The "I Hate Gamestop" Thread

[cmdrdredd]

You also forget the folks living in more remote areas with poor internet access. HD video will destroy even the top end Satellite plans in data usage. Gonna just tell them (and me) to eff off?

Speaking of which, I really miss my online games... :|

Don't you know? You have to move and if you don't you aren't worthy of owning these new wonderboxes.

That's the attitude these people take. They act as if nobody collects, nobody wants to have the cases, nobody wants special editions, everyone has unlimited internet at 50Mbps or faster for these 50GB downloads, and it's not faster to get the disk and put the game in and install vs downloading.

 

[BikeJunkie]

Did you enjoy your reassurance? I'll continue to buy my video games from a video game store just like I buy my audio gear from a dedicated audio retailer.

Wow you really take it to heart any time someone disses Gamestop. Congrats on being able to completely ignore the asshattery that store is guilty of, though

That's the attitude these people take. They act as if nobody collects, nobody wants to have the cases, nobody wants special editions, everyone has unlimited internet at 50Mbps or faster for these 50GB downloads, and it's not faster to get the disk and put the game in and install vs downloading.

You see, this is your problem. That's NOT the attitude we take, that's just the attitude you, as a GS fanboy, hear. It lets you live in your little fantasy world because you can just convince yourself that we're "haters" and that your misguided points and ill-constructed logic count for something.

The REAL attitude we take is you are not the average gamer by a LONG SHOT. You seem to think that collecting games like BlazBlue is the norm, and you try to prop it up as some lame defense for why 6000+ GameStop stores need to be saved. Get real. You post an earnings quote with no regard to what it actually means in the context of the company, but when corrected, you abandon the argument entirely while still maintaining your original stance. You do realize that fits the textbook definition of fanboy, right?

 

[Doppel]

I've preordered two games in my life:

Ultima Online. Was awesome, got a canvas map for frig's sake. Oh and btw that was the best damn game ever made.

Bioshock Infinite. Stupid. Got the little flash game, but the things that were supposed to be unique in the real game because of my pre-order I either could not find or they were available later anyway.

I pretty much don't pre-order and imagine I'll do it only ever several years.

Don't you know? You have to move and if you don't you aren't worthy of owning these new wonderboxes.

That's the attitude these people take. They act as if nobody collects, nobody wants to have the cases, nobody wants special editions, everyone has unlimited internet at 50Mbps or faster for these 50GB downloads, and it's not faster to get the disk and put the game in and install vs downloading.

I don't know who you're talking about; surely not me. I don't act like nobody collects. I act like that small subset of people is not enough to keep a huge retail business like GS running in its current state. Unless this small subset grows by the same amount that others go digital, GS will necessarily shrink as a result. Of the console gamers I actually know IRL not a single one collects anything or plays obscure titles.

Does the existence of people who live in the sticks with dial-up or satellite internet mean streaming services aren't growing? No. These people cannot stream, but Blockbuster et al. are dying anyway because they are not powerful enough to keep such businesses going.

The only way GS does not shrink and/or collapse into nothingness is by doing one of or both:

1) Maintaining all current lines of business
2) Opening new ones

And that goes for pretty much any business on the planet, so...

I consider it sacrosanct that its current line of business that relies upon used game sales and sale of physical copies of new games is going to hit a peak point and then fall away from that. Thus begs the question what will they replace this weakening business segment with? Nobody here has identified what it will be replaced with, therefore the company suffers.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Have you looked at the lines of people waiting to buy the latest games at midnight launches? They have the option to download but buy the game on disk.

 

[BikeJunkie]

Have you looked at the lines of people waiting to buy the latest games at midnight launches? They have the option to download but buy the game on disk.

Way to completely ignore 99% of Doppel's post (not surprising, as you've done this consistently throughout the thread) and focus on just one thing: pre-orders.

Now, to address YOUR point (see how this works?): you act as though the option to download has been there for years. FALSE. Argument invalid. Try again.

 

[zerocool84]

I worked at Gamestop for 8 months when I was 18. Job wasn't great but hey, it's retail and worked there for some money. I don't shop there all the time as I usually purchase my games on Amazon. I like to sell old games I don't play anymore so I'll usually get the physical copy unless they are super cheap on a PS Plus deal. Really, who cares about Gamestop, you don't have to shop there, they're not hurting anybody since you can buy games elsewhere. Only times I've ever traded in stuff is if they are giving some great deal when you do and if all they had was the opened new copy, I pick it up at another Gamestop since they are all over the place. It's not my first stop when buying video games but I've picked up some super cheap used copies of older games.

 

[Doppel]

Have you looked at the lines of people waiting to buy the latest games at midnight launches? They have the option to download but buy the game on disk.

At the moment I still think buying on disc is the best way to go. You pay the same as digital and end up with a salable copy. Things are moving away from this, though, and that's when things will look bad for gamestop.

 

[cmdrdredd]

At the moment I still think buying on disc is the best way to go. You pay the same as digital and end up with a salable copy. Things are moving away from this, though, and that's when things will look bad for gamestop.

How can they move away from this when you can't sell the digital copy and it costs the same and you cannot get the collectors edition packaging?

It's nothing like music. You don't pick and choose content from the disk to download like individual songs. You get the whole game and it's the whole retail price of $60 to boot. It's also not like movies where it was instant and cheaper. You have to download 50GB of data then install it. That's not instant at all.

 

[bearxor]

Yeah, it would be pretty awesome if they had some kind of method to download a portion of the game so you could start playing before the whole thing has to download...

 

[cmdrdredd]

Yeah, it would be pretty awesome if they had some kind of method to download a portion of the game so you could start playing before the whole thing has to download...

You can play part way through install sometimes. I mean if you wanted only the mp and no sp or vice versa you cannot do that.

 

[bearxor]

Really? That sounds great! Imagine what the technology could be like in a few years. It's a good thing the industry doesn't stand still to prop up outdated methods for too long.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Really? That sounds great! Imagine what the technology could be like in a few years. It's a good thing the industry doesn't stand still to prop up outdated methods for too long.

Yeah like when I was installing NBA 2k14 it let me start the game and play a quick game(no season, myplayer etc) while it finished installing. The only things missing were the announcers, but you could play a full game. There was a progress bar on the bottom of the screen to tell you how much longer until it finished installing.

 

[Anteaus]

Really? That sounds great! Imagine what the technology could be like in a few years. It's a good thing the industry doesn't stand still to prop up outdated methods for too long.

I know! Hopefully one day they will figure out how to stream data direct from the disc and not require an install at all! I'm being sarcastic of course lol.

 

[Wingznut]

At the moment I still think buying on disc is the best way to go. You pay the same as digital and end up with a salable copy. Things are moving away from this, though, and that's when things will look bad for gamestop.

I disagree, wholeheartedly. (Like I think I said before) it very much depends on the game.

Take Madden, for example. By the time I am ready to sell it, it might be worth a couple of bucks. And if I download it, I have an added convenience of not having to swap discs when I want to play it. That convenience is certainly worth a couple of bucks to me, over nearly a year of game play.

Ryse, on the other hand, is a game I will play for ~8 hours, and then be done with it. Thus, it would be better to have the option to sell it.

 

[BikeJunkie]

How can they move away from this when you can't sell the digital copy and it costs the same and you cannot get the collectors edition packaging?

Here we are right at the beginning of the same already-debunked argument again

- If you think the appeal of collector's edition packaging and obscure titles from Japan can prop up GameStop's 6000+ stores, you're sadly mistaken.

And before you repeat the middle of your already-debunked argument ("people are still buying discs!")

- Duh. You couldn't preload/purchase games digitally on current gen consoles. I'm sure on a subconscious level you know this, but you ignore it because it doesn't suit your argument.

 

[sze5003]

I've never had major issues at gamestop. Although there were times I bought a game as new when it was clearly open and they also did not put the sticker on there. Must have been the last copy. Another thing to note is if you take an open box that says new to the counter and ask for that game, sometimes the employee will pop the game in there and sell it as new. At least they do so in my area.

It's different everywhere you go. Games like bf4 and cod that get decent trade in values, I won't trade in because I want to play them from time to time. But because of their bad prices on trade ins I no longer do that. I will buy a used copy if it sells for a good price.

 

[purbeast0]

the whole "hate on gamestop" thing is the whole "hate on anything popular" thing that most of the internet is up in arms about. just like everyone hates on apple, microsoft, any kind of popular movies and music, etc.

 

[gothamhunter]

the whole "hate on gamestop" thing is the whole "hate on anything popular" thing that most of the internet is up in arms about. just like everyone hates on apple, microsoft, any kind of popular movies and music, etc.

Not really; for a lot of people, there are some pretty valid reasons to "hate GameStop".

 

[KaOTiK]

the whole "hate on gamestop" thing is the whole "hate on anything popular" thing that most of the internet is up in arms about. just like everyone hates on apple, microsoft, any kind of popular movies and music, etc.

Hate on GS has been going on for a long time before the whole hate on anything popular trend that has been going on for a little bit now.

Also, a lot of the reasons people give for hating GS are valid.

 

[purbeast0]

Not really; for a lot of people, there are some pretty valid reasons to "hate GameStop".

yeah, but for every 1 of those you hear, there are 83902389023019 people who had no problems with gamestop.

 

[gothamhunter]

yeah, but for every 1 of those you hear, there are 83902389023019 people who had no problems with gamestop.

Good ratio, I'm sure there are statistics to back that up

How about, for every 1 person who has a valid complaint about GameStop, there are 83902389023019 who are just blind consumers who don't care about "the big picture" of a business? Sure, everybody who just goes in to buy the next COD doesn't care about some of their shadier practices.

I'm not saying GameStop is the "devil of business"; I have and continue to buy plenty from them (used Wii for $40, yes please).

What I AM saying is there are valid reasons for hating them or some of their practices, many of which are pointed out in this thread and are experienced first hand.

 

[purbeast0]

Good ratio, I'm sure there are statistics to back that up

How about, for every 1 person who has a valid complaint about GameStop, there are 83902389023019 who are just blind consumers who don't care about "the big picture" of a business? Sure, everybody who just goes in to buy the next COD doesn't care about some of their shadier practices.

I'm not saying GameStop is the "devil of business"; I have and continue to buy plenty from them (used Wii for $40, yes please).

What I AM saying is there are valid reasons for hating them or some of their practices, many of which are pointed out in this thread and are experienced first hand.

i know there are valid reasons, as many people have pointed out in this thread. but there is a general attitude that people think EVERYONE hates gamestop, simply because it's the cool thing to do right now because they are highly successful and popular.

and yeah, you are right that people probably don't care about their "shadier" practices, because it doesn't effect them. it is just like the people who think that because they had a problem with microsoft's initial showing of the xbox1 and it's "features", that everybody should have a problem with it, and if they don't, then they were stupid idiots.

just like how everyone hates activision and ea, yet they continue to have the highest grossing sales in the industry. there are valid reasons to hate on them too, but for the most part, plenty of people are happy with them and they must be doing something right to be constantly be making more money than the competition.

 

[gothamhunter]

i know there are valid reasons, as many people have pointed out in this thread. but there is a general attitude that people think EVERYONE hates gamestop, simply because it's the cool thing to do right now because they are highly successful and popular.

and yeah, you are right that people probably don't care about their "shadier" practices, because it doesn't effect them. it is just like the people who think that because they had a problem with microsoft's initial showing of the xbox1 and it's "features", that everybody should have a problem with it, and if they don't, then they were stupid idiots.

just like how everyone hates activision and ea, yet they continue to have the highest grossing sales in the industry. there are valid reasons to hate on them too, but for the most part, plenty of people are happy with them and they must be doing something right to be constantly be making more money than the competition.

Who thinks everyone hates GameStop? I certainly don't and most people I know don't think this. I actually wish more did so they'd change their practices.

 

[BikeJunkie]

yeah, but for every 1 of those you hear, there are 83902389023019 people who had no problems with gamestop.

So if you're one of them, why do you keep coming into the thread? Just to complain about the complainers? That makes sense.

This thread started because there was debate in another thread about GameStop's viability. Numerous valid points have been posted to support the questioning of said viability. When a fanboy or two started blindly defending them and the wonder they bring, then personal stories (and stories from the interwebz) of their poor customer service became the focus. It was just the natural course of discussion. So what if people want to vent? It doesn't (need to) affect you and you're no less judgmental than anyone else.

When people complained about Forza's lack of cars/tracks, you ridiculed them for not reading up on Forza beforehand. A week later, you were down on the PS4 because of its line-up. (Did you not read up on it beforehand?)

My point is, if you want to defend GameStop, then defend them directly. Prove the points wrong. Quit trying to shut people up just because you don't like what you're hearing, whether the subject be GameStop, Forza, or whatever else happens to be on your "Like" list. People are entitled to their opinions.

 

[BikeJunkie]

plenty of people are happy with them and they must be doing something right to be constantly be making more money than the competition.

In a market that they have cornered and one with astronomical barriers to entry, it seems a bit disingenuous to point to their sales as an indicator of overall customer satisfaction.

Look at Battlefield. It's a total mess on PC and Xbox ONE, and BF2 was an utter nightmare. Battlefield is notoriously riddled with showstopping bugs for months after release, yet it still sells.