But What About GAME Australia?

[Trixxter]

I only got lucky once with a trade-in. Bought Wii + games totalled ~400, sold a week prior to Wii-U announcement for 200, bought a PS3 with 10% off. After Wii-U, all Wii's were 200 new, $60 trade in value.

Went to trade in about 10 PS3 Games, some hard to get like the original Monster Hunter, $5-7 tops.

Either way, they're a disgusting rip off, glad I didn't get employed by them.

(now hurry up and sell 3G Vitas for piss all because you're closing down)


I've also noticed A LOT of managers for these stores are both NOT gamers, know shit-all about games, and like Nekosan pointed out, are so narrow-minded. I remember one guy at EB as a manager trying to convince me to buy a 360 instead of my PS3 at the time. I said:

"I'm not buying it because it's a smouldering piece of **** made by microsoft, it's got hardware that's clearly expired years ago, you have to PAY to use your own internet on it, and is full of egotistical retards like yourself who believe the Xbox 360 is the only thing you should need. I'm buying a PS3 because I like the software, I like the games, and because people like you give consoles a bad name in general. Now either sell the damn PS3 to me or I'm buying it at <store name>"

Store B is a local Anime + Games shop. slightly cheaper then EB and GAME, MUCH more friendlier staff. He got butt hurt and gave me 10% off and threw in FF 13 also. >:3

[DodgyGeezer]

People still buy games from shops?

If your target market is people who spend all day in a darkened room wearing underwear, you are never going to compete with a 30 minute download, available any time of the day or night.

And they are never going to compete on price if they have to pay a shopping centre landlord a shitload so that they can spend it all on glitzy lighting and marble floors.

[Makena]

I've bought a few things from GAME, mostly CE's that they end up overstocked with and sell super cheap (Like Lord of the rings war in the north, with the bitchin' Troll figure/statue for $35 delivered), so I for one will be sad to see them go if that happens.

[Ralph Wiggum]

People still buy games from shops?

Stores still cater for the console market which I assume is still largely disc-based unlike PC games. Stores are also a place to buy collectors edition...buying them online can take several weeks to arrive from overseas. Stores are also the place for mainstream shoppers to buy games as presents. I can't imagine your average shopper signing up for Steam in order to 'gift' their favourite grandson a game.

The problem with Game is that it is the runt of the gaming stores. It can't compete with the lower prices of J.B. and doesn't have the established brand of E.B. to pull through. In fact sometimes I wonder whether E.B. will start downsizing stores. Place always seem a lot quieter...

[Bronze_D]

They won't have a choice, i mean come on... we've seen and said this was coming since oh i don't know almost half a decade back?

Ultimately all publishers would rather have the least costly means of delivering their product to maximize their income, and you damn well can't win against digital distribution for that...

All the reasons you mentioned for store? They will eventually be outpaced. Console will eventually get into the act, for reason mentioned above.

Delivery time will eventually be downsized to days or less once they move more stock into local distribution similar to how many stores now work, they have a local stockpile and distribution center and no nationwide storefront, instead relying primarily on online order which have deeper penetration anyway for a fraction of the cost of storefront.

And gifting too will eventually catch up to it either because THIS generation then will be doing the gifting as the average shopper, or because they eventually will streamline the entire process down enough to let just about anyone mouse literate to use it.