Of course, this means declaring that I officially like them on Facebook.
In 5 minutes, a friend posts on my page, asking why I would like them and betray gamers everywhere. I get on his page justifying this seemingly innocuous decision and it turns into a debate that makes my night frustrating.
It's not that I like Gamestop. True, my original reasoning was just to get nice coupons or a heads up on special promotions, but the gauntlet had been laid down. It might be evil in the eyes of most gamers but it's a necessary evil for me.
“Why buy from them at all? Why not other places?”
So you got some mom & pop store you love? Tough cookies for me! Most of the ones I liked are long gone. The only one left is run by a bunch of jackasses. Gamestop employees can nag me about preorders but beyond that, reasonable employees don't bother me unless I ask. And these guys are straightened up against corporate policy too. My last independent store, Game Place, is too lax, have a dismal selection (these Xbox games don't even work on my 360!), and don't show any enthusiasm. You can argue for different independent stores, but I'm saying the only one left near me sucks.
And that leaves the other option: big box stores. And we all know big box stores are big, and therefore aren't narrowly tailored to games. Say out of 100 games at Gamestop, 30 games are from Ubisoft's Imagine series. Target might have 10 Imagine games out of 30 total. Maybe a bit knee jerk in reaction but big box stores have a little of everything, not a lot of everything.
“I buy online! Why not buy online too?”
As cool as the points he brings up are (Amazon's gift card deal, Cheapassgamer being, well, cheap ass) my two arguments may be shaky but are something I hold onto strongly.
First, getting my games mailed to me: First of all, I live with my parents and still do until I find a suitable job that gets me to move out. Buying a game off the wall means I can put it in my bag and take it to my room. I don't want to explain how I paid for this game that came in the mail for me. I can't come home early everyday in an effort to check the mail first.
Second, I can't browse freely on the Internet. I have to look at lists and thumbnails. I appreciate that sense of chance when you browse the walls and aisles then find something nice you didn't know was out. I found out Megaman Zero Collection came out for the DS recently. Awesome find!
“They're a big corporate, soulless company who will nickel and dime us!”
True, their game trade ins and used game market are still hotly debated today. As one person put it, Gamestop is the only retail company that takes your used games and gives you credit worth half its value and then sells it at twice that value without batting an eye. And buying their used games means the publisher won't see a dime of profit to justify their work because Gamestop keeps all the money to their used games sales.
But that doesn't mean I have to do those things that I find questionable. I only go there to get new releases and games new and in the box (I acknowledge the existence of that questionable practice of gutting new games into disc sleeves). As long as I get what I paid for in a satisfying shopping experience (I use satisfying broadly here) I'm fine with that. They are a retail outlet and in exchange for money of monetary value, they exchange with me goods and services. That's all I can really ask for.
Well I say, “At least things are changing, for better or worse.”
So many new things have happened this past year to change our perspective of shopping for video games. Preorder bonuses for extra bonuses like in-game items have acted like incentive to shop at certain places. Gamestop had things like extra armor for Mass Effect 2 when you preordered with them. There were also boxed in codes that unlock features that aren't available to people who buy games used. EA recent released UFC Disputed with a locked online multiplayer mode unless you bought the game new with the packed in code to unlock it.
All I'm saying is that you can hate a company for it's business practices, but at the end of the day you can't deny that they certainly stay in business for certain reasons. For me, Gamestop may have an image of a penny pinching miser of a company, but the locations near me aren't staffed with robotic freaks who shove preorders down my throat. They're normal guys who like games for the most part and have a job to do. They normally have a large variety of games and it's convenient to do all this after grocery shopping, after leaving school, or just to stop by with some friends.
I might dislike Gamestop for things, but that doesn't mean I hate it. I can click a link to like Gamestop but that doesn't mean I adore it.
Of course, we could negate all this and wish Funcoland could come back.
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