GameStop: Evil Empire or Gentle Giant Pt. 2

GameStop: Evil Empire or Gentile Giant Pt. 2

In my previous post I discussed the dark side of the gaming giant GameStop. In this article I will be discussing how GameStop has been making great strides lately to become more appealing to customers looking to trade in their games. As I said before GS is a corporation that is looking to make money and stay ahead of its competition. Given that there seems to be an awaking around the decision table to go in the opposite direction: the light side.

Let's try to suck significantly less.

In the past you only got a really great deal on trades if you took in-store credit and then on top of that put that credit toward either a new title or reserved a game coming out. If you were trading in your gaming library thinking that you would get a fat wad of cash to pay your bills you would be severely disappointed. Now GS is looking into rehabilitate their confusing system of trades, which previously used an algorithm that would make Stephen Hawking question all his work on gravitational singularity theorems. Not only is GS simplifying its trade in system it will now offer 20% more for trades as well, so a game that you would get $20 for you now will get $24. These changes to GS policy signifies that not only do they want clear the air with their customers but that they are also willing to show value regardless of whether you are selling or purchasing a product.

New and simplified trade-in system.

GameStop is a store that already has value in the fact that it is a specialty store and I think that is often overlooked. I would prefer to buy games there then visit any of the other big box stores who have a broader inventory. At least at GS you are being badgered about games, which is something I just so happen to be interested in, instead of satellite TV at Best Buy, something that I couldn't give the smallest fudge about. That's the value here. You walk in the door for games and that is what you get, an entire store filled with games. If you think about it, what GS is doing isn't really being done by any one else. Most other stores that just so happen to carry video games are usually more concerned with selling their big ticket items than a video game. GS on the other hand wants you to bring in your games that you aren't playing, they attach a value to them (where before they were just good for keeping dust off that one section of you entertainment center), and they let you use that to get another game. In my experience this cycle of trading and buying repeats itself indefinitely and really if you think about the money that is being saved by keeping that investment on games in games is pretty substantial. Now that I think about it, in my entire gaming life, which so happens to be my entire life, I have never had to pay full price for a game thanks to this system. If GS gets a little kickback off of this system so they can sustain their business then it's fine by me.

"Pre-order Destiny? Nah. What you need is this shitty iPad rip-off."

One of the things that makes GameStop awesome is something that I may have mentioned earlier as an issue but really can be seen from both sides. That "issue" is exclusives. This is really a topic that is a double edged sword because on one hand it's creating content that only certain people can take advantage of but on the other hand if you are one of those people your reward is often great. Pre-orders, often used as a dipstick for how a game's retail success might play out, are the largest contributor of exclusives. They play into the fact that every gamer, at our core, are loot junkies. Getting rewarded for doing something as easy as paying $5 towards a game you already know you are going to buy is a no-brainer. Often the rewards for doing so are pretty cool and are often the best at GameStop. 

Loot! Glorious loot!

GameStop at this point is akin to The Guardians of the Galaxy in that the direction that they are taking their company is something bad, something good, a little bit of both. Personally for me I will continue to visit my local GS store and give them my business because I see value in their system of getting more games by selling the games I already have and getting a good deal. What do you think about how GameStop runs their business? Are they an evil corporation bent on seeing the video game world burn or are they industry pioneers who want to bring the joy of gaming to every household? Let the entire inter-webs know in the comments below.

-Demo

for more gaming related rants visit kotaku.com