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Gaming The GAME Group: is there any hope left?

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by brumgrunt, 16 Mar 2012.

  1. The Infamous Mr D

    The Infamous Mr D Minimodder

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    I used to work for GAME many years ago, back when it was Electronics Boutique. It was far and away the best job I ever had. I saw the companies rebrand into a single entity and the launches of the N64, PS2, Xbox and Gamecube. Those were some lucrative times. I really feel for those great people who work in GAME who are gamers themselves and live and breathe gaming.

    The problem in my mind for GAME is that they made the majority of their income from preowned games and consoles. Often we'd be looking to make 40% margin, occasionally even higher. In an economically sound time, games are bought, sold and rebought at a very high rate of knots. Nice big juicy margins. When there's a recession on, the purse strings often tighten and GAME sees less activity and much less margin on their preowned. Selling the new consoles and games makes a pittance, and GAME overegged their basket. It's been a recipe for disaster.
     
  2. Star*Dagger

    Star*Dagger What's a Dremel?

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    Games should not be physical, just downloaded via Steam.

    S*D
     
  3. Kiytan

    Kiytan Shiny

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    It still amazed me GAME never capitalized on what it had, physical presence. Throw some consoles and demo's into the shops, get bigger prettier boxes, things like that, give people a reason to go there.

    Like if you walk into a games workshop, they have all the stuff painted and on display, with all the interesting boards and games going on and things.
     
  4. Jehla

    Jehla Minimodder

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  5. javaman

    javaman May irritate Eyes

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    Basically Game needed to offer something since it couldn't offer price. How many people got advice then bought online? I agree they needed to offer more for and raise perceived value. Why pay more to get the same or less? Downloads avoid DRM, the killer of the physical media in the PC market IMO. I've been stung so badly with it I won't buy a boxed game. EA has done nothing to promote trust so I won't use origin for that reason. Game, needed to promote trust (not just out to raid you wallet), offer something else since they couldn't offer low costs.
    Maybe second hand games would of saved them but they got greedy there and when you could sell your games on play or ebay for double what they offered, whats the point? They should of let people sell their games instore, and taken a cut rather than buying/reselling. They had the hp problem, no innovation or direction and denial about the current market.
     
  6. Havalynii

    Havalynii What's a Dremel?

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    This. Capitalism kills those who can't compete for the cash. Sounds like a win for the consumer.
     
  7. Ferrero94

    Ferrero94 What's a Dremel?

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    I Bid £1.
     
  8. rollo

    rollo Modder

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    game drove away 1/3rd of market when pc games went bye bye.

    Now microsoft and sony are killing game itself

    They rely alot on there second hand games to make cash, Most developers are sticking in 1 time codes that you need to play online with, No code no online access. Console people buy games to play online mostly, as the recession has hit home and EA and company have started to increase this anti second hand stance, Games profits have nosedived. They just have way too many stores in most places way overstretched themselves on the theory that the second hand market would never be killed off.

    In the newcastle alone they have 3 game stores, metrocentre 2, Just no need for it at all.

    rumors are the xbox720 ( whatever its called ) will be download only in 2 years time would not come as a huge shock to me, Microsoft controls all profits and prices sounds like win to them lose to us.

    Sony will stick with blue ray but even they have a wide range of games on there online psn shop for sale that you can download.

    Retail is a dieing trade and it has been for years. wollys should of showed people that. List of major retail companys to go bust since wollys is a big list and getting bigger.

    HMV is next to disapear, Theres no self owned game shops no more they just dont exist game killed them all, Now steam and company are killing them, Part of me says thats justice for ya.

    Feel sorry for those that work there, But half of them will be unemployed in 21 days ( 7 days now for admin 14 till then admin shuts shops and sells the profitable stuff ) No chance game survives in its current form, Its just too big to save with too much debt and no supplier confidence in the brand.
     
  9. Brooxy

    Brooxy Loser of the Game

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    So if they can't fix it, we all lose the game? /troll
     
  10. woods

    woods What's a Dremel?

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    My local Game store, Colchester, ain't that bad I've bought around 30 pc games from them in the last 3 years and will be gutted to see them close. They have always had what I wanted in stock at a fair price except once for Resiodent Evil 5 but it was about 2 years after it came out
     
  11. Cleggmeister

    Cleggmeister Of reasonable knowledge...

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    Retail is not dying. Mediocre retail is dying, and that's different.

    GAME has done the hard work; their people are pleasant, salesworthy, knowledgeable and, most importantly, enthusiastic about what they do. The failing is within the proposition that GAME brings, and their board is responsible for that.

    I wish every success to the shop staff from GAME - their guys are the best in the business. Their board should wise up very quickly to retail.
     
  12. SexyHyde

    SexyHyde Minimodder

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    See i felt sorry for all the self owned stores that went out of business because GAME used its size so there was NO WAY they could compete. I brought all my saturn games from them but after they killed the self owned stores their prices steadily increased then the dreamcast came out and i haven't looked back from online shopping.
    All you people that say GAME staff are great must be lucky or not very observant. my local stores have no knowledge of the broader games environment, just seemed to be programmed with games to push, taking ages to serve, often two people flicking cases while one person works the till as slow as possible. There are plenty of jobs out there paying the same money for equally meaningless work.

    "Goodbye GAME! *waving* say Hi to Woolworths from me!" .I'm going to support my various e-retailers (try to use small or local firms first) as well as steam when they have sales.
     
  13. SoulRider

    SoulRider What's a Dremel?

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    Nothing to really add, other than that Gamestation is in CMK shopping centre, and about 200yards to the right, on the opposite side of the walk is Game :)
     
  14. Hovis

    Hovis What's a Dremel?

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    This is really sad, but mourning the high street games retailer in this economic climate is like mourning the collapse of the ear trumpet industry. Gets to a point when a business model becomes outmoded and from there it's only a matter of time.
     
  15. Xunsu

    Xunsu What's a Dremel?

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    I would like to support them ( the employees) because they do not need to pay for the ignorance of the higher ups. however yet again its them stopping me, RRP prices ? hmm

    Also nothing really interests me at this moment, I ll have a look in my local one again see if I can pick up anything.

    Pretty much now it seems I ll be using amazon for CD based games ( if they under cut steam and orgien)
     
  16. Lethal

    Lethal What's a Dremel?

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    My brother is the manager of one of the stores; and he is not surprised. The company have been awful to him, and is currently looking for jobs (still; but with the state of England at the moment it looks like he won't get one). One thing that amazes me is this: There is a local shop down my road that has been selling video games etc ever since I was born in the mid 80's (probably been there longer than that), it's hardly ever busy in there (in fact I think I have only been in there 3 times in my entire life); so I don't know how it gets its business. But yet, that tiny shop has been able to survive all these years and yet a big retail company can't survive (even with me contributing to probably £1000+ in games and consoles over the years).

    Just reading some other comments, I think I read that someone is amazed that they don't do demostrations in store; well they did. But most of them pulled out because every lunch time local college kids; school kids would come into the store and play the games.

    Would like to add, this is a sign that digital retailers need to change things. DVD's and CD's will be next, so watch out HMV. Why bother going to a shop when it can be bought online for cheaper. The point of a shop is to see and hold your product and test it out. But if it is all digital all you are touching is a plastic box. People would go into HMV to listen to the tracks they might want to buy, but you can do that online now. DVD's you can read reviews, watch videos of it online etc, the same for what happened to games. The only thing that will probably survive is electronic hardware (ie Mobile phones, tv's etc). People want to be able to touch and see them in person, and obviously clothes etc.
     
  17. uz1_l0v3r

    uz1_l0v3r What's a Dremel?

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    Erm, you do know you can buy games from the likes of Amazon and have them delivered?
     
  18. Gradius

    Gradius IT Consultant

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    Trully a "game over" here.
     
  19. B1GBUD

    B1GBUD ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Accidentally Funny

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    I won't miss the jumped up little pr!ck of a manager from the Guildford Game branch, the little sh!t had no idea about customer services. I've got a good mind to stand outside the branch come closing down day and wave him off.... good riddance.

    It is a shame about the rest of the helpful staff as they generally did have some redeeming qualities.
     
  20. Niftyrat

    Niftyrat Dremel overpriced like EA games

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    Looking at the comments it appears that there are mixed feelings regarding the loss of GAME, I certainly feel that way, I go in regularly for a look around but have never felt catered for (mostly pc gamer. Not a problem with the staff who clearly in my local game play a lot of console fps' (well that is what they know about) but there problem clearly lies in a sell few at high margin approach that the board have taken over the years, prices seem to rarely drop and even on second hand games that are old (2 - 3 years) they are still looking to make £20-£25 which is just not feasible.

    Heck if you want Mario kart for the ds (not the new one the one before) it is £27.99 and that was released about 5 years ago, I got it online for £14.99. It is this sort of rubbish pricin that causes people to look elsewhere in the current climate.

    hopefully they will have a massive closing down sale and I can bag a bargain or two, pay off the old debts and then reopen as a new store employing the same staff but with a different strategy.
     
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