I Am Finished

As of now, I am no longer employed in this shit-stained company.

I will be teaming up with a few buddies to st art writing a full gaming blog. Farewell.

"Used Games Are Damaging"

Next Generation Editor, Colin Campbell, dishes out the goods.

"In the first of a weekly opinion column Next-Gen.Biz editor-in-chief Colin Campbell takes a look at the trade that's costing this business over $1 billion a year.

Last week GameStop announced Holiday sales up 45%. Games retailers en masse are whoopin’ it up, selling heaps of games. Which is wonderful for them, because, due to the lucrative used-games business they get to sell those little boxes of joy all over again.

The silent fury of publishers toward their retail “partners” is a palpable force in game industry politics. Retailers such as GameStop, with its powerful network of 5,000 frontline stores, are coining up to $1 billion a year in used game revenues in North America alone. Add Europe and you’ve got to think about almost doubling that number.

Publishers don’t see a dime, nor even a eurocent of the money.

And they’re not happy. Especially because there isn’t a darned thing they can do. Both the law and the balance of power within the game industry presently favor the sell-it-again retailers.

In its last full fiscal year Gamestop's sales and earnings were up over 70%, and it’s certain that 2008 will be even more lucrative. High retail earnings are a sure sign that the business as a whole is prospering. But the problem for publishers – one that they only really articulate in private – is that retail gets to prosper just that little bit more than everyone else.

GameStop’s used business is said to account for a third of sales and almost a half of profits. It generates twice as much percentage margin on used games than on new games.

That’s an awful lot of revenue that isn’t being ploughed back into development or into marketing. All that money goes to GameStop, which doesn’t make games. GameStop opens stores in malls, sticks up shelving, hires inexpensive, unskilled local youth and sells product.

Worse, the used games business restrains the market by keeping new game prices high and by depriving the publishers of investment income. In the long-term, it’s not such a great deal for consumers.

All the more galling is that significant percentages of publisher marketing cream is skimmed by retailers as “market development funds” which are essentially marked up in-store ads – often tied into the amount of stock a retailer orders.

Timing is a big issue. If used games began turning up in specific used-game stores months after initial on-sale date, it wouldn’t be too bad. Nobody is going to complain about games turning up for sale in second-hand stories months after they have ceased to be hot.

But games often turn up second-hand days after on sale date, and can be marked down by as little as $5 off the original asking price. They’re being sold alongside the new product. Given that the retailer is giving Johnny Consumer a store-credit of no more than $15 to $20 for his game, you can see who is making out big on this.

So the publisher-paid ads are paying to promoting hot new games that the publishers spent millions developing but for which they paid dick after the first sale.

But, what the heck, GameStop gets to keep selling the games again and again and again. So much so that a used game sale is way better for GameStop’s bottom line than a new game. Take a walk into a game store and you’ll see where the priorities lie. Used game boxes generally sit central and close to the register or close to the front entrance.

Used game sales are, in fact, a separate business to the game industry, one that is parasitical and offers little or no benefits to the business as a whole. If you look at the share-of-effort or the share-of-investment or the share-of-creativity that goes into making a game and bringing it to market, you have to wonder if this is a system that anyone could describe as being fair and just.

The retailers – when they deign to comment on this issue at all – say they have to sell used games in order to make up for the fact that margins on new games are so slender. Or they claim that used games are good for the business.

Daniel DeMatteo, GameStop's boss once said, “The used games business does not cannibalize sales of newer video games. As a matter of fact, it does the opposite. We continuously increase the market for new games by allowing customers to trade in games that they are no longer playing. The used games business puts currency in people's hands."

This is sophistry. It assumes that customers who are in the business of trading in games will spend their money on a new game, rather than on a cheaper used one.

Let’s be clear. Games retailers are in the business of maximising retail floor-space. They are in the business of selling games. Period. They have no responsibility towards the financial wellbeing of their suppliers. Retailers care for the publisher as McDonalds cares for the cow.

And, for consumers, the short-term benefit of legally buying almost-new games at cut-price rates is undeniable. Consumers are absolutely right to seek the best deal that they can. They are doing nothing wrong.

So the real losers here are publishers, developers and the non-retail game industry eco-system. That is, the part of the business that actually generates content.

But, you say, if the publishers are having their throats cut, they aren’t exactly going bust. Well, no, but that misses the point. Publishers are not in the business of just staying in business. They need to grow.

This is a business that is already stifled by the high-risk factor of publishing games and the difficulty in turning a profit, both of which are exacerbated by the used games business. It is, in my view, indisputable, that with the added revenues otherwise lost to used sales, publishers would be able to invest more in product development and market growth.

Alas, publishers know better than to kick up a stink about the situation. They are in a position where antagonizing massive retail customers would be a terrible idea. Clearly, any argument that retail might be harming the game industry (by depriving its source of content of revenues) is going to be rebuffed.

Likewise, consumers who think they’re getting a great deal, would rebel at the very idea of losing access to slightly cheaper used games.

Legally, there’s little room for manoeuvre. The First Sale Doctrine protects resellers from shifting copyrighted content – which is why it’s okay to buy second-hand books or records. Games are seen in the same way by the law, even though games are different.

Unlike books and other media, games have a short life in the hands of consumers. Books, DVDs and CDs are keep-ables, sometimes for years. Games, once they’re played out, are often not.

What’s more, games packaging tends to stay in good condition (especially if sold back to the retailer a mere week after sliding off the presses) so a used game looks like a very attractive deal against a new game. Console games are also less copy-able than PC games, which, curiously, the sell-it-again retailers don’t sell used (unlike console games, it's not legal, falling under special legislation brought in to protect business software makers ).

You’ll note, big-chain booksellers and big-chain music-sellers don’t fill their show-floors with used stock. Neither books nor CDs carry large margins, but the likes of Barnes & Noble seem to manage just fine. Why is that?

You could make the argument that used games are keeping consumers playing games that they otherwise wouldn’t buy; keeps them interested. But that just doesn’t add up. These are not consumers who are looking for any cut-price entertainment experience. These are very often core, knowledgeable consumers who play a lot of games. They are taking a better deal because they can. If they save $10 on a nearly-new title, good luck to them. That’s $10 they can spend on another nearly-new game.

There is also the argument that consumers buy more new games because they know they can get some money returned by selling the titles back to the store. Again, this ignores the fact that the used game business is offering consumers a pretty good reason not to buy any new games in the first place, or at least to buy as few new games as possible.

If you work in the game industry – as opposed to the retail industry – this is all bad news. This is, from top to bottom, a story of how games that are hot right now are selling in large numbers, with none of the revenues going back to the makers of the games.

Sure, retailers serve a necessary role, albeit one that is not specific to the game industry (selling games and selling shoes is much the same skill-set).

My argument here is not against the way they do business (I’d do the same in their position). My argument is rather, in favor of publishers quickly finding alternatives that don’t damage the game industry as a whole.

If the publishers could do something about used games, they would, in a heart-beat. No publisher I know has a single good thing to say about the used games business. The only people who like it, are the ones who profit from it.

Remember the rumor that Sony was contemplating selling PS3 games as non-sell-on-able licenses? It never came to pass, but a licence-based model would be a highly desirable outcome for all the hardware companies and third party publishers. This won’t happen because there are way too many legal and publicity-based barriers.

Which is why online, digital distribution is growing so fast. This is a market stripped of messy boxes or resell issues. It has a much more fluid pricing structure and a lighter cost burden. This is also why publishers are increasingly keen to sell base units of games relatively cheaply (at retail) with revenues that can be bolstered by downloads. (You can guess what the retailers have to say about that model.)

The publishers are using technology and the purchasing trends that underpin them, to fight back against a system that is grossly unfair to their businesses. It will take many years. But it will take.

In the meantime, retailers and consumers will collude to deny revenues to publishers and developers of which they, rightfully, deserve a share."

Me, being a slave of Gamestop, completely understand and agree 100%. Gamestop is the vampire of this thriving industry.

...And Another Thing

Why the fuck do EB employees offer warranties on PC games? Seriously, it's fine for console games cause the general population of console players are fucking retards that somehow find ways to scratch their games like there's no tomorrow... but PC? I'm sorry, but one of the reasons why I love the PC community is because they all don't have dicks shoved in their mouths, so why insult them? I just ask if they're PC's meet the recommended requirements, that's it son.

But everytime I don't offer the warranties, my manager starts monologuing about the importance of these warranties. Fuck off.

EB Games Christmas/New Years Party

The video game industry is a billion dollar industry. The front runner of video game/video game peripherals is Gamestop/EB, stores generate thousands upon thousands of dollars a day in sales/warranties/Edge Cards/bullshit. So one would expect that EB would provide benefits for their employees, like commission, bonuses, maybe dental benefits, higher wages, etc. We get nothing. I've been working here since July 2007, and I still make $8.00/hour... the starting wage at McDonald's is $8.64.

Ok, so when I heard about the EB Games Party handing out prizes, I immediately thought that maybe they'd have good prizes, like maybe a PS3 or a PSP (since Sony was in charge of the prizes), maybe even a few decent fucking games...

The prizes were:
plastic digital clocks
single strap back-packs
PSP lanyards
Rubber Faces
1 copy of World in Conflict
1 copy of Flight Simulator X
1 Copy of Flatout 2

Brilliant... they're cheap on ANNUAL PRIZES as well.

I work tomorrow for 3 hours... I make $8.00 an hour... I need a new job. Fuck, but I'm probably not quitting.

I fucking hate this company.

Too... Many... Games...

I'm drowning. There are too many recent releases beside my 360 console. Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, and Call of Duty 4, all within a couple of weeks. It's a bit overwhelming. I've been doing rounds of each game like a drunk slut in the middle of a blowjob circle working my way up to the inevitable bukkake. Plus I still have yet to blow the Orange Box's load.

So after playing bits of these games (except for COD4... maybe tomorrow), what game seems to have that glimmer of awesome?

Well Assassin's Creed is great, there's no doubt about it. It's one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen, plus the free-running design is fantastic and is probably one of the most innovative design choices I've seen in within the past couple of years (along with portals, cover systems, Halo-health bar, and physics puzzles... hundreds of physics puzzles). But unfortunately you can't just make a medieval Grand Theft Auto, sprinkle about 3 ounces of depth to the experience, and expect to make the Game of The Year. What Assassin's Creed lacks is execution. Each assassination process is repetitive, hollow, and the narrative is as dry as my dead grandmother's vagina. But here's the thing, it's fun. If you don't mind the repetition, then I really can't stop you. The chases can be very enjoyable sometimes, and you'll always find different animations that Altair is capable of. So far, Assassin's Creed isn't GOTY material, but it's definitely one of the best titles of the year, one of the most unique games in the past decade, and will be talked about for years to come.

Mass Effect. Those two words will forever be linked to every positive adjective in the english language. So far, I haven't even gone balls deep into the story, and I'm already immersed in this Star Wars-like universe. I know every species of alien, the politics, and most importantly, my party members. Not since Final Fantasy IX have I actually cared about characters so much. This is the next big Sci-Fi adventure and I'm fucking excited. The mere thought of this being a trilogy makes my pants dampen in love juice. The dialogue system is fantastic shit, and I love conversations now, I used to shit all over KoToR's dialogue, but BioWare has done it to perfection. This is truly the best choose-your-own-adventure experience ever designed. The combat is fun, fast-paced, and very challenging, and can be played many different ways depending on your class (I'm playing as a soldier... because I like guns). Plus the milk and honey of this game is without a doubt... space zombies... I love killing space zombies.

COD4 soon enough.

By the way, Jade Raymond's still a fox. I want her in my pants.


Get Sexy.

From Now Till Christmas...

...It's gonna be hell. Guitar Hero 3's still selling out, Call of Duty 4 is rocking sales, and the next two weeks holds the year's most anticipated releases, which include Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect and many, many, many, many, many more... so it's pretty win-win.

My manager has yet to hire a seasonal employee... which she was supposed to do 2 weeks ago. So tip of the hat to her for being such a marvelous leader...

And as if Cody Barlog left Sony... is God of War III gonna... suck? *tears*. I'm slowly being more tempted to get a PS3 what with the price drops and everything.

...oh wait, PS3 has 2 good games out.

Manager Doodies on Duty's

My manager has been in Vancouver for the past week because her fiance's grandmother died. Funny how she's allowed to do that since she forced me to work during a funeral I was supposed to attend. Actually, here's how it went:

She wanted me to show up before a funeral to say hi to people for about 40 minutes, then LEAVE before the funeral, and work the rest of the shift until close. If you can find the logic in that, then please, tell me. And the thing is someone else was working as well, so that means that there was no need for me to work, I did jack shit during that shift, but her reason for me working was because I was scheduled for it... My mind is going to melt.

And so she won't let me attend a funeral, yet she's allowed to leave for a week for the funeral of someone who she probably doesn't even know very well. Oh, and apparently she was excited to go to Vancouver... because of IKEA and shopping. Interesting, I thought she had a funeral to go to, and I thought she had to console her loving fiance? Stone cold bitch.

Now, here's the kicker, she didn't make any schedules for the month of November, so that means that there's no one scheduled for Sunday. And the guy who's on the verge of being Assistant Manager, but isn't yet, had the overwhelming responsibility of having to find people to cover the Sunday shifts PLUS do a shit load of work. Not fair.

My manager has taken 3 vacations since I started working here 4 months ago.