Not For Resale : A Video Game Store Documentary | Available Now

[KalBalboa]

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Score By: Neil Cicierega (Lemon Demon) | Timecop1983 | Robert Parker | Matt DeMello | Dylan Wheaton
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Not For Resale is a new feature length video game store documentary about the mom-and-pop retail shops that still sell physical goods in the face of an increasingly digital marketplace.

This film takes a snap-shot of the state of small business dependent of material goods and the path forward with digital libraries.

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Some of the locations visited:

• The Library of Congress
• Game Zone in Salem, MA
• The National Videogame Museum in Frisco, TX
• Portland Retro Gaming Expo
• Control Freak Video Games in Pigeon Forge, TN
• Arch City Gaming Company in St. Louis, MO
• Limited Run Games in North Carolina
• Classic Game Junkie in Glenside, PA
• Pink Gorilla Games in Seattle, WA
• Iceman Video Games in Toronto, ON
• Robot City Games in Binghamton, NY
• People Play Games in Chicago, IL
• Lost Ark Video Games in Greensboro, NC
• Digital Press Video Games in Clifton, NJ
• Thrillhouse Games in Tulsa, OK
• Luna Video Games in San Diego, CA
• PAX East
• Psyonix Games

The film will dive into internet accessibility in rural areas, the perks of buying retail or going digital, what benefits digital distribution has brought to the market, and the history behind these stores. We're talking with game developers and physical media manufacturers, too. I've seen this subject come up countless time on various forums and podcasts, on how the march forward into digital distribution has plenty of hurdles left for consumers and publishers to jump. We're hoping to capture that conversation in a feature length documentary.





Some people we've interviewed:

Dave Hagewood & Jeremy Dunham at Psyonix Games

Greg Miller from Kinda Funny

Andrea Rene from What's Good Games

Pat Contri of Pat the NES Punk

Josh Fairhurst & Doug Bogart from Limited Run Games

James Rolfe from Cinemasacre, AVGN

Kelsey Lewin from Pink Gorilla Games

Frank Cifaldi from the Video Game History Foundation

 

[coryschmitz]

Looks awesome can't wait for the final product

 

[Theswweet]

Luna Video Games! I've been there. Got my copy of Gladius from them.

 

[superNESjoe]

Subbed, totally into this, can't wait to see how it comes together. Also Josh and Doug are great! A game documentary about physical media in 2017/2018 without including Limited Run would've been a big problem.

 

[Admiral Snackbar]

Excellent work and great topic. Can't wait to see more!

 

[Cantaim]

Luna Video Games! I've been there. Got my copy of Gladius from them.

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One of the store members (I think hew as a manager) actually runs a podcast with Pat the nes Punk. He seemed cool.

 

[synic]

Definitely excited about this. The trailer looks awesome! And now I know of a new game store to check out! (Digital Press in Clifton).

 

[LokyAesir]

Seems nice! Good luck with this development!

 

[JohnnyMoses]

Looks great! Very excited to see this when it's finished.

 

[voodew]

Love Kevin James from all the videos he's worked on with Neil Cicierega, excited to see him directing a movie, especially a documentary on physical media. Is there anything concrete on how the film will be distributed?

 

[Curler]

Been following this since I first heard of it getting crowdfunded. Looking forward to see the final product! (I need to sub to remind myself).

 

[-shadow-]

I'm intrigued, can't wait to see the full thing soon!

 

[DragonSpear2462]

Super interested! I'm subbing your YT channel =)

 

[Deleted member 10629]

This looks fantastic, can't wait to see the whole doc!

 

[ScOULaris]

Oh, man. This is right up my alley, and the short clips in the OP look great.

I'll definitely be watching this with my wife when it releases.

 

[logash]

Awesome! And you got Kelsey from MetalJesusRocks on there! I've been watching that youtube channel for the past couple of months and it really got me into the idea of collecting some old games. I'll probably never have the collection that Kelsey or MetalJesus has but it's really nice to have physical versions of some of my favorite video games of all time.

 

[TheRightDeal]

This looks super awesome, thanks for sharing and I can't wait to see the whole thing!

 

[DionardoLicaprio]

Subscribed on youtube, looks amazing.

 

[mztik]

Thanks for your work on this. This is great!

 

[Hail Satan]

Wow, this looks great. Glad to see that one of my favorite game shops, People Play Games in Chicago, makes an appearance. Excited to see it!

 

[KalBalboa]

Wow- thanks for all the kind words everybody! I've been meaning to share the project on Era since joining but had to wait for thread privileges.

Luna Video Games! I've been there. Got my copy of Gladius from them.

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I bought a copy of Silent Hill 2 Greatest Hits from them for my PS2. Great prices- only paid $15!

Subbed, totally into this, can't wait to see how it comes together. Also Josh and Doug are great! A game documentary about physical media in 2017/2018 without including Limited Run would've been a big problem.

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Right? We flew down to North Carolina to spend a day with them.

One of the store members (I think hew as a manager) actually runs a podcast with Pat the nes Punk. He seemed cool.

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Ian's great. We also got him on camera back at Portland Retro Gaming Expo. Super nice guy.

Definitely excited about this. The trailer looks awesome! And now I know of a new game store to check out! (Digital Press in Clifton).

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Digital Press is the best. Joe runs a great shop and has been very helpful with this project.

Love Kevin James from all the videos he's worked on with Neil Cicierega, excited to see him directing a movie, especially a documentary on physical media. Is there anything concrete on how the film will be distributed?

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Thanks! I've been making internet video for over a decade now but this is my first feature. The plan right now is to go to the festival circuit later this year with an eventual blu-ray/DVD/web release for backers.

 

[Timeaisis]

Looks very cool. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[KalBalboa]

Been working on edit-prep this past month. Here's a clip we posted today based on a shop in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. They actually have a 100mbps line available in the store to provide a decent connection to customers who are stuck with the area's 5-15mbps average.

 

[Rackham]

I'm curious if you pay people like James, Greg, etc. to be in the documentary. Sorry if the question is rude but I just genuinely want to know how that stuff is worked out. Do they just give you some free time, do you have pay them for their time, how much does traveling to them cost you etc.

 

[KalBalboa]

I'm curious if you pay people like James, Greg, etc. to be in the documentary. Sorry if the question is rude but I just genuinely want to know how that stuff is worked out. Do they just give you some free time, do you have pay them for their time, how much does traveling to them cost you etc.

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We haven't paid anyone a dime to be in the film, no. You have to draw that line in a project like this, especially when profiling businesses. I've been lucky to have a mutual friend of James's and some old friends who work for a few companies we've talked with.

A buddy of mine, Brendan, made a documentary a few years back that Greg Miller was interviewed for. It made asking Greg a lot easier going through my friend. Networking is everything!

 

[Rackham]

We haven't paid anyone a dime to be in the film, no. You have to draw that line in a project like this, especially when profiling businesses I've been lucky to have a mutual friend of James's and some old friends who work for a few companies we've talked with.

A buddy of mine, Brendan, made a documentary a few years back that Greg Miller was interviewed for. It made asking Greg a lot easier going through my friend. Networking is everything!

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Awesome. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Valkyr1983]

Awesome topic

Local game stores are super rare here in NH it's depressing

The only one I know of is the video game exchange in plaistow NH. Haven't been in years and don't even know if it's still around

Was on a huge retro kick for a while and spent a lot of time driving out there to built my ps1 and Saturn collection. I could just spent hours looking at everything

Nowadays with kids and limited time, I can just play my ps4 and switch and can't really justify the cost of building a classic library I'll never play

 

[KalBalboa]

Awesome topic

Local game stores are super rare here in NH it's depressing

The only one I know of is the video game exchange in plaistow NH. Haven't been in years and don't even know if it's still around

Was on a huge retro kick for a while and spent a lot of time driving out there to built my ps1 and Saturn collection. I could just spent hours looking at everything

Nowadays with kids and limited time, I can just play my ps4 and switch and can't really justify the cost of building a classic library I'll never play

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I know a few in Massachusetts worth checking out, but I don't know what neck of New Hampshire you'd be driving from.

Sudden Impact in Winthrop, MA is pretty crazy. The owner is a nice guy and he tries to make everything feel very flashy.
Game Zone in Salem, MA is one I'm biased towards, as it'll feature a decent amount in the final film. I like the general feel of the shop, the location, and the selection. I probably stop in three times a week after getting my morning coffee.
Patriot Games in Revere, MA is a bit smaller but they seem to get fresh inventory from trades in on the regular. I think their prices are a smidge better, too, but it's not the most convenient place to get to.

 

[Valkyr1983]

I know a few in Massachusetts worth checking out, but I don't know what neck of New Hampshire you'd be driving from.

Sudden Impact in Winthrop, MA is pretty crazy. The owner is a nice guy and he tries to make everything feel very flashy.
Game Zone in Salem, MA is one I'm biased towards, as it'll feature a decent amount in the final film. I like the general feel of the shop, the location, and the selection. I probably stop in three times a week after getting my morning coffee.
Patriot Games in Revere, MA is a bit smaller but they seem to get fresh inventory from trades in on the regular. I think their prices are a smidge better, too, but it's not the most convenient place to get to.

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I live in southeastern nh about 20 mins from mass border, an hour from boston

 

[gesicht]

I found it weird that only 2/9 people highlighted by OP are women. What to make of this, I wonder?

 

[MrNewVegas]

Awesome! And you got Kelsey from MetalJesusRocks on there! I've been watching that youtube channel for the past couple of months and it really got me into the idea of collecting some old games. I'll probably never have the collection that Kelsey or MetalJesus has but it's really nice to have physical versions of some of my favorite video games of all time.

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Kelsey runs her own channel too!

 

[spookyduzt]

eStarland is my second home.

 

[Lukar]

This is a very cool idea! I can't wait to see it.

Control Freak Video Games in Pigeon Forge, TN

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Hey, that's like an hour from my hometown! :D Not sure if I've been to that shop before though.

 

[SlasherMcGirk]

I can't wait for this doc.

 

[Strawberry]

OP, thanks for mentioning this in another thread as I had no clue about it. Very interested to see the final product.

 

[KalBalboa]

Hi again Era,

I got invited to join a panel today with Game Talk Live. The discussion was focused on the potential end of physical retail and what Toys R Us's closures mean for the market.

I've done live Q&A and been on camera plenty, but this was my first legitimate live stream.

 

[Curler]

Hi again Era,

I got invited to join a panel today with Game Talk Live. The discussion was focused on the potential end of physical retail and what Toys R Us's closures mean for the market.

I've done live Q&A and been on camera plenty, but this was my first legitimate live stream.

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Listening to it right now (wish I could have been a part of this, to put my own experience/observations into this :p Sounds like a great conversation to be a part of) and sounds like a lot of the main points were hit. Retail and mom n pops are still a great experience to have and fun for adventures, but price-wise and convenience is definitely a big part of more online shopping. I still definitely do a lot of both, and impulse-buy with both, but it's always easier when it's in person!


Looking forward to the documentary getting released!

 

[KalBalboa]

For anyone keeping tabs on the project, we posted a few weeks back about our shoots at PAX East and Salem, MA.

 

[Aztechnology]

Oh awesome, thanks for the update. Can't wait to see the final product.

 

[jsnepo]

This looks awesome! I will be waiting for when it finishes. I love stories about collecting video games.

 

[TheChits]

Yeah I'm really excited to see this. Thanks for updating us!

 

[Curler]

Is there any chance once this is complete, to see it streaming on Netflix/Amazon/Hulu?

 

[KalBalboa]

Is there any chance once this is complete, to see it streaming on Netflix/Amazon/Hulu?

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Someday, potentially. Releases are always hard to gauge with projects at this scale.

Our initial plan is to see how the festival circuit receives us. We also need to get our blu-ray & digital copies out to anyone backing the movie, too.

 

[Curler]

Someday, potentially. Releases are always have with projects at this scale.

Our initial plan is to see how the festival circuit recieves us. We also need to get our blu-ray & digital copies out to anyone backing the movie, too.

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Of course. I know there's been a number of gaming docs and mini-series on Hulu and Amazon, so hoping talks happen into the future.

 

[Alucrid]

sounds interesting. do you discuss rocket league debuting on ps+ with the psyonix members?

 

[scitek]

Visited Arch City Gaming a few times when I lives in St. Louis. Cool owner, and shop. I went to Vintage Stock more often, but that's because it was closer. Definitely looking forward to this, though!

 

[KalBalboa]

Of course. I know there's been a number of gaming docs and mini-series on Hulu and Amazon, so hoping talks happen into the future.

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Absolutely. A Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon release would be great at some stage. We're going to have a good amount of extra content on top of the feature film itself, too.

sounds interesting. do you discuss rocket league debuting on ps+ with the psyonix members?

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Yup! Psyonix was very transparent and friendly. We mainly talked about why the game didn't debut on Blu-Ray and why it eventually got a boxed release. They've talked about the PS+ story so many times that I tried to get the abridged version of it for the sake of covering new ground.

 

[Alucrid]

Absolutely. A Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon release would be great at some stage. We're going to have a good amount of extra content on top of the feature film itself, too.



Yup! Psyonix was very transparent and friendly. We mainly talked about why the game didn't debut on Blu-Ray and why it eventually got a boxed release. They've talked about the PS+ story so many times that I tried to get the abridged version of it for the sake of covering new ground.

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cool, thanks. will stay tuned for whenever this is available to watch

 

[PRrambo_]

next time i get paid, i am backing this, right up my alley

 

[Deleted member 925]

Just wanted to throw this out there but People Play Games in Chicago recently closed down. Very sad, it's been one of my favorite local game shops for the past 10 years.