Author Topic: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons  (Read 18356 times)

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Offline Rize

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http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blogArt.cfm?artid=16169

 


You want to know what should be a rare occurrence?  Walking into a game retailer and finding that they can't sell you a new game (less than a week old) because they accidentally ran out.  However, it's not a rare occurrence at all.  In fact, if the game isn't Halo 3 and you didn't pre-order, there's an extremely good chance that this will happen.  Why?    


The first problem is that not all publishers offer price protection.  You may be wondering, "What is price protection and why is it important anyway?"  It means that if a retailer orders ten copies of Super Mario Galaxy and only sells five before Nintendo drops the price, Nintendo will credit the retailer money to account for the price cut.  This is a good strategy because it encourages the retailer to stock a lot of copies so that customers can actually buy them.  However, it is something of a risk to Nintendo because it means that they are responsible for every copy of Super Mario Galaxy on shelves rather than letting the game retailers be responsible.  Of course, to minimize this risk, Nintendo only offers this protection to big chains (Wal-Mart, EB Games and so on).  Further minimizing this risk is the fact that physical copies of games cost relatively little to manufacture (the money is mostly in the development time and marketing).    


The really sad thing is that even with that protection in place, retailers still run out of a game quite easily.  Even worse, that protection isn't always available since small publishers can't always afford it.  But do game retailers really need this kind of protection?  I mean, can't they shoulder a bit of the risk themselves to ensure that they actually have product to sell?  And does it always have to be a risk?  You would think that it would be pretty easy to predict that a minimal supply of the latest Castlevania game on the DS isn't going to cut it.  Yet I recall having to drive quite far to pick-up Dawn of Sorrow when it was released (I'm lazy about pre-orders especially when I think they shouldn't be necessary).  It's understandable for a retailer to unexpectedly run out of a game because it came from out of nowhere and earned a lot of incredible reviews, but it's completely unacceptable when the game has a numeral in its title.    


Ah, but why do I worry so much?  The game industry has a solution to this problem.  They simply make us go into their stores twice for each game we want and make us pay for part of the game ahead of time.  And we happily oblige them.  Meanwhile a fan of books or movies can walk into their respective stores and buy their new releases with no fear of the store running out of copies and without placing a pre-order.  In short, I've seen the faces of the morons running the game industry, and they look a lot like us.  Want to do your part to end this stupidity?  Stop pre-ordering games, and if GameStore runs out of their initial shipment before you get a copy, make a point to pick the game up from somewhere else.  That'll show'em.    


Why do I get the feeling that no one else is going to think this is a good idea?


Offline Aero Leviathan

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2008, 06:42:52 PM »
Well, I for one agree completely. I have never pre-ordered a game from a brick-n-mortar, and I never will. It's ridiculous and I don't understand why people stand for it. (I sometimes pre-order when I'm buying online, but only because it costs me no additional effort, unlike having to go to GameStop twice.)

Tangentally related: I am so sick of having GameStop tell me the game 'isn't out until tomorrow', when the release date is today according to the publisher... and then I drive a few more miles to Best Buy and they have a dozen copies on the shelf.

Offline Rize

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #2 on: June 16, 2008, 06:51:33 PM »
*completely forgot about best buy*

*drives to best buy*

Offline NWR_Neal

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #3 on: June 16, 2008, 07:11:23 PM »
I've had this problem recently with Super Dodgeball Brawlers.
I haven't exactly gone crazy about getting this game as I haven't really had the money for it, but I had a good deal of money in giftcards to Best Buy and I wanted to pick up the game. So I went to the two Best Buys that are within 15-20 minutes of my house and checked to see if either one had the game the weekend after it came out. Neither one had it and when I asked, employees were convinced the game had not come or didn't exist.

I hate pre-ordering games and the only time I do it is usually the day before a game comes out at midnight. I did it with Super Smash Bros Brawl and, in all honesty, I didn't have to pre-order it but of course the employees give you the bull about "Well, if you don't pre-order the game, you won't get it."
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Offline NinGurl69 *huggles

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2008, 07:20:31 PM »
Spare me the anecdotal GameStoops stories.

My closest (next town) Best Buy ran out of Hot Fuzz and 300 Special Edition.  Screw the big blue store with the gigantic yellow tag.

"Well, if you don't pre-order the game, you won't get it."

The Wii has a healthy customer base in my neighborhood, so this aptly applies to me.  You happen to live amongst real/next-generation gamers who don't share your interests in kiddee mascot non-fighting-games.
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Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2008, 07:48:52 PM »
I generally only preorder games when I'm already there picking up something else. Since that happens quite a bit I generally have preorders for most of the things I buy without making any extra trips. If I didn't preorder I have 4 GameStops, a Best Buy, a Circuit City, a Toys R Us, a Target, and a Wal Mart all within about a half mile radius not far from my house and usually  at least half of them will have any one game in stock.
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Offline animecyberrat

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2008, 09:49:25 PM »
I have canceled every pre-order I have ever made and bought the game at Target for a lot less a month after said game as come out. I only pre-order a game if it comes with a free gift, but like I said, I get the gift, cancel the pre-order just before and pick the game up at another store.


But I have seen this happen to movies a lot more than it should have. Just 2 weeks ago when my aunt was staying with us we went to see Indiana Jones in the theater. This sparked interest in my parents to watch National Treasure with my aunt who had never seen it and thought it was a similar type of movie. We hit every single store in town and not 1 had a copy of the stupid movie.
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Offline Shift Key

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #7 on: June 16, 2008, 10:18:39 PM »
In short, I've seen the faces of the morons running the game industry, and they look a lot like us. 

No horns? No powerful sulfur odour? No tail?

Offline Rize

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #8 on: June 16, 2008, 10:38:46 PM »
Well, once a game (or movie or book) is rather old or if it has no buzz about it whatsoever, we can't blame vendors for not stocking it.  But failing to have a reasonable supply of the latest Castlevania game during the week it's released (for example) is the moronicity I speak of.

Offline animecyberrat

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #9 on: June 16, 2008, 10:44:20 PM »
where the hell did all that come from? Man I was tired yesterday. I forgot what I wanted to say now but it was not all that garbage.
« Last Edit: June 17, 2008, 01:54:14 PM by animecyberrat »
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Offline Djunknown

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #10 on: June 16, 2008, 10:45:27 PM »
Quote
I mean, can't they shoulder a bit of the risk themselves to ensure that they actually have product to sell?

With Gamestop/EB making record profits for the last few quarters, I'm sure they could do a lot things such as price protection. They could do a lot things actually, but that's another story...
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Offline Plugabugz

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #11 on: June 17, 2008, 06:21:20 AM »
<a href=/blogArt.cfm?artid=16169>http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blogArt.cfm?artid=16169[/url]

  <P>
They simply make us go into their stores twice for each game we want and make us pay for part of the game ahead of time.<P>

Here we don't pay for pre-orders. Only with hardware a £10-£30 deposit goes down which counts towards the cost of the item anyway.

Offline KDR_11k

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #12 on: June 17, 2008, 06:53:37 AM »
Morons, first of which is NoE. Well, okay, at least there's plenty of stock of the three games they want us to buy at 90$ a piece long after everyone else can get it for 20.

Know what? I just opened the NoE website, apparently they give you 50 bonus stars (worth about 12.5 wii points) if you register your intent to buy a specific game on release day with them. Guess they read your article and wanted a piece of the action.

We do have a store that tends to run out of games. It's not Gamestop. It runs out because it's almost always cheaper than the competition and has games on Thursday instead of Friday.

Offline D_Average

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #13 on: June 17, 2008, 01:09:39 PM »
I only pre order if I'm promised a free sticker or something, I mean, who doesn't want stickers?
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Offline Nick DiMola

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #14 on: June 17, 2008, 01:12:53 PM »
I only pre order if I'm promised a free sticker or something, I mean, who doesn't want stickers?

I find that to be true of myself as well. Well, not necessarily a sticker, but any free swag they are willing to give me in exchange for an early $5. Preordering is crap otherwise. I can't think of a single game ever that I couldn't find somewhere on launch day with enough patience. Even if I couldn't find it on launch day, I would just wait because to be quite honest, I have enough other games to play in the meantime.
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Offline Rize

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #15 on: June 17, 2008, 02:02:05 PM »
I hadn't considered the experience in non American locations.  Of course, each culture has it's own ways when it comes to the video game business (which just goes to show you that the companies over here have not stumbled upon some secret formula for greatness; it's just a bunch of random crap that's different everywhere you go).

Offline redgiemental

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #16 on: June 17, 2008, 02:59:40 PM »
Personally I usually only seem to have trouble buying new Wii games and generally not other systems in brick and mortar stores. I don't know wether to blame NOE or maybe its just that Wii has been phenomenally popular. I'm inclined to blame NOE though it seems to happen just a bit too often.

I generally buy games online anyway but sometimes if you have nothing to do on a lazy saturaday and some cash I may buy something the old fashioned way.

Offline Halbred

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #17 on: June 17, 2008, 03:50:49 PM »
I hate GameStop with a passion. The clerks are idiots, they're unaware of what games come out when, they overcharge ($24 for MP2? Really?), and very very often, they simply don't have the games I want. I don't dare divulge how many times I've called them, asking if they had something, hearing that they did, running down there right away, and finding out that no, actually, they DON'T.

So I've stopped supporting the company entirely. The one time I pre-ordered a game from them was online. It was Portrait of Ruin, because I wanted all the awesome bonus swag. And I got it. And it was awesome. But Secret Agent Clank comes with a Clank figure (pre-order only) but I just don't care anymore. I didn't even flinch when they offered that kick-ass bonus stuff for MGS4. I'll just find it somewhere else later.

Best Buy is pretty much my gold standard now, but up here in Alaska it's tough to get games on the release date sometimes. Unless it's an uber-popular title (like MGS4), our stores don't get games for a few days after it's announced in the paper ad.
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Offline Rize

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #18 on: June 17, 2008, 05:40:27 PM »
Yes I generally don't give a damn about special editions these days, but the PoR bonus was too good to pass up.

Offline vudu

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #19 on: June 17, 2008, 05:43:43 PM »
I'm in the same boat with the PoR preorder bonus.  Unfortunately, I'm so OC I haven't even opened it up for fear of ... I don't know.  I wonder if it's worth anything.
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Offline Halbred

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #20 on: June 17, 2008, 06:33:18 PM »
Dude, just open it. It's a CD and an art book. And there's a little DS card case that's perfect for travel.
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Offline Rize

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #21 on: June 17, 2008, 07:24:46 PM »
castlevania is way to popular for that to ever be worth anything because a bunch of people are doing the same thing you're doing (and would you sell it anyway?)  might as well open it and enjoy the art book.

what if it was worth 200 bucks 10 years from now?  it's not going to change your life.

Offline vudu

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #22 on: June 17, 2008, 08:10:26 PM »
It's not that I expect it to be worth anything.  It's just that I really don't need any more "stuff".  So I keep it locked up so as not to clutter up my place.  I downloaded the art book and time line when it first came out, and don't really have much interest in the soundtrack.
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Offline TheFleece

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #23 on: June 17, 2008, 08:58:04 PM »
I live in New York where mom and pop game shops are very far and in between. I have the advantage of being around the Nintendo Store so if they do an event for a title I like I will go a head and preorder, but I've only done it through them. Every other game store can suck it, the way they treat customers in general is bad.
When No More Heroes came out I had to walk through most of Manhattan, hit up about 5 stores and finally got mine after all the  chains told me I had to preorder it- and the Nintendo Store didn't even stock it the day it came out.
If I don't preorder a title that I want and I can't get it. I bite the bullet, wait and then act when the world's got their back turned. That's how I got Wii Fit :P
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Offline Shecky

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Re: The Game Industry is Run by MoronsThe Game Industry is Run by Morons
« Reply #24 on: June 17, 2008, 11:27:23 PM »
You should have tried to buy Worms 2 for the DS.  Not even the Best Buys stocked that game.  EB got *1* and is the only proof I had of any brick-n-mortar store having any stock of the title.  Had to buy it online at Walmart.com (well that was the cheapest choice with in store delivery available).