tbh im suprised high street game stores still exist, when u can just buy cd keys online etc, for console games you got amazon,ebay, etc, its no suprise they are laying people off cos its easier to just buy a game online or download it from the consoles digital store without leaving your house.

like i said high street gaming stores are redundent they are the remnants of a past pre internet gaming era, unless they sell other shit other than games there just gonna lose money

and tbh if you wanna complain about people losing there jobs, then america should actually change there shitty employment culture, compared to the EU, US education and employment is a complete joke

As I said, some of us like being able to go and get it the same day, and also some of us like physical copies as the ones tied to the console usually aren't as "permanent" as the physical editions one can buy.

Then there's the percentage of people like me & others who like going to stores for the experience...same with record/video store connoisseurs.

They were busier and more fun back when they sold more older games for low prices, and the kitsch they now sell is overpriced to a degree.

i get people like physical copies, alot of people tend to buy collectors editions physically cos they actually worth more money over time like classic wow collectors edition sells for thousands on ebay cos of how rare they are. but to get your physical game you have to spend money to get there and come back be it on petrol or bus fare, where as digitally you just pay like £4 postage or if u buy on hte digital stores of consoles it would be about a £10 premium cos of convienience

And some people want to be able to go a store and rent a movie to watch for the week. Tell that to Blockbuster.

I don't get your point. Are you saying a big corporation like GameStop intentionally shifted away from selling physical copies of PC games and older games despite the fact that they are apparently hugely profitable, because...they're big old meanies who don't want to earn the big bucks?

In my part of the world they are shutting down shops en masse. Surprised they did not do this a year ago.

Blockbuster's problem(business sense wise) was they didn't innovate and it cost them. They also over extended themselves with way too many stores.

No they wanted fast easy money from newer game and console sales(and sales of toys/etc)...they got that, but people only want so many knick knacks(and mainly come to game stores for games) & new game and console sales alone cannot sustain that model long term like selling older games alongside newer ones did(and could if they went back to it in their stores).

They also over extended themselves with too many stores/acquiring other businesses, but that's more of an aside.
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They are doing more sales in-store, and trying new things, but who knows if it'll keep them afloat.

One can also now skip the magazine and opt for their digital magazine(which they push via the cheaper option for their rewards programs) instead, showing they are obviously a bit desperate.

A link to a news post about the shutdown: https://gamerant.com/gamestop-shutting-down-several-stores-in-europe/

Thanks

"The retailer has blamed its financial woes on the PS5 and Xbox Project Scarlett, saying that sales of the PS4 and Xbox One have fallen as gamers wait for the new consoles."

Lol, so by that I guess them not selling many other games BESIDES the hottest titles for XB1/PS4/Switch was such a good idea. Who would have thought? *rolleyes*

At this point I wouldn't be shocked if they moved to mainly online sales of physical copies like eBay/Amazon/etc at some point.

It was recently in the news that GameStop will shut down all the retail stores in Finland (and other Nordic countries IIRC). Was it in 2020. EDIT: Ah ok you linked to the news about that.

I know there is or was one GameStop store at Sello (Leppävaara, Espoo), no idea if it is still there. I think I have even bought something from there years ago, a Hitman collection (1-4) for 9 euros. If only had I known back then the games will appear also on GOG, even if Blood Money took some time to appear here...

Something I was never quite able to comprehend: Why in the hell would anyone in their right mind want to buy a grimy, repulsive used copy that some inbred hick probably used as a coaster for his beer (or used it to scratch his ass crack because he couldn't reach it with his fingers) before deciding to retire that filthy, cum-and-smegma-stain-covered thing and its crumpled up manual (if you're lucky enough to even get a manual!) from its part time job as a kitty litter shovel and trade it in at his local GameStop for pennies while the doofus acne-faced couldn't-get-a-job-at-McDonald's-because-he'd-scare-away-the-customers minimum wage GameStop employee decided that this skating rink of a disc still might just play, so they'll simply resell the unholy thing at full retail price.

I don't get it. WHY? I'm not surprised that GameStop is going under, I'm surprised anyone would want to buy there in the first place. Even in the early 2000s, when retail copies for PC games were still a thing, you'd be better off just buying the things at fricken' Wal-Mart!

Your slightly hyperbolic descriptions of used gamestop copies aside, some of us like saving(or need to save) a buck while also getting a game that plays at the same time(or doing such while also not giving money to a dev for some reason in some cases).

Yes, some discs COULD be in very poor condition, but that's why one should/would check for the best quality copies beforehand while at the store....it was/is often like a treasure hunt of sorts, and is not limited to just used game buying.

As for the "quality"(as described above in a way) of used game copies: Same with everything else, anything you buy used could've been subjected to anything...cars/furniture/clothes/etc....unless one is a "germophobe"/etc they shouldn't/won't fret over such in most cases(unless the disc is literally covered in "filth" of similar) and just enjoy life/what they are going to buy.

And also, not all game copies were subjected to the same treatment.... many people treat their games very well for resale value and as a point of pride/etc.....so many discs will likely not have been subjected to the moderately gross treatments you list above. :)

(Also why buy at Walmart? They are just as bad corporate practice wise, and the new games are usually overpriced in many cases)

Addition: Gamestop doesn't sell games for full price used, btw(unless you were also being hyperbolic with that bit)...they often sell for somewhat lower to entice people to buy used, and they also have sales as well from time to time on said used games which lowers the price even further. Add to that the customer rewards discounts and it becomes a rather enticing option for some of us.

Not completely sure if you are being sarcastic or just bashing the used game pricing model.
However, the are good reasons to buy used games, there are a lot of games that can't be bought anywhere else, like Metal Gear Solid 2, Black and White or Richard Burns Rally, even with "filthy, cum-and-smegma-stain-covered thing".

Even discs that are a bit dirty(not that kind of dirty but regular dirt and crud) I would be happy to wipe clean if I could then own and play them.....it's not like people have to put said discs in their mouths. :)

Sorry, I still don't get your point. What does selling older games have to do with only thinking short term? One is not related to the other.
If I stocked up on older games, I would have no more of a consistent flow of money, in fact, quite the opposite. People regularly wish to buy new games, people do not regularly wish to buy old games.
If I stocked up on 200 PS3 games, for example, I may get perhaps 1 customer a week who was interested in a PS3 game. It would take me almost 4 years to sell all those games, and if I was in financial trouble, having stocked up on PS3 games would in no way have benefited me (in fact, it would have been wasted money if I specially bought those games, rather than had them as leftover stock from when PS3 games were new). In fact, 2 years from now, I'd be lucky if I even got 1 customer a month for those PS3 games.

I say again, people who seek out old games (especially old console games) are a niche, not a norm. You can have shops that target niche markets, such as those boutique shops that sell "retro" games and consoles at a marked up premium (along with t-shirts and figurines and knick-knacks), but even those would be in larger cities with bigger and more diverse populations, not in smaller cities or towns.