Retail chain and trade-in giant GameStop is hoping to expand their business to the burgeoning casual market this year, and of course, they referenced the Nintendo systems as part of the impetus for the move. GameStop execs are planning on creating special family and casual sections in stores in order to expand their current consumer base, which they say is targeted more toward the "hardcore gamer" at present.Some of the chain's more infamously pushy tactics may serve them well here, and some may not. Will casual gamers jump on the preorder and magazine bandwagon? There's no telling, but the suggestions of strategy guides may work in the retailer's favor. What won't, however, is their equally infamous attitude and ill treatment of customers. We can't help but wonder if there will be a special sensitivity training program that comes with the new store set-ups, but from their approach in the past, we'll guess probably not.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-23-2008 @ 11:28AM
AnOffday said...
I hate the casual games. And I hate seeing Nintendo and everyone else trying to reel people in to gaming this way. It's ruining their systems. And it's leaving hardcore gamers out in the cold. We're losing real games more everyday.
Reply
1-23-2008 @ 12:28PM
Fiefdom said...
There are plenty of normal games still being produced. Just because the casual market has grown doesn't mean that the "hardcore" market has conversely shrunk. This is a perfectly valid move for GameStop which is trying to expand, not change, its consumer base.
By the way, my experience with one particular GameStop has been nothing short of entirely pleasant. I go out of way to go visit this one particular site because its employees have always been informed and friendly (and no other site I've been to has consistently followed suit in this regard)....
Reply
1-23-2008 @ 12:55PM
wukong said...
Ugh...You just had to bring those up didn't ya. While the story about that Gamernode dude was annoying, it at least had a point. I don't know how many times GameStop employees have to point it out but: We HAVE to push pre-orders. The more pre-orders, the better. For some, it determines if they get fired or not. I know some people who were already in management but had to get demoted because their numbers were low, that and a few other things but it was one of the reasons.
Back to that Gamenode thing, yeah, the guy was an asshole. What he should've done was properly check the game before jumping back into his converstation. Hell, that's just common sense. You can say something like, "I thought I did" but in the end, you still have to check it. It doesn't matter if you thought you did or didn't, you have to check. Of course, you could have some reason of doubt. Some customers will try to pull that stuff just to get another copy, for what reason I don't know. Still, even to check that as well, it should've only taken a few minutes.
Ugh...its those people that make all of us look bad.
Reply
1-23-2008 @ 1:35PM
Hunting_phoenix said...
Didn't Best Buy plan on having stores more specifically aimed at different demographics quite a while ago? I still haven't seen "Best Buy: Soccer Mom Edition," so I don't know that GS will pull this off anytime soon. Maybe by 2011. Maybe. By then, they'll be gone, as Digital Distribution will be the major source of sales. When that happens, kiss used game stores goodbye. That's my guess.
Reply
1-23-2008 @ 4:07PM
InvisibleMan said...
Does this mean that GameStop will finally be carrying the DS Lite and Wii again? I don't see how they are going to cater to the casual gamer if they don't even sell their systems!
I'm still trying to find a GameStop with any DS Lites in stock, even of the Pink Coral variety!
Reply
1-24-2008 @ 1:19AM
Matdredalia said...
Personally, I don't think most casual gamers are going to go near a GameStop. All the gamers I know who aren't hardcore avoid shops like EB & GameSpot like the plague, usually because you get condescension and ignorance out the wazoo, and a lot of people who look at you like you're a complete newb.
Personally, the few times I have shopped at EB & GameSpot, I've been loathe to do so and have felt like some kind of freak on display. It's kind of sad, because I love to chat it up with fellow gamers. What amazes me is that these people DO GAMES and pretty much NOTHING else, but I get a better response from sales reps and clerks at places like Hastings, Best Buy, & Circuit City than I do at GameSpot or EB. Oh, and why do I get such snark at EB & Gamespot?
Because I have boobies.
Until GameSpot teaches it's customers to have some respect for people other than guys who look like they eat, sleep, and breathe Halo & Half-Life, they're just going to be offputting to any customer other than the hardest of the hardcore.
Reply