GameStop Unintentionally Aiding Piracy?

[Keane Ng]

GameStop Unintentionally Aiding Piracy?

The retailer [http://www.gamestop.com/]'s open box display policy might be providing an unintended assist to PC game pirates.

Most people who shop at GameStop on a regular basis are familiar with the experience of getting the last copy of a game in stock and being forced to settle for a game packaged in the open case used for the display shelves. It's annoying, to be sure, but it also might be an inadvertent assist to pirates, as Joe Haygood of Aeropause Quantum of Solace [http://www.aeropause.com/2008/12/gamestop-gives-unintended-assist-in-piracy/][/I] for the PC.

"When I said yes to purchasing the game, I noticed the clerk only pulled out a DVD for the game," Haygood writes. "I asked about the manual and he said it was already in the box. Doesn't sound too bad until you realize that the CD code for the game, and to use the Games for Windows Live [http://www.gamesforwindows.com/en-US/Live/Pages/AboutLive.aspx] service was on the back of the manual." Pointing out the problem to the clerk, Haygood found him "less than disturbed about it, stating that, 'it would be fine' and, 'it can't be used without the disc.'"

Haygood went back to the PC games display and found three other open boxes with manuals in them, CD codes and all. A quick snap with a camera phone, some jotting down with a pen and notepad, and anyone could have walked out of the store with a suite of CD keys. Further investigation revealed that this wasn't an isolated incident: three other GameStops that Haygood visited in his area had the same problem. He contacted GameStop for a response but hasn't heard anything back.

GameStop's open box display policy has always been a hassle - my gripe with it has always been that technically, I shouldn't be paying new game prices for a game that has, in a sense, been "used" when it was opened. But that seems petty compared to this. Still, one has to wonder: is this a widespread problem or just an issue with Haygood's regional stores? Have you seen this happen at your local GameStops?

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[Cousin_IT]

I hate to be demeaning to Gamestop employees. But the reoccuring Gamestop policy controversies seem to be less a policy problem, & more a problem of the staff in the affected store(s) being cretins.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

I think it could be systemic; I've stopped buying at EB here in Canada as I saw a big drop in service a year ago and started to notice I was getting used copies from behind the counter instead of new, shrinkwrapped copies. Now that HMV is selling new copies, still sealed, and has a store right across the mall aisle from EB, I've switched soulless corporations of preference.

-- Steve

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Who cares? Corporates get screwed. Boo-Hoo-Mother-fucking-Hoo. What, you expected sympathy? One can get half a dozen CD codes off good old google, though I only ever did this to use a game I'd lost my manuel to (bad customer care here in SA. High prices+bad customer care+Police having to deal with real crimes=Piracy. Y'know, if companies figured out that screwing people means that they don't lie down and take, but rather, y'know, screw you right back, they'd probably have a much higher profit margin.

They sowed the hurricane, and now they are reaping the whirlwind. I think that's how it goes.

 

[Lustwane]

While i appreciate the warning to be careful when buying PC titles from GameStop this post worries me in that now a whole community of gamers that may or may not have a flexible moral backbone has just been given tips on one more way to screw the system.

 

[Keane Ng]

While i appreciate the warning to be careful when buying PC titles from GameStop this post worries me in that now a whole community of gamers that may or may not have a flexible moral backbone has just been given tips on one more way to screw the system.

I thought about that, but it's probably better for people to know about this than not, I think.

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

I don't think it's as much a problem as he makes it out to be. Most Gamestop outlets are small enough, that an employee would probably notice someone taking pictures of game manuals or jotting things down. Sure, someone could think of some excuse, but I think any Gamestop employee with half a brain would find it suspicious enough not to allow it.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

I don't think it's as much a problem as he makes it out to be. Most Gamestop outlets are small enough, that an employee would probably notice someone taking pictures of game manuals or jotting things down. Sure, someone could think of some excuse, but I think any Gamestop employee with half a brain would find it suspicious enough not to allow it.

I disagree, the location in the mall accross from my house has frequent busy periods that border on the insane, one could easily pull this off with enough planning.

 

[Cougies]

I shop at EB Games here is Australia, and although they have the same policy, they take the manuals out of the box along with the discs. Maybe GameStop needs to take a feather out of the Australian branch of the GameStop tree, and follow their lead. It's not like it's hard.

 

[Destrin]

All game shops in the UK either keep the disc AND manual behind the counter or they keep the whole box behind the counter and just put display copies out (the latter is usually only for new or recent releases to save on space)

 

[darthzew]

I've decided not to give Gamestop my business. I keep hearing bad things about them so I figured I shouldn't fan the flame. Besides, they're taking over the gaming world anyway.

 

[RebelRising]

I don't think it's as much a problem as he makes it out to be. Most Gamestop outlets are small enough, that an employee would probably notice someone taking pictures of game manuals or jotting things down. Sure, someone could think of some excuse, but I think any Gamestop employee with half a brain would find it suspicious enough not to allow it.

I disagree, the location in the mall accross from my house has frequent busy periods that border on the insane, one could easily pull this off with enough planning.

You make it sound like some sort Michael Mann-esque bank job.

Sorry, that thought just popped in my head.

 

[GoldenShadow]

Your first problem was shopping at Gamestop.

 

[Clashero]

I wish I could complain about something like that. Here in Argentina it's very difficult to find a non-pirated game. I get my PS2 games for 10 pesos (roughly 3 dollars), because NO STORE sells original copies of PS2 games.

 

[bad rider]

Yeah in the supermarkets near me (ASDA and Tesco's) the only thing they leave in the box is the keys. You have to wonder, what idiot decided that?

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

I shouldn't be paying new game prices for a game that has, in a sense, been "used" when it was opened. But that seems petty compared to this

Well then why are you shopping at gamestop?

/smarmyness

 

[Fenixius]

Well, I work at a GAME in Australia, and we don't have such a policy. While we do place boxed games on the shelves, they are shrinkwrapped and security stickered, so we know at the very least if they've been tampered with. Can't so easily replace shrink wrap without us noticing it. So when I buy from GAME (and I do regularly), I know that although the disk and key are in the box, it's unopened. PC games we don't get to trial, and we don't take preowned ones.

At GAME, at least. Don't know about EB/JB Hi-Fi/GameTraders/etc.

 

[SplntrdReality]

Gamestop's entire business model screws the game industry, and by extension the gamers. They treat their employees like garbage, have questionable policies (such as how they pay their people on special bank cards that the employee ends up having a hard time spending from on anything other than games, etc), and will do anything short of murdering puppies to make a buck.

If you want a good laugh (and enlightening insight into their business), check out Zero Originiality's vids (which I think has been mentioned here before). Yes, it's styled after Zero Punctuation, and the author admits it's a complete rip-off, but I still found it entertaining _and_ informative.

Link to episode 1:
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/zero%2Boriginality/video/x6wnow_zero-originality-episode-1_videogames

 

[cleverlymadeup]

up here the eb keeps the manual and the disc in a drawer if there's an open copy that they have to sell you

personally i think it's bad games and drm that cause piracy

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Dammit, I used to work at MVC, before it closed, and I'm probably talking around 2005, I remember the Sims expansions were high in the PC charts and Vice City was fresh out on PS2.

While I'm not claiming the idea was mine, I did bring up this point at a meeting, where ideas are sent to head office, that it was so stupidly easy to steal CD keys, and we were getting games returned because the CD key wouldn't work, and about a month later, everything was changed.

Each week they'd send us a set of dummy DVD case sleeves to put out, more expensive of course, to print em all up, but it meant we didn't have to open new games and take discs out, and the product stayed behind the counter, sealed.

5 years on, and other stores are still putting the CD keys out on display on shelves? Do the management wear a t shirt with their credit card and pin number printed on em too?

Sadly I sense they've probably been told by a member of staff and gone 'oh some kid in one of stores said something about games, blah blah blah, but he's not even manager rank, so it can't be important, pass the cocaine.'

Of course, we went bust, and they're still going, but dammit I'm still right!

I'm still mildly annoyed about that too, we had a genuinely good name, and were the place to go to for customer service, but it seemed a lot of people would come into our store, listen to a cd, ask for information, etc, then bugger off and buy it in tescos instead. People complain about the lack of customer service nowadays, but it costs, and if you want everyone as cheap as Walmart, you can't expect Harrods style service. (Tho Harrods is up its own arse, I'm just picking a posh place at random )