Gaming Malaise and a Game Stop Anecdote

[Xprimentyl]

I bought my first game in over a year and a half today! Destiny 2!... for my girlfriend?s son for his birthday, so it was basically against my will; if you?ve never stared into the eyes of a 12-year-old with ADHD who?s drenched in hormones and literally quaking with so much pent up energy, he?s molecularly unstable while he?s telling you he wants something, you don?t know terror; we?re building a panic room for puberty.

Anyway, I used to walk into Game Stops like a kid in a candy store: sparse floors, but walls covered in worlds to save, damsels to rescue, aliens to kill and spells to cast. But today, I walked into one for the first time in months and just felt? exhausted. Nothing excited me. After stepping over the piles of tangential gaming merch (because Game Stop now apparently moonlights as a thrift store for action figures,) I scoured the shelves, reading the titles: ?Crap? Shit? Crap 2? Shit Revengenece? Madden 18?. Crap 2 Remastered? ? Nothing looked remotely interesting and everything looked the same. That?s about when the 20-something clerk popped over with the mandatory ?can I help you with anything?? I rolled my eyes and said over my shoulder in my most disaffected monotone: ?Destiny 2. Xbox One. Yes, I have a rewards card. Yes, I know it?s expired. No I don?t want to renew it.? She hopped back to her side of the counter and we had this exchange:

Clerk: Did you pre-order Destiny 2 with us?

Me: ?No? (Looking past her at the dozen available copies four feet behind her frickin? head.)

Clerk: And did you want to go ahead and pick up the expansion pass today as well? (?Go ahead,? like it?s a foregone conclusion I?ll be buying it at some point.)

Me: No.

Clerk: You sure? It?s on sale this week only.

Me: NO.

Clerk: Ok, but just so you know, if you buy the content separately, you?ll pay mo...

Me: (cutting her off) I?ve been gaming longer than you?ve been ALIVE and certainly well before day one DLC was basically standard; I know how it works; it doesn?t. If the brat I?m buying this for wants DLC, he can spend his birthday money on it.

Clerk: Okay then, and do you want to buy a lifetime scratch protection for $3

Me: *sighs* NO, I don?t even want to give you $67 for that disc in your hand, but that?s the fastest way out of this store!

Clerk: (Laughing) So, I guess I needn?t bother asking you if there was anything you wanted to pre-order?

Me: ?Please, no.

And of course, they didn?t have any copies of Dark Souls II. Thanks, Game Stop; was hoping you?d help pull me out of my gaming funk, instead you shoved me face first deeper into it. Guess I?m headed back to the bar and my NG+6 run in Dark Souls.

 

[Prime_Hunter_H01]

I know what you mean. I see the news and most of the face of gaming does not impress me. I have my few curiosities in newer AAA titles but I know to wait as they are not worth the full price. I used to put up with Gamestop as you could tell there was very much a "I know I have to do this" vibe to the usual questions. Though with employee turn over it now seems like genuine excitement and pressure comes from those questions. And rejecting them does carry an aura of disappointment and disapproval from the employees, though it can be up to each employee themselves.

I have had less reason to go to Gamestop as fewer new games are on my list, or would be better bought online. And for used games I have a decent number of local game and electronic stores in my area. Though I feel for you as I do not know the timing of this kid's B-Day or how he would take the wait for shipping so I cannot truly recommend online ordering. For you personally, see if there are any good second hand gaming/electonic/media stores in your area. I am sure that sense of wonder seeing shelves upon shelves of games will come back.

 

[DrownedAmmet]

As a dude who is still mucking around the PS3 generation and who hasn't tapped into his rainy day fund to go "next-gen" yet, I still have that kid in a candy store vibe. I'll go to flip through the used bin and see what game I should get caught up on (it will probably be Journey next) and I'll gaze longingly at the PS4 and Switches and think "maybe someday, if I find myself with $300 burning a hole in my pocket"

I do get annoyed by the cashiers, but I've had friends who have worked there and I know they're under a lot of pressure from management so I usually let it slide. Actually they usually don't pester me too bad. I was buying Black Ops 2 around the time the last CoD came out, and the guy asked me if I wanted to preorder it and I was like "I'm just starting Black Ops 2 on the PS3, at this rate I'll get to that one probably around 2030." We both got a good chuckle out of that one and he let me go with no more pestering

I see Gamestop as a necessary evil. I have a few good indie game stores that I go to in my area, but I like having Gamestops around because I can usually find any given last gen game there at the drop of a hat. So if I get the undeniable urge to play Sleeping Dogs at 6 o'clock on a Wednesday evening, I know I can find a copy at one of the 74 Gamestops in a five mile radius of my home

 

[Drathnoxis]

You shouldn't take it out on the cashiers, management is the one making them force all that crap down your throat.

 

[Drathnoxis]

As a dude who is still mucking around the PS3 generation and who hasn't tapped into his rainy day fund to go "next-gen" yet, I still have that kid in a candy store vibe. I'll go to flip through the used bin and see what game I should get caught up on (it will probably be Journey next) and I'll gaze longingly at the PS4 and Switches and think "maybe someday, if I find myself with $300 burning a hole in my pocket"

Journey is great! I got the copy that came with Flower and Flow, and Flower is pretty cool too! Just pure artistry, with blend of music, visual, and storytelling communicated without words.

 

[DefunctTheory]

I don't think I've been in a Gamestop since I got Mario Maker on an impulse buy. Damn.

I know what you mean about being in a gaming funk, though. I think it's been over a year since I had a game I was REALLY excited about that didn't entirely fail to impress. I have this sneaking suspicion that gaming as a whole has moved away from me, and I'm just not the 'target audience' anymore. Even my beloved Battletech is starting to worry me.

And I'm honestly unaware of any AAA game on the horizon I care about. And there's only maybe 2 indie games I'm interested in. Maybe I'm not a gamer anymore?

 

[Saelune]

You shouldn't take it out on the cashiers, management is the one making them force all that crap down your throat.

This.

As a former employee, can confirm.

 

[jademunky]

Funny thing is, I used to think that stores like that would be hella fun to work in back when I was a kid. Now I'm kinda glad I dodged the bullet on that one.

 

[Saelune]

Funny thing is, I used to think that stores like that would be hella fun to work in back when I was a kid. Now I'm kinda glad I dodged the bullet on that one.

Its a retail job.

The difference, for me though, was that it was a retail job I was knowledgeable about the stuff being sold. I did not enjoy all the standing and work, but I didnt enjoy it when I worked at a clothing store for low-ranking rich people, but atleast if someone asked me a question I actually probably had an answer.

Ok, the store size also mattered, since a single room isnt as bad as part of a mall, but still.

I remember helping this older man who wanted to buy a shooter seemingly to play with his kid/grandkid, and me feeling super helpful cause I knew where the games where, what the games had, etc. At that clothing store? Ugh, no I dont know where the Burberry stuff is and I dont care! =. =;;

I only lost the job at Gamestop cause they made a bad investment in Star Wars Battlefront. All retail jobs suck, but it was the least sucky retail job for me.

Plus I got a discount

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

The fuck you people doing actually going into Gamestop still?! Its 2017! Buy the game digitally, use Amazon, or in a pinch go to Best Buy. Its just anti-Gaming to use Gamestop at this point. For shame!

I think the last time I went into a Gamestop was to by a Gamecube game, and even then I don't think I actually got it.

 

[jademunky]

I only lost the job at Gamestop cause they made a bad investment in Star Wars Battlefront. All retail jobs suck, but it was the least sucky retail job for me.

Plus I got a discount

Meh, I currently work retail banking. It's ok since I like to talk investments and plans for the future and can sit down in an office with people who've lived in places i'll likely never visit.

The downside is that you occassionally get cases where some jackass at a call center gives you an appointment that just says "cx wants to discuss business." You think the prospective client is there to open a business account and you instead, find yourself with someone off their meds who wants you to explain to them the definition of "Business."

 

[Tanis]

I live in a area with two, fairly small, towns and one Game Stop.

The GS is, after the local 'all generations' store died (owner was a twatwaffle), basically the only place IN TOWN to get newer games offline.
-I mean, there's the pawn shop that's run by a religious zealot who randomly jacks up prices on his used games or...Wal-Mart, which is a JOKE when it comes to used games and never lowers the price of their 5+ year old 'new' games.

So...yeah, it's actually a pretty friendly place.

I'm there about once or twice a week talking with the workers, and getting in very boring debates about why 'this game sucked, but this one didn't' because...small town.

So...uh...go team Avatar?

 

[McElroy]

I'm sorry, but you're a crappy human being.

The OP is dating a single mom. He can't be too crappy :^)

She does exactly what she is required to do and you go ahead and bite her head off. We all have to make a living somehow.

Giving creative responses to dumb sales pitch shit livens up the employees' days.

 

[DarthCoercis]

The OP is dating a single mom. He can't be too crappy :^)

I dated a single mum for almost 4 years, and I can confirm that I'm an arsehole and all-round crappy person.

 

[McElroy]

The OP is dating a single mom. He can't be too crappy :^)

I dated a single mum for almost 4 years, and I can confirm that I'm an arsehole and all-round crappy person.

:^)

 

[laggyteabag]

When I went into GAME (the unimaginatively named UK equivalent), all I noticed was how extortionately expensive console games were.

Steam has ruined me.

 

[Cowabungaa]

When I went into GAME (the unimaginatively named UK equivalent), all I noticed was how extortionately expensive console games were.

Steam has ruined me.

Hasn't it just? And it's even worse when you compare console games prices to console games prices from the NES and SNES era and you find out that console games these days are actually quite cheap. Yet there's Steam sales... It really made my jump to the Switch a little harder.

 

[Saelune]

When I went into GAME (the unimaginatively named UK equivalent), all I noticed was how extortionately expensive console games were.

Steam has ruined me.

Only because Steam games go on sale. I refuse to spend $60 on a digital game. Atleast physical games I have something to show. On Steam, its 50% off atleast, and even then I hesitate unless I really want it.