than books, maybe even more than movies — have more value closer to their release date, especially since the medium (again, way more than others) is still evolving technically. Many are likely to have a much greater longevity than a book. A typical game is also, let's remember, much more expensive than a typical book. Of course, some games have vast resources behind them, so more compensation is required.
There's a whole host of factors that play off against each other to determine how the business models work, so they end up with many differences. The question that nobody ever really seems to answer is why, from the consumer point of view, should a game (or other digital media purchase) be unlike any other remotely comparable product and be non-transferable.