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[frankie_baby]

There's nowhere on the highstreet to go to get games after Game and Gamestation go under. Then what?

Even if they go under some sort of chain of video game stores will rise from the ashes despite their troubles they do still bring in huge revenues its as i've said before the costs of running 2 or even 3 shops in every town is ridiculous, bankruptcy will probably be the best thing for them (apart from all the people that will unfortunately lose their jobs)

 

[blazeuk]

There's nowhere on the highstreet to go to get games after Game and Gamestation go under. Then what?

There will no doubt be a couple of companies willing to take a chance on dominating the highstreet in that area. They may not turn into dedicated stores, but people will be willing to chance it for the potential profits. Anyone attempting to fill the gap would likely be retailers already selling games who would just devote more shelf space to it.

Alot of highstreet stores are struggling though, as above, online shopping is taking over, so it just wouldnt be wise to take it on at the scale GAME are/were trying to do on the highstreet (but then its always been obvious that the GAME group had far too many stores, even before internet shopping became as big as it has).

 

[Ghost]

I'd love to read an explanation of GAMEs business plan over the last 10 years.

It never made any sense to me why they bought EB and then Gamestation and didn't close any stores.

 

[Suairyu]

There's nowhere on the highstreet to go to get games after Game and Gamestation go under. Then what?

Did HMV suddenly vanish as well?

 

[frankie_baby]

I'd love to read an explanation of GAMEs business plan over the last 10 years.

It never made any sense to me why they bought EB and then Gamestation and didn't close any stores.

Firstly it was eb that bought game but decidedd to go with the game brand name,

You cant just close shops whenever you feel like it, there will be fixed term leases with the landlords meaning there is no point closing til the lease runs out (usually years with shops)

 

[JonathanEx]

Which'd be why there's a set of 50 or so closures the day before rent bill.

And theoretically, GAME and GameStation aim for different target markets.

 

[Adam Scott Aukerman]

Did HMV suddenly vanish as well?

HMV aren't everywhere. My nearest branch is 15 miles away.

 

[Suairyu]

HMV aren't everywhere.

Right but they're more synonymous with entertainment than GAME or Gamestation. I don't understand how "HMV aren't everywhere" translates to "nowhere on the high street to buy games"

 

[Danj]

Yeah, thousands of good staff are going to lose their jobs, but as long as you get cheap games then its OK.

Excuse me but where exactly did I say I thought it was OK? It's not OK, but right now they need 180 million quid and even if every GAFfer put in a fiver in a donation pot it wouldn't even make the barest fraction of a percent of that.

Also, I'd like to state that I'm not part of the crowd wanting to get stuff cheap so they can sell it on at a profit either. I want a cheap PS3 because I don't own a PS3 and haven't been able to afford one so far because Sony have been extra stingy with price cuts in comparison to Microsoft. I don't see that as a bad thing. And before you say "oh get a job" I have a job, and I've just recently successfully argued my bank into giving me a loan to consolidate my major debts, so in 7 years' time my finances will be in excellent shape.

 

[Danj]

Did HMV suddenly vanish as well?

I've got to say, HMV do have a really good selection of games (at least if the Cambridge branch is representative). Obviously they don't do much in the PC category but they had quite a few shelves of 360 and PS3 titles in addition to the expected chart games display. And while their prices won't beat ASDA or online stores, more often than not they were better than GAME's.

 

[Jackpot]

Went back to my local Gamestation. They've marked stuff down but the prices are still atrocious. Who are they trying to compete against?

 

[Ravensmash]

I've got to say, HMV do have a really good selection of games (at least if the Cambridge branch is representative). Obviously they don't do much in the PC category but they had quite a few shelves of 360 and PS3 titles in addition to the expected chart games display. And while their prices won't beat ASDA or online stores, more often than not they were better than GAME's.

HMV had an excellent selection when I last went in; lots of new and preowned titles, all arranged well in alphabetical order alongside a chart.

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

Yeah, thousands of good staff are going to lose their jobs, but as long as you get cheap games then its OK.

I'll be honest, I give much less of a shit about Game staff losing their jobs than I do about layoffs from Bizarre / Rare / Codemasters / Frontier / Monumental / Sony Cambridge / etc etc etc

 

[Adam Scott Aukerman]

Right but they're more synonymous with entertainment than GAME or Gamestation. I don't understand how "HMV aren't everywhere" translates to "nowhere on the high street to buy games"

Allow me to translate: Where i live, the only place to buy games in the town centre that isn't a cash converters (or similar) are game and gamestation.

 

[Danj]

I'll be honest, I give much less of a shit about Game staff losing their jobs than I do about layoffs from Bizarre / Rare / Codemasters / Frontier / Monumental / Sony Cambridge / etc etc etc

What annoys me is there seems to be this assumption that I am some on-high muckety-muck who doesn't know anything about the "real" world, but the truth is before I had my current job, I worked in several small retail places, and although they were computer shops rather than games shops I know exactly what it's like when the place you work for goes out of business. So anyone who thinks I am unsympathetic should rethink their position.

 

[Joel Was Right]

Can anyone explain to me how online retailers like ShopTo are able to offer cheaper prices for their inventory than high street stores? Do publishers sell them the stock at the same price? Do GAME just want to increase their profit margins and so increase the price on the consumer end?

What kind of stupid price model is it to have pre-owned games more expensive than brand new copies being sold online

 

[ScreenSplitter]

Can anyone explain to me how online retailers like ShopTo are able to offer cheaper prices for their inventory than high street stores? Do publishers sell them the stock at the same price? Do GAME just want to increase their profit margins and so increase the price on the consumer end?

What kind of stupid price model is it to have pre-owned games more expensive than brand new copies being sold online

There's only so many bullshit reasons for high prices GAME can give, but at the end of the day it's "because they can". Simple as.

 

[no angel]

Can anyone explain to me how online retailers like ShopTo are able to offer cheaper prices for their inventory than high street stores? Do publishers sell them the stock at the same price? Do GAME just want to increase their profit margins and so increase the price on the consumer end?

What kind of stupid price model is it to have pre-owned games more expensive than brand new copies being sold online

Lower overheads - rent, no sales assistants, etc. Game could've countered this by adding value to shopping at bricks and mortar, things like knowledgable, informed staff, demo kiosks etc but they didn't. High street retailers need to evolve if they want to remain meaningful, Game are a really good example of what not to do.

Edit

Plus as above, game just had their head up their arse and did it because in the past they got away with it. The market changed and they didn't/couldn't.

 

[Linkified]

Can anyone explain to me how online retailers like ShopTo are able to offer cheaper prices for their inventory than high street stores? Do publishers sell them the stock at the same price? Do GAME just want to increase their profit margins and so increase the price on the consumer end?

What kind of stupid price model is it to have pre-owned games more expensive than brand new copies being sold online

They don't have thousansds of buildings that they have to pay rent, utilities, etc. Plus Shopto as much as I hate the place, they are also a distributor to usually ebay sellers as well.

It would be like if GEM or CentreSoft owned Game you would get naturally cheaper prices.

 

[Zizbuka]

Can one of the UKers tell me what highstreet means.

 

[frankie_baby]

Can one of the UKers tell me what highstreet means.

Town centre, where the shops are

 

[Zizbuka]

Town centre, where the shops are

So what we call strip mall........... Interesting

 

[herod]

I thought it meant 'Main St'.

 

[frankie_baby]

So what we call strip mall........... Interesting

I guess tho it is also used as a euphomisum for shops in general even ones that are in shopping centres (malls to you)

 

[ScreenSplitter]

So what we call strip mall........... Interesting

Is it just me who thinks strip mall sounds like a large collection of strip clubs?

 

[Linkified]

So what we call strip mall........... Interesting

No think more main street, rather than a strip mall.

 

[Jackpot]

Can one of the UKers tell me what highstreet means.

downtown.

 

[checkeredknight]

I'll be honest, I give much less of a shit about Game staff losing their jobs than I do about layoffs from Bizarre / Rare / Codemasters / Frontier / Monumental / Sony Cambridge / etc etc etc

What's the difference? A job is a job. Only, with people having "worked at Bizarre / Rare etc." on their CV they have a lot better chance of landing another job than "worked at GameStation." I'm worried about not getting paid at the end of this month (meaning I can't pay rent), but it's good to know that people care more for the workers at bigger companies who are paid a much higher wage than us. I feel bad for them too, I just think that's a very unfair statement. :/

 

[ScreenSplitter]

What's the difference? A job is a job. Only, with people having "worked at Bizarre / Rare etc." on their CV they have a lot better chance of landing another job than "worked at GameStation." I'm worried about not getting paid at the end of this month (meaning I can't pay rent), but it's good to know that people care more for the workers at bigger companies who are paid a much better wage than us. :/

Ignore Mr. Fuckwit. Clearly doesn't understand that green paper we have to give to people to y'know, live and stuff.

 

[Little Old Man]

So what we call strip mall........... Interesting

Nah, from what I see on Wiki, a strip mall is what in the UK we call a retail park: an out of town/city centre shopping area with free parking.

Main street seems more like a high street to me.

 

[Psychotext]

They don't have thousansds of buildings that they have to pay rent, utilities, etc.

The rent on those places is absolutely obscene too. It's no wonder so many high street shops are having to close down.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

Ignore Mr. Fuckwit.

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

What's the difference? A job is a job. Only, with people having "worked at Bizarre / Rare etc." on their CV they have a lot better chance of landing another job than "worked at GameStation." I'm worried about not getting paid at the end of this month (meaning I can't pay rent), but it's good to know that people care more for the workers at bigger companies who are paid a much higher wage than us. I feel bad for them too, I just think that's a very unfair statement. :/

Staff working on a mostly short term basis (or if you prefer 'a job' rather than 'a career') with little in the way of dependencies (the majority of staff are young and earning for themselves rather than supporting families) are less concerning to me of the state of the industry than trained professionals supporting families being made redundant and either going abroad or leaving the industry entirely.

I'm not entirely unsympathetic to being made redundant - I've been there myself - but you (and most Game staff) are young, and there is not a lot of difference between selling games in a retail shop and selling any other product at retail; people walk into a shop to buy things, and you hand them over and take the cash.

Retail is retail.

But, sorry, I find it more worrying if the 'industrial' part of the chain - the part that actually makes the items sold at retail - is in trouble, because that is much worse for the industry as a whole; fewer British studios making games, means fewer British games, means fewer British jobs in the entire ecosystem, at every level.

Whether thats coders, designers, graphics artists, website developers, publishers, marketing and PR, manufacturing, transport and logistics, or - at the very bottom of that 'food chain' - retail staff.

Fewer jobs at the 'top' of that food chain means fewer jobs everywhere else along it.

So sorry, yes, I do consider retail staff being made redundant less important than development studios being shut down.

You're going to bounce back quicker (even if you don't get to specifically sell games anymore, people always want to buy something and there will always be retail jobs) and your personal loss is less important in many ways to losses at a higher level in the industry.

Ignore Mr. Fuckwit. Clearly doesn't understand that green paper we have to give to people to y'know, live and stuff.

Thanks for addressing a post with a personal insult rather than a point.
I'm sure you have a long posting career ahead of you if you keep it up.

 

[Little Old Man]

The rent on those places is absolutely obscene too. It's no wonder so many high street shops are having to close down.

That or the lease is slightly cheaper, but for an indefinite period. So if the high street is contracting as much as it is, they are all but impossible to shift on to another company.

 

[frankie_baby]

Staff working on a mostly short term basis (or if you prefer 'a job' rather than 'a career') with little in the way of dependencies (the majority of staff are young and earning for themselves rather than supporting families) are less concerning to me of the state of the industry than trained professionals supporting families being made redundant and either going abroad or leaving the industry entirely.

I'm not entirely unsympathetic to being made redundant - I've been there myself - but you (and most Game staff) are young, and there is not a lot of difference between selling games in a retail shop and selling any other product at retail; people walk into a shop to buy things, and you hand them over and take the cash.

Retail is retail.

But, sorry, I find it more worrying if the 'industrial' part of the chain - the part that actually makes the items sold at retail - is in trouble, because that is much worse for the industry as a whole; fewer British studios making games, means fewer British games, means fewer British jobs in the entire ecosystem, at every level.

Whether thats coders, designers, graphics artists, website developers, publishers, marketing and PR, manufacturing, transport and logistics, or - at the very bottom of that 'food chain' - retail staff.

Fewer jobs at the 'top' of that food chain means fewer jobs everywhere else along it.

So sorry, yes, I do consider retail staff being made redundant less important than development studios being shut down.

You're going to bounce back quicker (even if you don't get to specifically sell games anymore, people always want to buy something and there will always be retail jobs) and your personal loss is less important in many ways to losses at a higher level in the industry.



Thanks for addressing a post with a personal insult rather than a point.
I'm sure you have a long posting career ahead of you if you keep it up.

Biggest load of rubbish i've ever read

 

[ScreenSplitter]

Thanks for addressing a post with a personal insult rather than a point.
I'm sure you have a long posting career ahead of you if you keep it up.

I'm terrified.
Your assessment of jobs was utterly stupid.

 

[checkeredknight]

Staff working on a mostly short term basis (or if you prefer 'a job' rather than 'a career') with little in the way of dependencies (the majority of staff are young and earning for themselves rather than supporting families) are less concerning to me of the state of the industry than trained professionals supporting families being made redundant and either going abroad or leaving the industry entirely.

I'm not entirely unsympathetic to being made redundant - I've been there myself - but you (and most Game staff) are young, and there is not a lot of difference between selling games in a retail shop and selling any other product at retail; people walk into a shop to buy things, and you hand them over and take the cash.

Retail is retail.

But, sorry, I find it more worrying if the 'industrial' part of the chain - the part that actually makes the items sold at retail - is in trouble, because that is much worse for the industry as a whole; fewer British studios making games, means fewer British games, means fewer British jobs in the entire ecosystem, at every level.

Whether thats coders, designers, graphics artists, website developers, publishers, marketing and PR, manufacturing, transport and logistics, or - at the very bottom of that 'food chain' - retail staff.

Fewer jobs at the 'top' of that food chain means fewer jobs everywhere else along it.

So sorry, yes, I do consider retail staff being made redundant less important than development studios being shut down.

You're going to bounce back quicker (even if you don't get to specifically sell games anymore, people always want to buy something and there will always be retail jobs) and your personal loss is less important in many ways to losses at a higher level in the industry.

While I'm not saying you're completely wrong, a lot of those I work with have families, mortgages and many other dependencies to look after. A colleague of mine (who is on the same rate of pay and in the same position) has a family of three children, a house to pay for and a wife out of work.

Personally, I think it's easier these days to go from games studio > games studio than it is retail > retail. I see your point about retail always being retail, though I have friends who have moved from studio to studio (Sony to TT within two months for example) much quicker than I have friends who are trying to find other jobs in retail.

Honestly I see no difference between a game studio shutting down and a major retailer shutting down.

 

[frankie_baby]

While I'm not saying you're completely wrong, a lot of those I work with have families, mortgages and many other dependencies to look after. A colleague of mine (who is on the same rate of pay and in the same position) has a family of three children, a house to pay for and a wife out of work.

Personally, I think it's easier these days to go from games studio > games studio than it is retail > retail. I see your point about retail always being retail, though I have friends who have moved from studio to studio (Sony to TT within two months for example) much quicker than I have friends who are trying to find other jobs in retail.

Honestly I see no difference between a game studio shutting down and a major retailer shutting down.

Plus if someone loses their job in a game studio at least if they get desperate they could take a step down and try get a job in retail so they have far more options available than someone who loses a retail job

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

Personally, I think it's easier these days to go from games studio > games studio than it is retail > retail. I see your point about retail always being retail, though I have friends who have moved from studio to studio (Sony to TT within two months for example) much quicker than I have friends who are trying to find other jobs in retail.

Honestly I see no difference between a game studio shutting down and a major retailer shutting down.

Moving between studios is fairly common practice, but there are honestly fewer studios in the country than there were 5 years ago, and as a result it's becoming harder to get a position in this country as an experienced developer, as well as getting harder for graduates to get into the industry at all due to the number of people floating around who are highly qualified and have a list of AAA projects they've worked on on their CV.

If a major retailer closes - let's say woolworths - the retail floorspace is still there, and something moves in to take it over. Whether thats a Burtons or a Starbucks, there are still physical items that people need to purchase, and there will be staff needed to do so.

Good retail skills - whether thats shop floor, management, whatever, are mostly transferrable and a friendly sales assitant in a Game is not going to find it too difficult to retrain to sell clothes / coffee / books.

Studios closing reduces the entire size of that sector; competition becomes fiercer for those trying to enter, and a lot of talent either moves into a new sector entirely (I know a lot of coders who've just said fuck it and gone to work on mindless corporate software instead, and a lot of good animators who are now doing shit like toilet duck adverts) or drifts abroad.

 

[frankie_baby]

Moving between studios is fairly common practice, but there are honestly fewer studios in the country than there were 5 years ago, and as a result it's becoming harder to get a position in this country as an experienced developer, as well as getting harder for graduates to get into the industry at all due to the number of people floating around who are highly qualified and have a list of AAA projects they've worked on on their CV.

If a major retailer closes - let's say woolworths - the retail floorspace is still there, and something moves in to take it over. Whether thats a Burtons or a Starbucks, there are still physical items that people need to purchase, and there will be staff needed to do so.

Good retail skills - whether thats shop floor, management, whatever, are mostly transferrable and a friendly sales assitant in a Game is not going to find it too difficult to retrain to sell clothes / coffee / books.

Studios closing reduces the entire size of that sector; competition becomes fiercer for those trying to enter, and a lot of talent either moves into a new sector entirely (I know a lot of coders who've just said fuck it and gone to work on mindless corporate software instead, and a lot of good animators who are now doing shit like toilet duck adverts) or drifts abroad.

Your point would make sense if it werent for the fact their are still some old woolworths vacant and even many of the ones now ocupied took years to fill

 

[JonathanEx]

Let's be honest. The job market is SO GREAT right now that any place closing is going to be quite difficult for the people losing their jobs.

 

[web01]

It sucks for individuals when they lose their jobs but lets get real here this is non skilled labour any joe schmo can work in a video games store.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

Let's be honest. The job market is SO GREAT right now that any place closing is going to be quite difficult for the people losing their jobs.

I am wondering when we're going to get out of the recession we've been in for 5 years.

 

[Psychotext]

I am wondering when we're going to get out of the recession we've been in for 5 years.

Funny thing is, confidence in the economy prior to those 5 years was so goddamn low that it's felt like it's been much, much longer.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

Funny thing is, confidence in the economy prior to those 5 years was so goddamn low that it's felt like it's been much, much longer.

I do wonder how much of it is doom and gloom reporting.

 

[toythatkills]

Did HMV suddenly vanish as well?

By 2013 the only thing you'll be able to buy in HMV is headphones.

They takin' over.

 

[JonathanEx]

By 2013 the only thing you'll be able to buy in HMV is headphones.

They takin' over.

I love Beats!

 

[Murkas]

I love Beats!

I see many pairs of Beats nearly everytime I leave the house when just a few months ago I would only see one every now and then, have they exploded in popularity recently or something?

They look so flimsy!

 

[IdreamofHIME]

HMV aren't everywhere. My nearest branch is 15 miles away.

Can I ask how close the nearest GAME is?

 

[SuperEpicMan]

By 2013 the only thing you'll be able to buy in HMV is headphones.

They takin' over.

When trying to come up with a witty complement to your comment, I came up with a fucking awesome idea.

Picture HMV crossed with Argos, have the normal areas (DVDs, Games, Music etc) but shrunk down to only accomodate chart, popular and new releases, and have stations where you can browse on an touch screen exactly what you want from the entire range, then you can order it to the till area from the stock room, you could also listen to music samples, view trailers as well.

This way customers are finding out what HMV has in stock fast, the store doesnt have to be as big, you could find out what you get trade in for games just on the touch screens without having to cue up.