How far has games retail fallen in your area?.

[Madmackem]

Not long ago in my smallish city in the north east or England we were well catered for for games shops in my city centre. We had two Games, a gamestation, a grainger games and a couple of what Americans would call mom and pop game shops as well as a Tesco's that stocked a lot of games a hmv and an Argos.

Fast forward a few years all that's left is one Game store, all the rest have either gone, grainger games being the last one that shut a few months back, or they have cut right back in the amount of games they stock like Tesco and Argos. Leaving only Game as the last specialist game store and for those who know the chain they know how let's say not competitive there prices are. It's a sad state of affairs tbh, it means Game no longer have to price match trade ins so you get way less back now too.

Gaming might be more popular than ever before but retail is or has died a death due to online stores like amazon, I guess it's what it is, it's progress. But it feels like we are losing a part of the culture, going into a games shop talking with people who love the same hobby you do, finding new games that way, also the launch of a new console was something amazing, an event. Now we just wait for the postie to drop the game threw our letterbox or sit waiting all day for a courier to bring you your console on launch day.

What's the games retail outlook in your towns and cities, the same? Or are you lucky to still have a local mom and pop store to go to and spend time in.

 

[Deleted member 1413]

Gamestop and Toys r us left.
Best Buy is the only place to buy games, with gamer's club gone it's not that great anymore.

 

[Cess007]

A lot. In my city there's more places to buy physical games games than ever (more expensive than outright crossing the border and buying them tho)

 

[Deleted member 7051]

We used to have a GAME here but it closed down last year, so if Argos doesn't have it we're kinda screwed. There's still a GAME in Bluewater but it costs like £6 to get there and, as you know, GAME isn't exactly cheap to begin with.

 

[DestroyerOfWorlds]

Still lots of places to buy games at retail here. From GameStop, Best buy, Walmart, Target, Kroger stores, and more.

I almost never buy physical games, but if I did, I'd still probably just use Amazon.

 

[NoKisum]

Mom & Pop stores are almost non existent in this area. It's either big box stores like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy, or you go to your closest GameStop.

Here in the DMV area, we have basically two other options: visit Pandora's Cube close to the University of Maryland, or drive ALLLLLL the way up near Dulles airport and visit eStarland. Nice place with plenty of stock but, it's a drive.

 

[HockeyBird]

Most of the mom and pop shops are gone but they left years ago. Ton of Gamestops still operating in the area. The only ones that really closed down were former EB Games so when Gamestop bought them out, there was lots of redundancy in some areas. We also still have Best Buy, Walmart, and Target that all sell games.

 

[DyByHands]

Im in a pretty small midwest town. And the only option outside of walmart or meijer is a single Gamestop. And thats all there has ever been.
Except for like 20+ years ago there was a Sam Goody and KB Toys, but I can't even remember what the game selection was like in those stores.

 

[Madmackem]

We used to have a GAME here but it closed down last year, so if Argos doesn't have it we're kinda screwed. There's still a GAME in Bluewater but it costs like £6 to get there and, as you know, GAME isn't exactly cheap to begin with.

Click to shrink...

You have it worse than we do here then.

 

[Dyashen]

Here in Belgium, there's still a good amount of stores to get games from. I mostly buy physical games and most of the times there's some sort of pre-order incentive that the store gives as an extra (like a figurine or a tshirt, etc)

 

[Rotobit]

Here (North West England) it's basically just GAME or CEX. The former is very expensive and the latter is pretty much all used stuff, so it's a gamble. Honestly the best things about GAME are the horror stories and seeing it awkwardly grasp at being relevant. The staff I've interacted with has mostly been nice at least, it's the management that's ruining them.

I almost wish there was a website that maps and aggregates independent game stores, they deserve the service. When I visit Morecambe (because it's a family tradition at this point) there's one called Lee's Games which is honestly fantastic and it's somehow been running for years now. I'd definitely go check it out if you're ever in the area.

 

[skeezx]

probably not surprising when i say a bunch of gamestops are in my neighborhood but with their proximity i'm shocked at least one of them hasn't been closed

there's a mom n pop in the northside of town but i think it's world famous in collectors' circles so one of the very rare exceptions. all the mom n pop's never made it past the early 00's around here

 

[Deleted member 46414]

I see hardly any change between right now and ten years ago truthfully.

 

[Madmackem]

Here (North West England) it's basically just GAME or CEX. The former is very expensive and the latter is pretty much all used stuff, so it's a gamble. Honestly the best things about GAME are the horror stories and seeing it awkwardly grasp at being relevant. The staff I've interacted with has mostly been nice at least, it's the management that's ruining them.

I almost wish there was a website that maps and aggregates independent game stores, they deserve the service. When I visit Morecambe (because it's a family tradition at this point) there's one called Lee's Games which is honestly fantastic and it's somehow been running for years now. I'd definitely go check it out if you're ever in the area.

Click to shrink...

We had one called chips, it was amazing. Around the time Dreamcast was out I'd buy Japanese import games from there all the time. I even paid £500 for an American original Xbox the owner imported, about six or more months before the uk launch.

 

[CartridgeSmasher]

I'd say the average Gamestop or Best Buy has half the amount of gaming shelves and aisles. Now it's other things like an expanded cell phone section or kitchen appliances ot for Gamestop in particular..... board games, Funko toys, and other non-gaming stuff.

 

[Trickster]

There's still the same 2 gamestop stores around I believe. Haven't been to either of them in years though, so dunno how they're doing

 

[ghostcrew]

We've got a couple of local Game stores but mostly serviced by stuff like Argos and Smyths. I can think of one independant game store in my UK city (and they'll break street date which is nice!) but it's also run by fucking idiots who think nothing of using the word 'cuck' in front of customers which makes me never want to step in their store.

But they do sell games early...

 

[Madmackem]

I see hardly any change between right now and ten years ago truthfully.

Click to shrink...

Wonder if it's a more uk thing, the whole highstreet retail seems to be struggling here.

 

[PucePikmin]

Still pretty strong -- lots of GameStops and a few local places sticking it out. Canadian Internet tends to be a touch slower/more expensive than in the US, so I think that's limiting digital uptake a bit.

 

[Skulldead]

We hare 6-7 retro/modern game store left in the area, a couple of gamestop (like 4-5 in the area), we have the microplay brand that close half of their store in the last year... 2 Best Buy and some ''La Source'' still there... i think we have nothing to complain here, but i'm sure more close will be coming, it seem to have slown down a lot since a couple of month, the retro bubble is about to burst soon, some store just change to Card shop/board game hybirid to survive.

 

[shan780]

although the high street is dying, we have both a GAME and a CEX. argos sells games too, as do supermarkets

scotland by the way

 

[Deleted member 7051]

You have it worse than we do here then.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, paying £56 to pick up a new game or just buying it online for £40. No real question.

 

[MrT-Tar]

I live in North West London (Maida Vale) and it's not too bad. I'm lucky that I live walking distance from a good independent shop and two CEXs which always have a variety of retro games. However, that's the exception rather than the rule for London.

London, generally speaking, has several independents in the outlying residential areas (Harlesden, Kilburn, Hackney, Dalston, Tooting, Burnt Oak to name a few), but almost nothing in the central commercial shopping distincts other than a few GAMEs, which is pretty dire considering the amount of retail activity there. There used to be a great place on Goodge Street, but that closed in the summer of 2012 iirc.

 

[Olengie]

The same as it always been. Strong

 

[Th0rnhead]

Tons of stores by me that sell games. Best Buys, Targets, Fred Meyers, GameStops, a bunch of local shops, a Walmart up north. The number of stores selling games nearby has increased, largely due to smaller shops opening up. Most of them carry new stuff, but they generally push retro gaming and imports more than new games. But I also live in a pretty big city too, so that helps.

Best Buy has a super barren looking selection of games, which isn't actually the case—they have empty displays of big Switch releases, but they have tons of copies in stock. They just hide them up front because they're a hot target for shop lifters. I wish they'd at least put place holder cases there, because even if the website says a game is in stock, it's nice to see something there, especially if you're shopping and trying to choose between multiple options. They do the same thing with their SSDs—absolutely nothing on the shelf. Like make a cardboard card or something to indicate you have the item in stock... or do what other stores do and put them behind a glass case. I used to work in retail as a merchandiser, and the way they're handling their displays is really terrible, and definitely loses them money—any customer that doesn't want to ask for help is going to leave the store empty handed.

 

[Olrac]

I live in the East Bay of California. We have Best Buy, Target, and 3 GameStop's within a 5 mile radius.

We lost Toys R Us and maybe one GameStop, otherwise, retail is great.

 

[THEVOID]

I have 2 BB's and about 3 Gamestops in my area within a 5 mile radius.

 

[Badcoo]

I live in a Texas suburb and there's a gamestop, target, best buy, and walmart within 2 miles of me. But the best barely has any physical stock. Only new releases, a couple of used games, a ton of toys and game cards. Most of the space is taken my accessories and consoles displays. Back in the PS2-3 era, those isles were full of games.

It's sad. I really like buying physical b/c I can trade easy.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

1 Best Buy, 2 GameStops, 2 Targets, 2 Walmarts near me.

The next town over is about 15-20 minutes away and has 2 mom-and-pop shops (they're both part of the same locally owned and operated chain), one more GameStop, another Best Buy, two more Walmarts, and another Target.

One GameStop, two mom and pop shops, and Toys R Us all closed since I moved here in 2007.

 

[TheMan]

In STL, we have multiple gamestops, best buys, walmarts, targets. Toys R Us is gone (pours one out) but otherwise I'd say it still pretty strong. For now.

Edit: now that I think about it, stock at the non-game stores is relatively small compared to the heyday. So, still widely available but online retail/digital is making its mark.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

There's nothing. Thank God for digital.

 

[Turrican3]

Italy here.

In my area retail presence apparently had significant reshaping during the last 5 years or so, especially general consumer electronics (used to have huge videogame departments, now they are definitely smaller) and superstores are almost done with videogames entirely.

Gamestop is still a thing though, even if it has expanded a lot beyond videogames (especially mechandise) at least compared to what it looked like 10 years ago.

 

[Remark]

Still pretty lively here. Theres a couple mom and pop spots, Best Buy, Target and a shit ton of Gamestops. I dont know how their open though since every time I walk into one its either empty or only one or two other people in there.

 

[Strangelove_77]

Just a Gamestop. Before that I used to live across from a Game Crazy until Hollywood Video closed and GC along with it.
Theres no independent game store anywhere near me, yet theres a fucking vape shop. Thats just...wrong.

 

[Adathir]

We have two Walmarts, two Eb Games, two London Drugs, a few Shoppers Drug Marts and a couple of smaller game stores. We are pretty lucky around here when it comes to games at retail.

 

[PSqueak]

we got a couple of game store franchises (Game planet and Gamers), but i believe both of them closed down their second locations in the city, i guess the market is not sustaining too many, but we're a relatively small city so for those 2 lonely stores business is booming.

 

[Freddo]

10-15 years ago there were 6 stores selling games downtown, now there are 0.

 

[KDR_11k]

Department stores stopped stocking games due to the slim margins. Only Media Markt, Saturn and Game Stop still sell games and Game Stop has cut its alrerady pathetic selection in half by dedicating the other half of the store to merchandise. Though honestly MM and Saturn were always the go-to places anyway.

Oh, right, there's also a Toys'r'us far outside the city center but the game selection is token. A far cry from wandering the hallways lined with box cutouts and those yellow tags you had to take to the register to get the cartridge, floppy or datasette.

 

[The Argus]

NYC here. There are a few mom and pop shops left, mostly offering old games, console repairs, and imported stuff. Many have closed though. We mostly have GameStops, and of course Best Buy/Targets/PC Richards etc.

Anything physical I purchased this gen has been through Amazon, mainly because of the prime deal which is now gone. Everything else has been digital, and with PSN I just get my codes from Amazon as I still don't trust Sony with my CC info. Microsoft and Nintendo my CC info is saved.

I went to Gamestop last month to preorder RDR2 for my X. Half the store was Pop! toys and shirts. The employee kept trying to sell my the PS4 version because his "friend told him it was better and would be the complete edition". Yeah I know there is some Sony timed exclusive stuff...

Anyways, the dudes at my Gamestop didn't seem to really care about anything. Back when I was in HS you could just roll up, play some demoes and chat with the staff. Those days seem to be gone. Honestly, I bet GS rebrands itself soon. Aren't they selling comics next year?

 

[KORNdog]

Went from 3 GAME stores (all within about 5 ft from each other) a gamestation and an electronics boutique (both of which became GAME stores). On top of that there was virgin megastore (later became zavvi before closing) an MVC (also closed) a Grainger popped up for a while before closing recently. HMV somehow manages to stay around but I haven't been in for years.

Besides GAME and supermarkets though there isn't really anywhere left here .

 

[fluffydelusions]

Still lots of GameStop's but they sell more toys and such now it seems lol. A huge wall is dedicated to toys at my local one

 

[Orochinagis]

There are still stores trying to sell games pretty high here in Mexico only children and a good portion of people buys them there but the stores are quite small and the big videogame stores are slowly closing

 

[Tyaren]

I honestly didn't notice any change here (Germany) in recent years. There's a big local video game store (which moved from a smaller, more remote place to a bigger place right in the heart of the city, so I think they are doing even better now), there's a Gamestop in the city mall and there are big games sections in each department store. I have a plethora of options to buy physical games from, I'll stick to the local store though, because I get preorders a couple days prior to release. I have been playing Dragon Quest XI for example since Friday. :)

 

[Rayder]

I know the Target store nearest to me doesn't carry ANY videogame stuff at all. And I mean ZERO.

I've noticed at least 3 Gamestops around me that closed down......to be clear though, there were far too many of them to begin with, so 3 going away hardly mattered. I still have over a dozen in a 10-mile radius around me. Haven't been in a Gamestop in about a year anyway.

Wal-Mart and Best Buy still carry lots of games for current gen.

Here in Northeast USA, there are these stores called "The Exchange" that cover all my needs for physical games for just about any console that has ever existed. I know of at least 5 of those that are reasonably close to me. I kinda skipped the PS2 era when it was relevant as I became a PC gamer. So when I went back to consoles for gaming, The Exchange was integral to my buying and collecting everything for my PS2.

As for current gen, I'm 100% digital, so physical stores are becoming less necessary for me, except for older games, which renders most stores moot as they only want to carry the current gen. So for me, when it comes to physical games, it's always about older consoles and The Exchange.

If I go into a store with current gen gaming stuff, it's only for gaming accessories and not the games themselves.

 

[linkboy]

It's pretty good (Minneapolis).

There's a few local retro shops that I frequent (one really good one on Minnehaha Ave called Heroic Goods and Games for anyone in Minneapolis) and we've got plenty of Gamestops, Wal-Marts and Targets (especially Target).

 

[PinkSpider]

Went from 3 GAME stores (all within about 5 ft from each other) a gamestation and an electronics boutique (both of which became GAME stores). On top of that there was virgin megastore (later became zavvi before closing) an MVC (also closed) a Grainger popped up for a while before closing recently. HMV somehow manages to stay around but I haven't been in for years.

Besides GAME and supermarkets though there isn't really anywhere left here .

Click to shrink...

Do you live in Hull because that was going to be pretty much my post.

 

[butman]

There's more than before. Some stores sell some rare games too so that is nice. (Chile)

 

[ThreepQuest64]

The Games Store that opened about 18 years ago is still there. In regards of PC games he don't only orders them on customer's pre-order and has only a tiny collection of cheap PC games. Console games are still okay, but definitely less sales then couple of years ago.

With a profit marge of only 10 bucks per sold current gen console and a similar small marge for sold games, his main profit comes from buying and reselling used games and consoles.

He will sell or close his shop, as he told me, in two years, but also because of personal reasons (probably wants to spend more time with his daughter instead of standing behind the counter for ever declining profit).

I'm a customer there only since 2013, but many folks around since he opened, lots of them grew up with this store. He's a cool guy, offers you coffee when you visit him, for his regulars he also allows to borrow a used game for one or two days if you're unsure whether to buy it or not; gave me discounts when I advised customers instead about games he haven't played and so on.

It's really a shame, but all good things have to come to an end, I guess. *me also thinks of playing CoD 4 on Clanbase and never actively played again with the decline of CoD since MW2*

 

[KraytarJ]

I live in Edmonton and there's still an EB, a Walmart, and a Best Buy within striking distance. The changes over the past decade have mainly been in Futureshop no longer being a thing and pretty much all the game retailers within walking distance leaving (Blockbuster and Zellers/Target because they went out of business and then H&M because they stopped selling games and then went out of business). The only place within walking distance for me now is a used/retro game store.

 

[IamAToast]

We had like 4 gamestop and many more small game stores. Most of them closed and only 1 gamestop left.