Dyne Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 According to Gamasutra, it's true. But what does it really mean? In the grand scheme of things anyway. What kind of a trend does this set for gamers, if any? I think it's interesting that they control even that much, but I think it's mainly because they deal not only in new games, but in used titles as well. Though I think they've gotten away from the PSX generation of games, and their value I'm sure has plummeted like a brick. Anyway, here's the article link: http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=23425 What do you think of this development? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XZero Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Controlling a concentrated 21% of a market like games is a huge thing. The problem is that there isn't enough solid competition out there to challenge GameStop and keep its prices low. There is no question that they have to make money, but because they effectively have no *true* competition, they can continue what I call their "Bend Over" trade-in practices of giving anywhere from $15-$30 for trades and then charging $55 for the same game. Their best competition, namely Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Target, don't care too much about games; they care, but not enough to do anything about making a dent in GameStop's control of the market. I am personally very much pro-corporation and a big believer in the free market. I am also anti-GameStop, probably because I worked there, and not as some Christmas temp who bitches and moans about everything, but as a member of management for several years. Their practices disgust me sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 How do you figure that their value has "plummetted" if they have a greater market share and are earning way more revenue than ever before? I don't have any problem with GameStop, personally. It's a store, for games. No big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteo Xavier Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Yeah, you can still do a lot worse than Gamestop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 How do you figure that their value has "plummetted" if they have a greater market share and are earning way more revenue than ever before? I don't have any problem with GameStop, personally. It's a store, for games. No big deal. Only thing that irked me is when they tried to sell me an opened game at new price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteo Xavier Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Thats the second time in the hour I've heard of Gamestop doing that. My other source was GameCola (see sig)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Gamestop did that to me when I bought DQ5 for the DS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollgagh Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 I don't think I've ever seen a still-sealed game inside a gamestop before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 I don't think I've ever seen a still-sealed game inside a gamestop before. They're usually behind the counter. But yeah, their argument is that they need a case to be on display to show that they have a game... so why don't they just get dedicated display cases? There's also the thing of employees "renting" games(can't be very, very new games), playing, then returning the game and then they sell it. If the employee damaged the disc in any way, they had to buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgeCrusher Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 If more people used goozex.com instead of gamestop, this wouldn't be a problem. But nooooooooooooooooooo. Also the whole "game behind the counter" thing, some stores have some kind of reasoning behind it, as it kills theft. The gamestop here in oak ridge had to start doing it to PC games due to people stealing discs and keys out of the boxes. But in turn, this makes all games technically used to me, cause I like to open the box, and have everything there. Only time I buy new games from gamestop is in the rare case of preordering, and I only do that for awesome bonuses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XZero Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Typically you can get a sealed copy of the game if you just ask for one, though the "gutted" copy (e.g. the allegedly new opened copy) may be the last one. Same applies to PC games. As for "new games" technically being "used games" due to rental by employees, "new" is a definitional problem. What makes a game new? To the logical world, it means that the game has been touched only by whatever machine placed it in the case and sealed it. But that's not GameStop's definition of "new." "New" to GameStop means any of the following: 1) Game is still sealed 2) Game was 'gutted' but unsold to customer 3) Game was rented by employee who did not damage disc 4) here's one some people may not know Game was sold, played, and returned in basically the same condition, though there may be a fingerprint or two Now typically for #4, the situation is one of two things. Either (a)the game really sucked and the person just bought it within the last hour or two, or (b)GameStop sold a 'gutted' copy without sealing it with one of those stupid and hard-to-remove clear stickers. Short version? If you want "real" new, ask for a sealed copy, get to know the guys at your local store, or go to Best Buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollgagh Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Yeah, the employee turnover rate for our local gamestop is probably actually faster than how often I actually go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgeCrusher Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I have asked for a "new sealed" copy of a game before, but unforunately due to most gamestops being holes in the wall here, IE in a mall, small store in a strip mall, etc, they only have brand new release games in the back still sealed. If you go pick a random game off the shelf in "new" section, likelyhoodness of you getting a sealed one is slim to none. And why do gamestops have to hire the one or two retarded girls that are just eye candy to work there? They are dumb as a fucking brick, and if you ask them anything game related, even the simplest of questions ("do you have gamecube controllers still?" as an example) they have to call the manager or knowledgable person to answer it. I'm seriously surprised some of these women can even operate a cash register and/or car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XZero Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 And why do gamestops have to hire the one or two retarded girls that are just eye candy to work there? They are dumb as a fucking brick, and if you ask them anything game related, even the simplest of questions ("do you have gamecube controllers still?" as an example) they have to call the manager or knowledgable person to answer it. I'm seriously surprised some of these women can even operate a cash register and/or car. (a) Avoid discrimination claims by having some form of gender diversity ( Someone in the store thinks that she/they is/are hot, so hiring is effectively a pitiable attempt at literally hiring a girlfriend © Maybe it's her first day? Okay, probably not. See, here's the thing. I'll grant that the gamecube controller question is pretty bad to not know the answer to, though in fairness for part-time employees, it's pretty hard to keep track (she still should have just walked over to the section and looked). But a GameStop doesn't necessarily hire hardcore gamers. Think about it this way: a hardcore gamer customer comes into a GameStop and asks a question about whether a new game is in stock. The hardcore gamer employee is more likely to talk about the product in extreme depth rather than answering the question and moving on to selling the product. The effective salesman is going to answer the question and try to sell it to you. The really effective salesman in a GameStop is going to appear like he or she is a gamer, but realistically they are just a well-trained or very experienced salesman who either doesn't care about games or doesn't play the games you're asking about. From GameStop's perspective, option 3 is the best because that person will have sold you and 5 other people copies of the game that employee #1 is still talking with you about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgeCrusher Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Problem is, A) discrimination laws are ok, to some extend. A woman shouldn't be on a construction site, or a game store, simple fact. hiring by appearence is a great way to for a lawsuit due to sexual harrassment, or overall amount of people hanging around for said attraction, not buying product, and C) my example of the gamecube controller is from a girl that has been there 6 monthes at least. 6 fucking monthes. I don't go to a hospital and try to be a doctor, cause I don't know shit about it, the girl shouldn't be there at the store trying to sell me video games and accessories when she can't even figure out what controller is what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danimal cannon Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 LOL, relax fellas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Coop Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Seems XZero forgot the fourth reason... Some people just refuse to believe that working in a game store is actually work. They see games, they see employees selling them, and they instantly think, How hard can this be? It's a video game store. And I can be around video games! Of course, once they're hired, then they learn about all the quotas, the shelf rearranging, the store rearranging, the alphabetizing, the stocking, the trade ins (and the insanity that goes with them), putting away and properly labeling all the trade ins... all the shit that makes working at a game store, work. Some are just competent enough to not get canned, despite their lack of knowledge. Others simply quit. But either way, they learn the hard way that working at a game store isn't all fun and games... especially if you're the ranking FNG. I guess the woman you mentioned EdgeCrusher, was just competent enough to not get canned... yet. That, or the guys that out rank her are keeping her around for eye candy (which does happen). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyne Posted May 4, 2009 Author Share Posted May 4, 2009 How do you figure that their value has "plummetted" if they have a greater market share and are earning way more revenue than ever before? I don't have any problem with GameStop, personally. It's a store, for games. No big deal. I said what I said because I haven't seen any PSX games in any GameStop I've been to lately. Maybe I should have said that because they're technically outdated, their value has plummeted like a brick to GameStop. Either way, I still feel as though PSX generation games have lost their value, rather, their resale value, if only specificaly to GameStop. I guess when I said value, I should have said resale value instead. The difference in generations being that they can get more for recently released, new games, for example of Metal Gear Solid 4 had just come out, and someone traded it in on something else, they could, depending on wear and tear, revalue it closer to where it was priced new. What I don't understand, is how they can give such little value to the consumer, and then turn around and make a killing on it by upping the price to nearly the same price as it was sold new. I mean, that seems like a real rip off for the person trading in games. Hence why I don't trade my games in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Oh, sorry, I misunderstood you. I thought you meant the value of GameStop itself had plummeted, which it hadn't. I agree with you on the PSX games issue, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sephfire Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 21% is actually a smaller number than I expected. But yeah, you can definitely do worse than GameStop. I don't care for many of their policies, but I imagine digital downloads will start picking up steam (heh) in the next ten years or so and give us fewer reasons to deal with the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XZero Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I mean, that seems like a real rip off for the person trading in games. Hence why I don't trade my games in. Seems like? I won't trade my games in for the very same reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Native Jovian Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 21% is actually a smaller number than I expected. Ditto. I mean, can anyone else think of a nationwide store that does nothing but sell games? 'Cause I can't. Sure there's places like Walmart and Best Buy, but they don't focus entirely on games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyne Posted May 4, 2009 Author Share Posted May 4, 2009 Oh, sorry, I misunderstood you. I thought you meant the value of GameStop itself had plummeted, which it hadn't. I agree with you on the PSX games issue, of course. No need for apologies, I just didn't spell out what I'd meant. I should've spoken a bit more broadly about the generation gap between games that are now being traded in as opposed to say five years ago during the previous generation. I'm sure the same things will happen with PS2/XBox era games once new next-gen systems are brought to market. Of course, until we hear or even see anything about a PS4 or XBox 720 or what not, it's really just a wait and see scenario. But, history has a way of repeating itself. Also, just for the humor value, XBox 720. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgeCrusher Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I hope it happens soon, just for clearance deals. But right now my collection is growing just from going to used game stores that are locally owned, non chain, and getting discs for 5 bucks or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollgagh Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I've actually been getting some good deals on really old PS2 games from Gamestop at about 5 bucks a game, as well. I mean, I got the entire Jak series for about $16 they all even had the manuals and original inserts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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