Our source also says to take it with a grain of salt: Apparently a similar experiment was tried in San Francisco and ended up going away as quickly as it popped up. But still, video games are moving more and move into online sales. It would make sense for Gamestop to reach out to the tabletop market, especially since there are boardgames based on Halo, Gears of War and Bioshock out or coming out soon.
So what do you all think: GenCon stunt, or a peek into the future of Gamestop? And what will this mean for your local game shop?
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I don't see this experiment going very far. Most tabletop gamers give their patronage to privately owned stores, and would not likely leave them for a corporate giant that has proven itself fickle and overcharges on used games. Most of GameStop's capital comes from used games, and I'm pretty sure most tabletop gamers don't want to part with the majority of theirs. Also, used tabletop games aren't usually good quality, and that's what I (as a tabletop gamer) would want.
ReplyDeleteLong story short: a flop of an experiment.
I agree with you - but then again, Barnes and Noble has sold these games for years. The casuals may buy them at a Gamestop, too. It's hard to say without seeing any sales numbers from this GenCon experiment.
ReplyDelete