Gamestop No More

I recently went, for some unknown reason, to Gamestop just to see how much they would give me for FarCry 2, a game they are selling used for $27 used online and $30 new (not available online). I knew ahead of time that I would most likely be walking out of the store with my game instead of the cash. So how much did they offer me?

$10 for in-store credit and $7 cash.

I did, indeed, walk back out with my game.

On a lighter note, Target had pre-order cards for quite a few games. They had Halo: ODST for pre-order for $1 so I grabbed it. Plus, with all of their pre-orders, when you pick the game up you get a $5 gift card.

I'll never set foot in a Gamestop again. Neither of the three in Harrisonburg, VA that are literally within a mile of each other.

Used Games Don't Hurt Anyone

It was popular belief, and still probably is in this still maturing video game industry, that used game sales hurt everyone except the entity selling the used games. The developer and publisher loose a potential game sale on a new game because of being undercut by players that sell games that they either don't like or finished. It's a winning situation for a gamer looking for cheap games, a collector or someone looking to get into something different.

The car industry and housing/construction industry has been surviving with used sales for quite a long time. No one complains about it now. Used car dealerships are a dime a dozen and flipping houses is the new Avon. They've enabled buyers who can't afford the prices set by the manufacturer to buy something that is older and more affordable because of depreciation over the years.

Most developers are probably complaining about lost sales, being undercut by Gamestop and eBay and whatnot. That might be true in some cases, but that should also tell them that there is something wrong with their price point. Another fact of the matter is that used games are opportunities to create brand loyalty and franchise loyalty. I'll occasionally buy a sports game used to figure out if the games have changed enough to my liking. Used games are how I found Forza Motorsports and jumped the Gran Turismo ship from Sony.

I think it's more up to the gamers themselves to realize that if they are positive that they want the next Call of Duty because they love the developer and the games they make, they need to buy the game brand new and make sure the developer gets their money. But it's also up to the developer to realize that they can loose respect and change peoples minds about their games and give them the ability to get some of their money back from other channels. Unless they want to start refunding money for video games (which no store will ever do because of people ripping games and stealing them) then developers need to  get over the used game sales and let buyers make their own choices.

Circuit City: What did you get?

It's over!

After all was said and done, what did you end up getting from the retail giant going south?

I picked up Lego Batman and FarCry 2 for about 40% off. Each time I went back afterwards (or my wife did), the shelves were bare or full of junk.

Leave a comment!

Harrisonburg Video Game Theft

Get this, some guy at our local K-Mart had been stealing video games (I think it was his department) and selling them for cash. $15,000 worth. They caught him last week.

I've only been in that store for games a few times, all of which the place was pretty dead. He was probably so bored working in the electronics department he decided to find something better to do with his time.

Here's the news story.

Thanks Brent!