• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

What is the point of Gamestop anymore?

If you have best buy around you and if you play new releases I don't even know why would you buy new games from somewhere else. That GCU is really good. I just pre ordered witcher 3 for 35 bucks.
 
For used games, eBay is way better as long as you know how to sell stuff on there. Buy a game, beat it, sell it right back. You might lose a couple bucks but you still end up ahead compared to trading it into Game Stop.

i like ebay but going to the post office is one of the only places worse than gamestop, plus i've been shipped incorrect titles from ebay whereas if i drive to gamestop there's no real risk. selling on ebay can be legit work, whereas gamestop is a kind of 'eh i just got off work i'm gonna stop there on my way home and get this game so i can play it in 20 minutes' kind of thing
 
There's a gamestop real close to my house, so if I'm buying physical, I'll always go there instead of target to support them.
 
If you have best buy around you and if you play new releases I don't even know why would you buy new games from somewhere else. That GCU is really good. I just pre ordered witcher 3 for 35 bucks.

Well there was that Walmart screw up that Amazon honored with Uncharted 4 and Kingdom Hearts 3.

GCU is fantastic though. Going to save so much this fall.

Right now, Gamestop is for some pre-owned games that the other resale shops may not have (and even cheaper surprisingly) and for some pre-order promos for games I don't mind paying in full at launch. That's not often enough though it seems, luckily.
 
I go to gamestop all the time to trade in games and pick up games. There are like 50 of them, it's a nice, one 5 minutes from my apartment, one 3 minutes from my job, one 5 minutes from my parents
 
I am not the biggest fan of Gamestop as a company, but I will say that the Gamestop close to my house has some really nice employees who aren't as pushy as other Gamestops I've been to. Sure as shit beats the surly Best Buy employees who clearly hate their jobs, and you, and barely contain it.
 
I have no problems buying from GameStop or eb games. Not hard to say no to the nerd selling up charges or avoiding his opinion on the best Pokemon.
 
I think it is mainly for ignorant people, like parents who do not game and need some answers.

You won't get the same level of responses to gaming questions from a suprmarket assistant unless they happen to be a gamer.
 
Where else are you going to buy Disney Infinity 2.0 for the PS Vita?

Mods can lock this thread now.

I love how you're invariably the first post on every Gamestop thread.

Seriously, though, the only reason I can think of is that they have a slightly larger selection (But again, their "new" games are used, and don't price match), and for retailer exclusives.
 
I think it is mainly for ignorant people, like parents who do not game and need some answers.

You won't get the same level of responses to gaming questions from a suprmarket assistant unless they happen to be a gamer.

Ignorant? Don't be so elitist. Are you one of those guys who hang out inside a GameStop store waiting to educate the sheeple?
 
Ignorant? Don't be so elitist. Are you one of those guys who hang out inside a GameStop store waiting to educate the sheeple?

All dedicated stores of anything are for the ignorant. Those educated on a product have no need for the type of employee a dedicated store offers and simply shop where is cheapest.
 
  1. The brief, shining moment at console EOL where used games at GameStop that cost $30+ on Amazon and eBay cost $5-10 in-store
  2. Not waiting for Amazon/eBay shipping on items too niche-y to still be in stock at independent game stores and to have ever been in stock at the big boxes
 
Hahahaha

hahahahaha

ha-ha-ha

But seriously. Why would anyone do that??? I feel dirty just looking at their prices. Plus a manager personally wronged me a year ago when declining my racing wheel trade-in on a bullshit premise to "hide" that he just didn't want to have it taking up space in the store.

i just got copies of Ninja Blade and Riddick for like $12. I wanted them that instant and online was more expensive. I traded in some crap that would take a month to sell for maybe a couple more dollars.

I don't rule it out when I decide to pick up a game. I compare amazon, ebay, half, and gamestop. A lot of times gamestop wins. Occasionally it's a few more bucks, but I'll take that to get a game now and in condition I can check ahead of purchase.

They aren't the ultimate game store, but they aren't nearly as bad as every thread on neogaf says they are. Hence, they continue to survive.
 
I go to Gamestop because I like physically going somewhere to buy a game instead of being lazy when I have no reason nor excuse to be.

The one I go to doesn't have any bias employees. They know what they are talking about and actually recommend good games and sway people from literal bad/broken ones (The manager himself does this).

Hell was in there earlier and an employee was telling people not to bother trading some items. He didn't want to give them a bad trade in deal as it would make him feel like shit. Told them it was worth keeping the game compared to getting 5 dollars for it.

They also run ads for and support a nearby gaming cafe.

Also exclusives, they have some cool collectibles now. Mine has a Link and Ganondorf statute for reasonable prices and they are really detailed.
 
what's a gamestop?

I buy most if not all my games online ever since I actually started getting an income. It's wonderful.

That powerup card's wasting space in my wallet though.... what was it for, again?
 
The last time I was in a GameStop was to buy a Wii U. Mostly a PC gamer and gave up physical releases years ago. What little I do buy on the Wii U is all digital as well.

GameStop is already dead to me.
 
I find the average Gamestop employee's recommendations laughable, just like from the gaming section in any other store(when I lived in Virginia, one tried pushing the PS3 version of Splatterhouse on me so hard). It seems like they have encounters scripted to be geared toward the every day, semi-casual gamer. There are a few that I've found that are really invested in the hobby like I am though, so I've learned not to pre-judge, even though most assume that since I'm a 6'4 black guy, I must be looking for NBA2k or GTA.

All that said, GS does have some really amazing deals from time to time, and the only time that I shop there anymore is when I can find a better deal than somewhere else, which is the only thing that drives my choice in places to purchase from.
 
Sometimes, when they have those buy two get one free sales, I'll find a few titles I've been looking for at technically cheaper than Amazon prices. I pretty much don't go in unless one of those sales are going on and I almost always leave empty handed.
 
Haha, Chicago area myself. Maybe it's a regional problem?

Btw, 2 of the 4 shops I do know of are in Wrigleyville(People play games and the exchange). They're only a few blocks from each other. The prices aren't great but the selection at PPG is fantastic.


Chicago here too. People play games is the best! Also I haven't been there in a while but there is a cool store off of Harlem called video games then and now.(hopefully it's still there) also disc replays out in the burbs(especially the one in countryside/ Lagrange) is awesome.
 
Sometimes, when they have those buy two get one free sales,

I seem to remember a game store offering B2G1s several times a year, usually preceded or followed by a 50% increase in trade-in value.

Then that store started to not do as many of those.

I think it was called EB Games.
 
You can use them as a bank.
gamestop-bank.jpg

Does that bit with the pre-order codes still work like that? I thought it didn't. There used to be some guys on SlickDeals and CAG that would set up a crapload of preorders, farm the codes, drop the preorders and then sell off the codes online. I was under the impression they stopped because GS changed the way codes are distributed.

I seem to remember a game store offering B2G1s several times a year, usually preceded or followed by a 50% increase in trade-in value.

Then that store started to not do as many of those.

I think it was called EB Games.

Not sure about the trade in value, but my local GameStop's have noticeably had less of these sales in the last few years. Five, six years ago there would be one every other month. Now? I hardly see them and when they are going they aren't well advertised.
 
Chicago here too. People play games is the best! Also I haven't been there in a while but there is a cool store off of Harlem called video games then and now.(hopefully it's still there) also disc replays out in the burbs(especially the one in countryside/ Lagrange) is awesome.

Disc Replay tends to have better prices. People Play Games have a ton of stuff to look at and you can always find a good deal on obscure games, but stay away from the popular stuff.
 
People saying it was just Netflix that killed Blockbuster are living in their own all-digital bubble. It was the combination of Netflix and Redbox that killed Blockbuster. Why go to a dedicated movie rental place like Blockbuster when you can either stream a movie online via Netflix or rent a movie from Redbox kiosks outside every Walmart, Kroger, Walgreens, or Dollar General which normal people already go to regularly? The one-two punch of Netflix and Redbox killed Blockbuster's business model.

In any case, as far as GameStop goes, there was a point where there were literally only two GameStops in town after the EB Games in the mall became a GameStop and GameCrazy closed down because Movie Gallery died to Blockbuster. Now, there are still two GameStops in town, although the one at the mall closed down and a new one opened on the other side of town. However, I now have a local video game store as well as a regional chain called Game X Change that opened up a store in town just in the past year. Both are awesome stores that I go to regularly and which have selections dating back to the NES. For $5 an hour, the local one will even let you and your friends play any used game in the store. At the moment, I couldn't be happier with video game retailers.
 
I think Gamespot made something like 9 billion in revenue in 2014. I don't think they will be going the way of Blockbuster or Circuit City anytime soon. Say what you want about the pre-order pushing and trade-in credits, I've never had a bad experience at one of their locations. The employees are always helpful and giving good advice to the non serious gamer. I don't think that is possible at big box retailers simply because they seldom have enough staffing(or training) to be as useful.
 
All dedicated stores of anything are for the ignorant. Those educated on a product have no need for the type of employee a dedicated store offers and simply shop where is cheapest.
This doesn't make any sense. A specialist store is more likely to have obscure titles that the "Ignorant" probably would have never heard of in the first place.

Are people who shop at comic shops "Ignorant" because they know it's the only place to get certain comics that places like Barnes & Nobles won't carry because of space?
 
People saying it was just Netflix that killed Blockbuster are living in their own all-digital bubble. It was the combination of Netflix and Redbox that killed Blockbuster. Why go to a dedicated movie rental place like Blockbuster when you can either stream a movie online via Netflix or rent a movie from Redbox kiosks outside every Walmart, Kroger, Walgreens, or Dollar General which normal people already go to regularly? The one-two punch of Netflix and Redbox killed Blockbuster's business model.

In any case, as far as GameStop goes, there was a point where there were literally only two GameStops in town after the EB Games in the mall became a GameStop and GameCrazy closed down because Movie Gallery died to Blockbuster. Now, there are still two GameStops in town, although the one at the mall closed down and a new one opened on the other side of town. However, I now have a local video game store as well as a regional chain called Game X Change that opened up a store in town just in the past year. Both are awesome stores that I go to regularly and which have selections dating back to the NES. For $5 an hour, the local one will even let you and your friends play any used game in the store. At the moment, I couldn't be happier with video game retailers.

Glad Family Video was able to survive all that. Pretty good place to get movies especially compared to how Blockbuster used to run.
 
I typically don't shop at GameStop because I'm a cheapassgamer, the new prices are ridiculous and they don't price match. Also, I have GCU. However, I did stop by the other day and, for $10, walked out with...

Dead Space 2
Resistance 3
Fall Out New Vegas
Killzone 2
 
The point of Gamestop is to be another option for people who buy video games. I hate when people cry for the shutdown of GS, even if I understand that they take issue with their policies or business practices to which I often agree. But hoping they go away completely is the height of selfishness. You are, after all, free to shop elsewhere whereas having them go away completely only serves to take away options from others. (As well as jobs.)

There are people who have no problem with Gamestop and even though some of the bad policies prevail throughout them all, there are some good Gamestops out there run by people who treat their customers well. And sometimes they can be useful in locating a game that you'd otherwise have to seek out online. Which can be a convenience for some.

Short version, they're an option for people. Nothing less, nothing more.
 
Wait, what? I thought they stopped taking PS2's like years ago.

Recently started taking them again, they don't even test them. You get 25$ if it's complete got all the cables and controller or 20$ if its incomplete.

I use their 7 day money back policy, as a free rental service. And if i like the game ill buy it somewhere else. Some people might find it immoral, but after witnessing so many kids trade in their games for pennies on the dollar, and their ridiculous no money back on new hardware, my sympathy is at zero.

I didn't know there were stores that would take new hardware back for full refund after being used.
 
local stores have jack shit in terms of selection, you really mean to tell me people are gonna trade in fighters that arent 5 versions old or rpgs in? My local stores have a 250gb 360 at $149, gamestop has the same thing but gives me 5 games for it at least included, the prices for most used game are exactly the same as gamestop too. I shop mostly on amazon but gamestop just has any game I need.
 
Selection

Yup! They get exclusive games sometimes too, because it's cheaper for a company to put out in one retailer than all. The Wii RPGs for example, but there have been more.

So yeah, they have the most games and actually specialize in selling games. Big box doesn't always get games on release, doesn't always allow pre-order, would stop selling games the moment they found something better to sell.

If I had a great local game store, I'd go there more, but I don't.
 
Pretty much.

And the few I have encountered is straight the opposite on the prices.

Everything overpriced, few items. Not worth it.

Yeah, there are 3 non-Gamestop used games stores near me, I went into them thinking exactly that prices would be lower and they would have a collection of retro games. Nope, prices were higher (as far as I could tell) and like Gamestop they didn't have games from before last gen.
 
Top Bottom