I think there is something to this. Family video experienced a similar boon until Covid. If I understand the benefit it comes down to this: retail is disrupted by digital/online but isn't erased. Family video was able to see a small but steadily increasing retail rental business while blockbuster Hollywood video et al were crumbling under their own weight and also under wall street pressure.The idea I've seen is that Ryan Cohen just reinvent the online market (just look what this guy did with chewy), GameStop closes unprofitable stores, rest of stores become a hub of electronics, TVs, PC parts, consoles can even assemble PC live there in a table.
Their digital sales is still where it's at, +-250% growth year over year, and without Cohen.
GameStop isn't Hollywood video, as the whole stock thread indicates: one is public and one is private. That said the short squeeze is a similar people that think their smart got too smart and didn't look at the GameStop business as objectively as they could and believes the story of digital transition B&M can't do anything but die story.
again I'm a stock-curious 30something newb. I don't know anything and am trying to understand it.