hatever happened to the independents? While I don't harbor any great resentment towards the GameStops and Electronic Boutiques of this world, it doesn't seem that long ago that these names were joined by countless mom and pop resellers. Throughout high school, the mall near my home in a suburb of Cleveland played host to no fewer than three used game stores, two national specialty chains and a number of larger box stores. Today, if it isn't called GameStop or Best Buy, you won't find games for sale.
With the closing of Game Crazy stores across the country, gamers have one fewer alternative to GameStop.Sure, GameStop deals in used games, but this is rarely the place to find a mint copy of Einhander or, God forbid, a cult classic from the 8-bit era. In contrast, gems like these seemed to rule the shelves of independent game stores during the late nineties. GameStop might have you believe that the used game trade is alive and well, but is it really? Paying $45 for a used copy of Populous on the Sega Genesis is one thing, but paying $45 for a used copy of Modern Warfare 2 is just plain sad.
I'm sure the Internet had a lot to do with the decline of the independent games reseller, but somehow, skimming eBay postings for used games isn't as rewarding as finding that "diamond in the rough" buried in a dusty bin somewhere. Nowadays, collectors who want to actually see what they're buying have to brave places like swap meets and flea markets if they're to have any chance of discovering an affordable gem.
Things don't seem to be getting better anytime soon. In fact, this past week they may have gotten a whole lot worse — with the closing of Game Crazy stores across the country, gamers have one fewer alternative to GameStop. If there's one thing that could have reinvigorated the idea of the "specialty" games store, it was competition. I long for the day when the words "used game" were synonymous with "classic." You see, there are two types of gamers purchasing used titles. While the bargain hunter may be a perfect fit for GameStop's strategy, the treasure hunters have nowhere left to go.
Are you lucky enough to have a small games retailer in your neighborhood? How do you satiate your need for collectible fare from one, two or even three decades ago? I encourage you to share your stories, trials and complaints below.
First arcades, now used games; both 'real world' victims of the digital age.
While the thrill of the search can't quite be duplicated and the ability to physically verify quality and condition is impossible, the internet — as I argued in my commentary a couple weeks back — allows the gathering of titles from countless sources to be assembled and concentrated for easy access.
My guess is that those moms and pops are third-party sellers through Amazon and eBay. Furthermore, as this suggests, comparative appraisal may preclude a connoisseur snapping up a rare title sold at one-fifth its value, but provides the independent dealer with higher revenue.
Think of it this way: many ancient and classical texts exist only as manuscripts compiled tens or hundreds of years later. Time means attrition, and genuine articles may be lost, but through technology we've found a way to circumvent it.
the storefront for physical digital merchandise is dying slowly. Its becoming easier to acquire your games without having to deal with the local vendor. I used to work for EB before it became "Game Stop" and after i stopped working there i got argued with twice about which system was better, the one i owned or the one they wanted me to buy. that was their idea of customer service.
i started going to a mom and pop right around the corner from my old apartment and despite my love for the store, and excellent customer service, i decided that i didn't want to wait for newly released games to come back in stock and i didn't want to dig around the used section for a 10$ price decrease on a game that was 3 and four months old. it wasn't much different from the game stop i stopped going into. so now i just pick them up from best buy and order used and specialty games online.
I've found a few older titles (E.g., that copy of Thief II I still need to play) at our local Half Price Books.
Most of the used games I see at GameStop are merely slightly cheaper versions of newer titles.
Hmm. I'll just leave my card:
Oh yeah, I haven't scanned it yet. Oh well.
www.gamedeals.ca
I really can't bring myself to buy games anywhere else (mind you, I go to the actual store, not the online one).
In Reno there's a locally owned store called GameForce which, much to my surprise, is still going strong. They sell lots of old school stuff and they have a good selection of collectibles. They even have a promotion where, if you beat the staff at any given game, you get a discount on it. Pretty cool.
I am quite lucky to have the luxury of a smaller independently owned and operated chain of used game stores in my area called McVan's. I often find much better deals there than I would at GameStop ($20 for Assassin's Creed 2 AND a $5 off coupon for my next purchase? heck yes!)
They also carry all the old classics and some imports. They even once had an unopened boxed version of Arkanoid with the special controller, one of the rarest and most valuable pieces of NES collectibles. I've recently seen NES copies of Dragon Warrior III and IV also.
They'll even do buy one get one 1/2 off on older, non-rare games for the outdated generations like PS2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, etc.
Another one of the smaller (I think?) up-and-coming reseller chains opened up somewhat recently in my parts: Disc Replay.
Because of them I have a hard time buying new games at $60. Usually about a week or two after release they'll have used copies of the newest and hottest titles and sell them for a mere $40. I saw Just Cause 2 there less than a week after its release.