According to Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan, used game sales account for one-third of the total game sales in a year, coming in at over 100 million units as a $2 billion industry. He claims that game publishers shouldn't worry, though, as these sales occur outside of a new game's launch window and the practice actually drives new game sales by providing additional funds to a potential buyer. While the numbers are very interesting, I disagree with Pachter's analysis. Publishers should look at used game sales as two billion dollars of unrealized profits.

It's been an insane week, even besides the passing of the King of Pop. There were major restructures announced at several of the game studios. Which makes sense -- due to the high production costs of video games (currently at about $25 million for an Xbox 360/PS3 title), many publishers and developers aggregated into giant corporations that resemble the Hollywood studio system. This helps offset the costs of diversified development, and prevents "betting the farm" on a single release.

Adding a social-networking functionality to Zbox Live could solve a significant problem facing console multiplayer gaming -- the current matchmaking system.

This year's E3 paved the way for a revolution in digital content. As my fellow columnist Shankar Gupta pointed out last week, Microsoft's press conference stole the show. But while Natal is very interesting, a lot more is going on with Microsoft's strategy than just motion-controlled gaming. In essence, Microsoft is going to kill off the "gaming console" to pave the way for a broader "media console." The Xbox 360 is getting several enhancements, each of which are groundbreaking -- but combined, they indicate an amazing future on the horizon.

E3 rolled around again this week. It's generally pretty tough to sift through the manifold hype around the event and pick out the coolest, most innovative demo at the show. Except this year, of course -- Microsoft made it pretty easy, with Project Natal.

A few weeks ago I had a conversation with Mobile Insider Steve Smith about the future of augmented reality for games. We covered near every aspect of the topic (or so I thought), from the practicality of certain technology implementations, to the PlayStation Eye. I think we failed to discuss the impact the Nintendo DSi would bring to the space, though....

Last week, my co-columnist Josh called for the elimination of the term "casual games," and now this week, it seems only fair that I call for the exact opposite.

I'm fed up, I've had enough, and I'm not going to take it anymore. Everyone seems to be aware of the issue, but no one is standing up and offering a solution. So here goes nothing: The term "casual" has to go.

Apropos of the column my fellow Gaming Insider Josh Lovison wrote a short time ago about "hardcore" titles being released on "casual platforms," GamesIndustry.biz posted an interesting interview with Glenn Schofield, developer of the horror-survival hit "Dead Space," which is currently being adapted for the Nintendo Wii -- not a platform often associated with gruesome horror titles. Schofield is optimistic about "Dead Space"'s chances on the Wii (as any good general manager ought to be), but the utter flop that was "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars" might prove prophetic.

Human beings are undeniably social creatures. Gamers are, too. So the gaming landscape is beginning to look very interesting as platforms become increasingly connected, and social networks become increasingly open. For example, Facebook Connect has opened up an API for the iPhone. The iPhone happens to also be seeing quite a bit of success with games. The two are already merging in some initial game efforts, but the growth potential is huge.