It was nearing the end of 2020 when next-gen systems PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X were made available to purchase. In October, stores and the PlayStation website were attacked by bots – computer programs made to mass purchase items for those controlling the bots, called scalpers– and these bots purchased many of the systems.

Scalpers are individuals who buy products to sell later for a large or quick profit. Sure enough, a few hours later on websites like Ebay, there were postings of the next-gen systems for $1,800, instead of the original $500.

I was lucky to be a part of some countermesurements on the PlayStation website and was able to get a PS5. We need to stop scalpers from mass buying items to only sell them for way over the original price.

That begs the question, why did Sony and Microsoft need something to stop bots? As PerimeterX puts it, scalpers are no longer going after niche items.

There used to be an era when people only scalped commodity items, such as sports tickets or Beanie Babies. However, the times are changing. Scalpers are buying up items that the general population are willing to buy.

This is the beginning of a terrible change in our society. Products like the PS5 and Xbox Series X were not meant to be bought and sold for outrageous amounts. They were meant to be played and owned by the people who would actually buy games for it.

Ideally, Sony and Microsoft can take a few hits in lowering the prices of their systems. Most of their money is made through video game sales. However, if systems are ending up in warehouses or not being used, they bring in less money.

This also hurts video game producers. With fewer people able to buy games, it can push release dates back as video game producers try to sell as many as they can.

On the production side of the next-gen systems, there is a growing problem caused by the pandemic.Computer chip shortages affect many different industries, and gaming is one of them.

Without the chips to properly make the next-gen systems, the supply goes down. With scalpers buying up every unit they can get their hands on, it leaves little to no supply for the general population. The general population, of course, is still super hyped to get the next-gen systems, so there is still extremely high demand.

What can people do about bots and scalpers? One answer that they are using over in the United Kingdom is making scalping illegal. In 2018, the U.K. banned buying event tickets to only sell them way beyond what they were purchased for. In December 2020, there were calls for banning bots for mass purchasing tech products like the PS5. Presently, no new laws have been passed in the U.K., but petitions have called for two different ideas.

The first is to prevent or deter the mass buying of products, often to the point of depleting the stock. This could possibly solve the tech problems caused by the bots. It would also solve the societal problems brought on by scalping.

The second is to ban all bots from making online purchases. Since the first petition did not outright ban bots, it made it possible for it to continue to be a problem. With a ban on all bots, it would get rid of the scalping problem entirely.

There have been many solutions to the growing scalping problem, but with the recent petitions in the U.K., we are on the right track towards solving it. An outright ban on bots and scalping, especially with tech products like the PS5, is the best solution.

Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.