Lust For Power In Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

Niccolo Machiavelli’s controversial publication, The Prince, was widely infamous during the fithteenth century for its controversial views and audacious claims. Intended as a token of devotion to the Magnificent Lorenzo de Medici, The Prince illustrates key points and values extracted from many great men throughout history. The objective of the publication is to provide knowledge of how to be a great prince, to lead and maintain power by following the footsteps of previous world dignitaries. However, the topics covered were interpreted as immoral, even possibly outlandish for the time. By addressing the very nature of men, to satisfy the lust for power, Machiavelli received great criticism and opposition for his work. Although intended for

He states, “[The Prince] will be despised if he has a reputation for being fickle, frivolous, effeminate, cowardly, irresolute; a prince should avoid this like the plague and strive to demonstrate in his actions grandeur, courage, sobriety, strength” (Machiavelli 59). Recently GameStop was under scrutiny for their frivolous response to a major used game pricing allegation. The company supposedly sold new copies of the Nintendo Wii game, Xenoblade Chronicles, under the context of a used game. By removing the games from the shrink wrap and selling it as “used,” GameStop could price it higher, generating more profit per game sold. At an inflated price of $90, compared to the original launch price of $50, gamers were outraged by the ridiculous price (kotaku). The game was produced in limited quantities, with used copies sold on eBay for $50, angering gamers when GameStop listed the same used copies for $89.99. Gamers across the internet expressed their concerns and anger at the corporation giant for their poor pricing and exploitation of economics. After such a critical reception, the company officially responded to the allegations with a somewhat frivolous response, attributing the high costs to supply and demand. The company stated, “As always, our pricing for these games is competitive and is based on current market value driven by supply and demand. PowerUp Pro

“So a prince must think little of it, if he incurs the name of a miser, so as not to rob his subjects, to be able to defend himself, not to become poor and despicable, not to be forced to grow rapacious” (Machiavelli 52). As one of their greatest revenue generators, GameStop is quick to defend their stance on used games sales. Figures estimate around $1.8 billion a year in used games sales for GameStop, much to the dislike of developers. Many have been vocal on the practice of the pre-owned business, stating, “With used games, none of the profit made goes back to the developer, and only the initial new sales makes them money” (vg247). Only the sale of a new game benefits developers; the profit generated from used game sales goes straight into GameStop’s pockets, never seeing the light of day for those that created the game. GameStop is able to price the used game however the want, and none of the money goes back to help fund the developers for future titles. Although used game sales account for only a third of GameStop’s total sales, it is responsible for over half of its annual profit. Erik Kain of Forbes.com reported that “if the used game market were to be eliminated...profits per game to rise by about 19 percent,” and “the average [game] price would be 33% lower than the current price” (Kain). Logically, GameStop would strive to preserve their number one profit generator,