Is Gamestop Evil? The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

[Bikeage]

Just went to Gamestop, and after seeing hundreds of PS2 games in envelopes, proceeded to not give a crap. For $4.99 I got Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 1, and a chuckle when I imagined some of you getting all huffy and pissy in a store over them tossing out cases and manuals.

As collectors you should thank Gamestop for doing this, because it will actually make some of these CIB games rare, and maybe actually worth something. In a console generation or two the vast majority of PS2 games are going to be as valuable as loose copies of common 2600 or NES games are now, regardless of how many boxes and manuals Gamestop throws out.

[BurningDoom]

Are we really going to argue semantics and definitions here? The point still stands. Gamestop is without a doubt dominating the specialty gaming store chains. What we're saying is that there are no other options to go to and that sucks. We used to have few different chains in the 80s and 90s.

Dominating? Sure. But there are other options. And you need to stop limiting yourself to specialty stores and start including larger stores like Walmart, Best Buy, and Amazon.

I do use Amazon and eBay pretty regularly, and even Craigslist to a lesser extent. I NEVER buy at big-box stores, because why pay $40-$60 for a new copy when you could pay $5-$30 for a used one? And even for the new copies only type of collectors, your Walmarts and Targets aren't gonna have nearly the selection.

It was good to have options back in the day where I knew I could get used games at a good selection. And it's always a better experience to shop for a game in person than it is online. Are you saying you wouldn't like to have places like Electronics Boutique, FuncoLand, and GameCrazy back?

[final fight cd]

Just went to Gamestop, and after seeing hundreds of PS2 games in envelopes, proceeded to not give a crap. For $4.99 I got Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 1, and a chuckle when I imagined some of you getting all huffy and pissy in a store over them tossing out cases and manuals.

there you go! does the game still play the same without the box and manual?

[CRTGAMER]

Just went to Gamestop, and after seeing hundreds of PS2 games in envelopes, proceeded to not give a crap. For $4.99 I got Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 1, and a chuckle when I imagined some of you getting all huffy and pissy in a store over them tossing out cases and manuals.

As collectors you should thank Gamestop for doing this, because it will actually make some of these CIB games rare, and maybe actually worth something. In a console generation or two the vast majority of PS2 games are going to be as valuable as loose copies of common 2600 or NES games are now, regardless of how many boxes and manuals Gamestop throws out.

I don't care about the value of a rarity going up this way. For me a complete game with the manual to show ALL the features!

[final fight cd]

gradius III?

it isn't like gamestop is the ONLY store that sells ps2 games. if you hate your gamestop why keep going back and supporting them? as somebody else has said, use ebay, amazon, half, craigs, etc.

[CRTGAMER]

gradius III?

it isn't like gamestop is the ONLY store that sells ps2 games. if you hate your gamestop why keep going back and supporting them? as somebody else has said, use ebay, amazon, half, craigs, etc.

You forgot to include Thrift stores, Costco, Play N Trade, Wallymart, Swap Meets and the other dozens of locations. Gamestop has the best used PS2 game prices LOCALLY. I have over 200 PS2 games complete and most were bought used from Gamestop. I'll continue to do so till they run out of CIB.

[final fight cd]

Gamestop has the best used PS2 game prices LOCALLY. I have over 200 PS2 games complete and most were bought used from Gamestop. I'll continue to do so till they run out of CIB.

i can tell by your finds of the day you are you enjoying your gamestop while everybody else is hating theirs.

gamestop is the best place to buy locally, but if i was in a situation where i hated mine i definitely wouldn't be supporting them. i would find an alternate way to obtain the ps2 games i want.

[noiseredux]

Dominating? Sure. But there are other options. And you need to stop limiting yourself to specialty stores and start including larger stores like Walmart, Best Buy, and Amazon.

There's 5 GameStops in my area. Each of them have stores RIGHT NEXT DOOR to them that also sell games (Best Buys, Walmarts, Targets, etc)... so yeah.

[noiseredux]

Gamestop has the best used PS2 game prices LOCALLY. I have over 200 PS2 games complete and most were bought used from Gamestop. I'll continue to do so till they run out of CIB.

i can tell by your finds of the day you are you enjoying your gamestop while everybody else is hating theirs.

gamestop is the best place to buy locally, but if i was in a situation where i hated mine i definitely wouldn't be supporting them. i would find an alternate way to obtain the ps2 games i want.

some of us have no hate for GS. Like CRT, I'm there AT LEAST once a week. Like I said there's five of them in my immediate circle. I tend to make the rounds throughout the month. Though it's certainly not the only place I get my games.

[MrPopo]

Are we really going to argue semantics and definitions here? The point still stands. Gamestop is without a doubt dominating the specialty gaming store chains. What we're saying is that there are no other options to go to and that sucks. We used to have few different chains in the 80s and 90s.

Dominating? Sure. But there are other options. And you need to stop limiting yourself to specialty stores and start including larger stores like Walmart, Best Buy, and Amazon.

I do use Amazon and eBay pretty regularly, and even Craigslist to a lesser extent. I NEVER buy at big-box stores, because why pay $40-$60 for a new copy when you could pay $5-$30 for a used one? And even for the new copies only type of collectors, your Walmarts and Targets aren't gonna have nearly the selection.

It was good to have options back in the day where I knew I could get used games at a good selection. And it's always a better experience to shop for a game in person than it is online. Are you saying you wouldn't like to have places like Electronics Boutique, FuncoLand, and GameCrazy back?

Personally I prefer to buy new as opposed to used. I get used when new isn't available/costs $100+ because the game came out a decade ago.

But to answer your real question, yes, it is better to have options. I'll be the first to agree that Gamestop has an overwhelming majority of the modern used game business. But if you're buying a couple generations back they can't help you. So really they have an overwhelming majority of a specific segment of the used games business. Not really the same thing as a monopoly.

And personally, I love to shop online. I look for people who have good descriptions and can quickly find that copy of Lufia 2 with manual and map for a reasonable enough price. In fact, these days I rarely shop at stores at all. The main thing I purchase in person is hardware supplies because I frequently need them for a project I'm doing right now. With everything else I'm willing to wait the two days for shipping (go go Amazon Prime). I haven't even been to the grocery store in over a year thanks to Amazon Fresh.