EB Games is Killing the Video Game Industry

[quote name='georox']Either way the developers/publishers/etc. aren't making money, only FailStop. I'd always pirate over buy used on games. I don't approve of supporting FailStops EpicFail system.[/quote]
But they are making money. They sold one game and it still only has one owner. It really shouldn't matter how many times it changes hands. While a pirated game never generated any income at all for the publisher/developer.

The biggest question I have for publishers/developers and their asskissing fanboys that never gets answered. Why do you think your product should be immune to basic economic principles? People have bought and sold items far longer than we can imagine. Yet software shouldn't be re-sold when the original user is finished with a particular product. Piracy isn't ok. Someone shouldn't be making copies and selling those copies. I'm talking about the original product that was legally purchased.
 
It's hard to feel sorry for the game industry when they charge us $10 more per title and then purposely remove/not include features only to make them cost money to download later on.

Also, anyone who thinks digital distribution is a good thing for the industry is not quite the brightest bulb in the box. Companies won't have to ever drop the price of a title, and stores can't clearance games out to purchase them cheap. Also, HD space is an issue, and what would happen if your HD got messed up? Stolen? You'd have no physical copies of your games as backups.

I think Gamestop is an atrocious store, but I'd take their overpriced used shit and gutted display copies over digital distribution any day.
 
That article was a fairly sensationalist rant with little to no substance. Most of his time was spent railing on Gamestop's systems rather than showing how the used market, with Gamestop being the biggest player, is killing the industry. Not a single fact in the article, nothing. It's pretty tough to take an article seriously when he says a company that no longer exists is ruining the games industry, at least do the minimum of research and use the proper owner (Gamestop).

[quote name='georox']Either way the developers/publishers/etc. aren't making money, only FailStop. I'd always pirate over buy used on games. I don't approve of supporting FailStops EpicFail system.[/QUOTE]

Failstop....EpicFail system.....hyperbole....
 
[quote name='mogamer']But they are making money. They sold one game and it still only has one owner. It really shouldn't matter how many times it changes hands. While a pirated game never generated any income at all for the publisher/developer.

The biggest question I have for publishers/developers and their asskissing fanboys that never gets answered. Why do you think your product should be immune to basic economic principles? People have bought and sold items far longer than we can imagine. Yet software shouldn't be re-sold when the original user is finished with a particular product. Piracy isn't ok. Someone shouldn't be making copies and selling those copies. I'm talking about the original product that was legally purchased.[/quote]

If Person A bought the game new, the publishers/devs actually got money. Now, Person A trades it into GameStop, Person B buys it used. The publishers/devs see no money off that sale, just as though someone downloaded it. Only difference here is FailStop saw my money this time. Now, I see no intention on supporting only FailStop for its lackluster service and the amount of a pain in the ass the store tends to be, not to mention questionable/shitty condition of the said used games.
 
Comparing piracy and the buying/selling of used goods is crazy. Though you aren't putting anymore money into the pocket of the publishers (as the other poster mentioned, at least there was an original purchase that helped them, unlike piracy, which never helps them...ever), you are still helping the game industry. Like them or not, GameStop is a major cog in the industry.
 
Of course, if the game is in shitty condition, you could, you know, refuse to buy it. Or return it, since EB/GS offers a return policy on used games, just like all other retailers...wait a minute, no one else does?
The age of service is dying. If I need customer assistance or research, I go online. The only service I expect from most places nowadays is "How are you today? Yes, we have that, it's on aisle 4. 42.08 please, thanks, have a nice day."

DD is great for the *industry*. It has the potential to be very bad (ie, removing of control) for the *consumer*.

Reselling used items in no way comes close to piracy. Not for games, not for books, not for houses, not for cars. I think the "It's just like piracy!" argument deserves a Godwin corollary. (That said, of course true "piracy" is immoral, illegal, and unethical, and virtually every argument in support of it boils down to "I'm too cheap to want to pay the asking price.")
 
[quote name='irishsoccermbw']We all know EB/GS aren't the best, but where else can you go and get a copy of Onimusha for Ps2 for 3.99?[/quote]
true, i just bought a copy at Movie Gallery of $5
 
I love when people, in all of their self-righteousness, think they are "saving the industry" by not shopping at EB/Gamestop when they continue to buy/sell on eBay, CAG, pawn shops, yard sales, independently owned used game shops, etc....basically doing the same thing they demonize, cutting out the Publisher/Developer in their transaction....just not with "an evil company".

If EB/Gamestop were to ever fall because people stopped buying/selling games to them, someone else would step up to take over if there was still demand....which from the looks of things will continue to grow.

Get over it.
 
[quote name='georox']If Person A bought the game new, the publishers/devs actually got money. Now, Person A trades it into GameStop, Person B buys it used. The publishers/devs see no money off that sale, just as though someone downloaded it. Only difference here is FailStop saw my money this time. Now, I see no intention on supporting only FailStop for its lackluster service and the amount of a pain in the ass the store tends to be, not to mention questionable/shitty condition of the said used games.[/quote]

Wow, you avoided everything in my post. If one license was sold and only one is held, how is this like piracy? And why shouldn't the re-selling of goods apply to games?

Who care if it's Gamestop doing the re-selling. I could just as easily sell on ebay or craigslist. Would that make it any better?

The game industry wants digital downloads to become the norm because they don't have what it takes to compete with the used market, unlike most other industries.

And geez, how old are you? Your strong opinions make you appear to be working in the industry, but you talk like a 13 year old (Failstop?). I know, maybe your dad works in the video game industry!:lol: With the profits Gamestop makes every year, I sure would like that kind of failure!;)
 
[quote name='mogamer']Wow, you avoided everything in my post. If one license was sold and only one is held, how is this like piracy? And why shouldn't the re-selling of goods apply to games?

Who care if it's Gamestop doing the re-selling. I could just as easily sell on ebay or craigslist. Would that make it any better?

The game industry wants digital downloads to become the norm because they don't have what it takes to compete with the used market, unlike most other industries.

And geez, how old are you? Your strong opinions make you appear to be working in the industry, but you talk like a 13 year old (Failstop?). I know, maybe your dad works in the video game industry!:lol: With the profits Gamestop makes every year, I sure would like that kind of failure!;)[/quote]

I enjoy the random injection of MMO-based humor into random forum posts. Its like a mix of 4chan and the WoW trade channel. I feel it keeps things interesting.

For the record, 19. Nah, no one works in the game industry.

Also to say this again, I don't support *any* used game sales unless for some unknown reason I have no other means to play something, or it comes with some form of bonus I absolutely must have. I prefer not buying used from GameStop, CAG, or eBay. I know I've done it, but its not something I enjoy regularly doing, and once more I only buy from GameStop when they have some sort of promo/exclusive, or its an MMO launch and I need the game day 1, not when the post office happens to deliver.
 
GameStop going out of business because of a radical revision to US Copyright Law's First Sale doctrine would be far far worse for consumers and publishers than the possibility that someone buys the $54.99 used copy of a game than the $59.99 new copy.

Do you REALLY want to turn the gaming market completely over to Wal-Mart/Best Buy/etc.?
 
[quote name='jputahraptor']Um maybe because publishers don't see any revenue when EB sells a used copy of a game to someone who in turns trades it in later and someone else buys the title. If you think about it and it doesn't look like you did, you'd realize that game makers only make money when a new copy is sold and lose revenue when people decide to buy a used copy at EB instead of going to the store like a good little consumer. Now while it isn't illegal and you could always get a used copy another way, say Ebay, it still doesn't help the publisher that may see a high demand for a game but not make as much because EB offers them a cheaper crappier alternative. If EB had to give something to a publisher when they sold the game that would help matters. But since EB exists it does squeeze profits from publishers which means less profit = fewer games and less chances taken hence the glut of sequals. That is how EB hurts the gaming industry. I won't bother arguing the religion part as if you can't handle that concept you probably won't be able to handle two count them two paragraphs of explanation.[/quote]


Publishers not getting the money doesn't mean shit. If I'm giving up a game I no longer want, then I'm entitled to compensation if somebody wants to resume ownership. The product has already been sold. You can't get the same royalties twice for the same sale, in ANY industry.

  • If I sell my Stratus, does Dodge need another cut from the next owner?
  • If I sell all or part of my computer, does anyone get another cut?
  • If I sell (insert 'you get the idea'), etc, etc.
I'm sick and tired of the industry bitching and moaning because they think they're not making what they should be. Piracy doesn't hurt like they say, and neither does used products. Someone getting a used product (or a pirated one, for that matter) doesn't mean the publisher lost out on a sale, it means they didn't have it to begin with.

What about all the clearance stuff we buy? I can guarantee I wouldn't have bought any of these clearance games at regular price, yet by them being clearance and still "new", I'm technically supporting the publishers still (even though they already got their money when the distributor shipped it to the store).

If publishers are really as broke as they claim to be, then they know what they need to do to sell more games. Drop prices and adjust the payout ratio. Of course, this would almost entirely be based on getting the licensor (ie: MS, Sony, Nintendo, etc) to play nice, too, as they have an insanely high cut. The cost to manufacture a videogame is comparable to manufacturing a movie on the same media. As instruction manuals are getting smaller, they're close to the amount of material that comes in a DVD-insert (COD4's manual was a joke; didn't even cover all the controls). A simple universal drop to MSRP $50 would make huge strides, and $40 would pretty much make games affordable for everyone. If they'd stop trying to make more off each sale, they'd more than mke up the difference in quantity.
 
i think this had been discussed here before. its not really new anymore.. one thing is certain is that publishers/developers really do hate the second hand market (particularly gamestop). they are in for the idea of digital distribution since they get a cut for each sale.
 
[quote name='phear3d']i think this had been discussed here before. its not really new anymore.. one thing is certain is that publishers/developers really do hate the second hand market (particularly gamestop). they are in for the idea of digital distribution since they get a cut for each sale.[/QUOTE]

fuck, I'd hate it too if I was them... espicially now that Gamestop keeps handing out 25% off coupons for used games like candy.

I mean, do I go buy Bully for $50, or go take 25% off a $44.99 copy, add in another 10% for Edge, and walk out with a copy for under $35?

I hate Gamestop like nobody's business, but these coupons give you the lowest price bar none on plenty of games, and it's hard to argue with that. Why pay $60 for a game, when you can gets it used for $54.99, slap on a ridiculous number of coupons, and walk away with the same game for $35?

Publishers should probably lower the price on their games before they start bitching about the second hand market, imo. I'm more than willing to give publishers my money when they offer a fair price on their games.
 
OK, so I worked for EB before the merger...and I'm telling you this...GAMESTOP is the one to blame, at least EB gave a shit about the customers...
 
[quote name='rvdrock']OK, so I worked for EB before the merger...and I'm telling you this...GAMESTOP is the one to blame, at least EB gave a shit about the customers...[/quote]

I only know how much I can agree with that, we had an asshat manager at our EB Games who never got fired til the merger. Worked there for years, was a complete dick to customers, didn't know jack about games and was generally always looking for trouble with customers. Many people I know, myself included had complained about him to the corporate level, yet he still had his job.
 
[quote name='rvdrock']OK, so I worked for EB before the merger...and I'm telling you this...GAMESTOP is the one to blame, at least EB gave a shit about the customers...[/quote]

No company cares about customers. They care about making money. EB thought they had a good model to do that, while hopefully appeasing customers, but obviously, they didn't work. GS, on the other hand, has found a model that people bitch and moan about online and, yet, got them record profits last year.
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']No company cares about customers. They care about making money. EB thought they had a good model to do that, while hopefully appeasing customers, but obviously, they didn't work. GS, on the other hand, has found a model that people bitch and moan about online and, yet, got them record profits last year.[/QUOTE]

Because most shoppers are not like us, and actuallly think they are getting a deal by saving 5 bucks off a used copy of a game. The clear majority of GS shoppers dont know about the 25% off coupons that we know about. GS, like most other businesses are in it for the stockholders... Ive heard the manager at one store complain how the company he works for is trying to squeeze every penny they can from their business. Less competition, the more they can dictate things in the marketplace. B2G1 free sales are much less plentiful, the morning EB.com website updates are a thing of the past... sucks really
 
I just hate gamestops business policies...Like selling opened games as new, crappy used game prices. Which is why I do not shop there.

Simple, I buy all my stuff online or at gamecrazy. I wish games were not 60$ though. $40-50 would be alot more reasonable but what can we do?
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']No company cares about customers. They care about making money. EB thought they had a good model to do that, while hopefully appeasing customers, but obviously, they didn't work. GS, on the other hand, has found a model that people bitch and moan about online and, yet, got them record profits last year.[/quote]

Just because Gamestop bought EBGames does not mean it didn't work. There's nothing obvious about something that is not true.
 
[quote name='Rozz']Just because Gamestop bought EBGames does not mean it didn't work. There's nothing obvious about something that is not true.[/quote]

A company doesn't merge and have their identity completely stripped, unless they were in no position to do otherwise. EB obviously had troubles, and GameStop had the upperhand in the merger. So, it was easy for GameStop to merge with them and completely dismantle most of what of some people act like was the greatest thing in the history of the world. Deal with it. Everyone speaks glowingly of EB, but they failed. If their model was so successful. GameStop would have adopted it, as well as the name, similar to what KMart did when acquiring Sears. They didn't. Wonder why? Because obviously market analysis pointed towards no one caring about the EB brand. Also, if EB Games "cared" about customers and wasn't in trouble, like some pretend is the case, then they wouldn't have merged with the big, bad GameStop.
 
[quote name='zman73']GS, like most other businesses are in it for the stockholders... [/quote]

GS, like most companies, are in it for management (AKA the CEO and Execs) and the board of directors (who make chummy deals with management in exchange for big-time deals with their respective businesses/law firms). They only care about stock price because they all own a piece and when it goes higher it means they get richer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top