Why Do Game Stores Suck?
I don't usually like extremely broad "___ sucks" statements like this but I think for game stores I can make an exception. I suppose there might be some game stores somewhere that aren't awful, but I don't think I've ever been to one and enjoyed the time I spent in it. They're all so bad that I wonder wonder if the business executives who mandate how they're designed have ever actually been inside one. They're tiny claustrophobic rooms with every inch of them, except paths on the floor, covered in cases or posters. All of these are loud and tasteless, each one trying to be more obnoxious than the one next to it a struggle to get your attention. There will be a few TVs with demos running on them, and at least one more TV playing more advertisements. Due to the games' reliance on proprietary consoles, all of them are placed on a shelf for their system which fragments the already small room and leaves no space for a more reasonable organization method, such as by genre. There's a very limited selection, mainly just the top sellers for the current hardware generation. If you're lucky you can find a scratched disk of an “old” game in a bin of used items. Of course no one actually comes to a game store to spend time browsing. Customers come in wanting to buy a particular game, and usually try to get in and out as soon as they can. I can't say I blame them.
When I ask why game stores suck I'm asking a rhetorical question. I know why they suck, and I don't expect them to stop sucking any time soon. I assume that most people who are reading this don't like them either, so my intent isn't to educate you in how much they suck. Bad stores, like bad journalism, exist because there's some group of people who for some reason like or accept them, and whether you like it or not they're a critical part of the gaming business. What I do want though is for a good store to open up somewhere. A store where I can walk in without having every centimeter of my vision field invaded by a promotional image, where I can just hang out and enjoy games, and where the customers aren't all children or teenagers. But as the industry evolves and the gamer demographic matures I'm confident that such a business will be profitable some day.
I'm not in a hurry though for this theoretical chain to open. I can enjoy a lot of its benefits already, here in my home. It's undeniable at this point that digital distribution is going to continue to flourish for the discernible future and I welcome it. I can browse a humongous selection of brand new titles at cheaper prices (either because the games are older, lower budget, or through a Steam deal), try demos, and so on without even needing to spend gas money. Without digital distribution my only purchasing options would be GameStop or Wal-Mart (or any random similar store), and that alone has led me to embrace it as a superior distribution system. I'm only a sample size of one so I can't make any broad conclusions based on this, but I'd be surprised if I'm alone and if this hasn't been a factor for the success of these online businesses.
« Seven Minutes Worth of Blog Bait Well you see, a gamer is like this, and a... »
6 comments
Part of the reason you can generalize about video game stores is that virtually all of them are Gamestop now. The largest exception to this are the Gamecrazy stores that are attached to some Hollywood Videos, but their business practices are virtually the same.
For a while I bought most of my games at a nearby gamecrazy because I was under the illusion that they provided me with customer service. However, after they lost their record of a console warranty and charged me for two concurrent preferred card subscriptions, which I never could convince me they owed me something for, I started to realize that customer service was not actually part of what they offered and that I would be better off going to a big box store where nobody pretends that they want to help.
I suspect many people are similarly deceived.
Also I guess a lot of people like player's guides and destroy 1 in every 20 discs they purchase. I can't think of any other explanation for the offers they kept giving me.
You can count me as one of the folks who shops online to avoid the brick and mortar stores. Which is actually kind of sad, because one of my greatest pleasures used to be driving over to the Funcoland and sifting through piles of cartridges to see if I could turn up a gem or two. And I often did! Earthbound, Mario's Picross, Lemmings 2... Damn we had some good times.
The biggest problem for me is selection. Like you said, they stock the big titles, and that's it. I've gotten into the habit of ordering from Amazon rather than depending on whatever whim inspires them to actually put a video game into their physical store.
If you ever visit the Netherlands you will find a similar situation, but there are also a number of independent stores. These stores stock a lot of older games, and usually have knowledgeable, friendly people behind the counter.
Roughly in my area I like www.gameplayers.nl in Gouda, and www.gameshop.nl in The Hague. Up north we have www.game-island.nl in Leeuwarden and www.nedgame.nl in Groningen. There are probably a few more shops like these in other areas of .nl. And ofcourse there are a few shops who specialize in retro games, e.g. www.backgames.nl in Leiden or the expensive www.gameover.nl in Amsterdam.
@shMerker
That's a good point about the fact that "game stores" has become synonymous with GameStop. Even the few non-GameStop stores try to be as much like it as possible. This sort of trend is way too prominent in other aspects of the game business as well. For example almost every FPS tries to be the same as the others. Gaming has a bad case of homogeneity.
@warp
That's really neat how you have a lot independent stores. I've never seen any around where I live, only GameStop or its spin-offs. I haven't always been looking though, I'll have to keep my eyes open.
I can't find any independent stores within any reasonable radius of where I live too. This irritates me because my reasonable radius includes both economic centers of Washington state. You'd think there would be something.
I just remembered these jokers (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/09/gamer-doc-new-retail-franchise-targets-gamestop-with-themed-sto/)
'"The concepts we're developing will change the way the video game store
is interpreted," Faust said. "Conventional store designs resemble a
library, with shelves and stacks of games. When customers walk into Gamer
Doc, they will feel like they're walking into a video game, not a video
game store, experiencing the action, sounds and excitement of the game."
Upon entering Gamer Doc, consumers may find themselves in a burned-out
building, as if they are in a first-person shooter battle zone, or on board
a futuristic "Borg Spaceship," or in a carefree, cartoon-character
atmosphere. Each design concept features special lighting, environmental,
and sound effects to enhance the interactive experience.'
I know they aren't trying to sell to me. But I can't figure out who they are trying to sell to. Maybe people who don't already play games? It seems like these themed stores would be novel but wouldn't actually encourage any purchasing.