Side note: I originally wrote about this on my Tumblr, then after posting it a few other places, decided you folks might enjoy.
Side side note: To put things into perspective, I work in an independent retro gaming store. I love my job, and most of the kids around wish they had it. GameStop employees shop at my store, and frequently tell me they wish our store was more like theirs, as well as refer their customers to us on occasion. We have a healthy relationship with our competitors.
So, a few weeks ago, two kids come in. They look to be about 17 or 18, and they’re clearly coming from the school across the street, which is a common sight considering I always work closing. Two kids, iPods blaring, generally yelling in the store. Not exactly my favorite kind of people to be in, they’re the kind that never buys anything. Eventually, they ask for applications.
Now, I decide to instead of saying the usual “oh, we’re not hiring”, to give them some applications. I don’t know, maybe I was being nice or something. On our applications, we have a little test for all applicants to make sure you have some idea of what youre talking about. Nothing too tough.
Some of the questions are “name five consoles before the NES”, “three handhelds that aren’t made by nintendo”, and more. There’s also a section where you name your favorite game in each genre. Now, they go through and already had trouble with the other ones, having to ask for help and look around the store. We were just going to throw out their applications anyway.
One of them asks what an RPG is to his friend. He does a kind of barebones way of describing it, but I can understand that it’s not the easiest genre to describe on the spot. He describes the stereotype: you’re on a quest to save a princess, and you fight monsters on the way.
The kid immediately shouts out that his favorite RPG is “Batman”. I lose it. I just walk to the back, shut the door, and take a moment to myself to soak in what I had just heard. The kid didn’t even realize it, either. He was so happy that his application was perfect. I called my boss later that day when I was closing (this happens everyday), and I told him about the application.
We still have it in our folder, and have no plans of throwing it out.
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Fapped.
His entire resume was the Pokemon cartoon theme song.
Instead of understanding that younger generations may see things differently we older folks will just laugh at the youths and class them as ignorant?
This blog doesn't have 2 molecules of class to rub together.
So instead of showing people something funny, we act incredibly pretentious to them and make white knight comments on blogs so we can pretend to judge them when someone butthurt see's fit?
Instead of understanding that I thought something was funny and shared it we older folks will just never tell a story for fear of someone's feelings getting hurt?
Your comment doesn't have 2 molecules of fun to rub together.
Say what you like man, there's nothing cool in taking the piss out of another generation for the views. It's a dick move. Claiming I'm White knighting is just an excuse to avoid facing that fact.
If you show interest in something and seek outside help or information/willingness to learn and people just laugh at you without helping, how will you succeed? I imagine you wouldn't want to try.
Not saying you laughed in his face or anything, you could have chuckled and just said what an RPG was and helped them out.
"If you show interest in something and seek outside help or information/willingness to learn and people just laugh at you without helping, how will you succeed? I imagine you wouldn't want to try."
Absolutely, but there's a time and place for it. Applying for a job is neither the time nor place to ask for help on filling out an application. He straight up asked us to give him answers. Asking one of us for help on filling out an application for our store akin to asking a professor to solve a problem for you on their final exam. He'd be dead weight to work at the store, based on lack of knowledge.
Their lack of knowledge is no worse than you having that information and acting superior about it. You're like those douche bags who think they are some how closer to God because they heard "insert band"s first album before anyone else.
My comment isn't about the necessity to weed these people out, it's about you acting like a dick. Claiming professional reasons for acting like an egotistical douche doesn't fly.
Yeah I wouldn't be able to answer that, either.
It's like people don't realize that EVERYONE applies to a game store because they think it'll be fun. There's barely any point in applying unless you're a regular who can get his foot in the door or you have some extremely impressive resume.
I don't really laugh unless the application is genuinely funny, though. Nor do I bother to ridicule customers anymore. I'm over it. I work a customer service job. I'm paid to be helpful and make money so that's what I do.
These were kids who obviously didn't care a lot about retro games who wanted to work at a RETRO GAMES store. Getting a job and getting paid is serious business (no pun intended). If these kids really gave a crap about a job they're applying for, they should have taken these applications home and cheated to look up stuff on the net. They could have at least put some effort.
A retro games store is a kind of business that someone would only start up if they really had a passion for retro video games. They would want to keep retro games alive so people would know what they are, and it makes sense to want employees who care about retro games.
I believe these kids actually know more about retro games than they did before, I don't know if they care more.
Five consoles that came before NES from the top of my head (I may be wrong): Atari 2600/5300, Colecovision, Odyssey, Brownbox, Pong standalone unit.
I have so many conversations about retro gaming, it's part of what makes my job fun to be at.
Handhelds not made by Nintendo: Game Gear, Turbo Express, Atari Lynx, Wonderswan. To name a few off the top.
Great points about dead weight and the whole job application thing, that makes total sense! The kids just want some more McD's money and a Reto Game store isn't up their ally.
But at least I know RPG is a Rocket Propelled Grenade.
Man, what a dolt.
Fuck it, let's see:
Atari 2600 (my first console), ColecoVision, Intellivision...
*long pause*
*longer pause*
Fuck, this is embarrassing. I really shouldn't push the add comment button.
Also also, what TheDreadHawk said :)
We were asked to roleplay some customer assistance with another trainee. My fellow trainee played the customer first.
He said he was looking for games like Modern Warfare 2. Easy enough, I suggested he try Battlefield 2: Bad Company. I don't even play FPS, but I know plenty that do and what they'd either substitute for MW2 or replace it with in a heartbeat, which is B2:BC, I even cite some differences.
So my turn comes. He's like 20. I asked him old school 2D platformers.
Kid drew a complete blank What made it funnier was my back was facing the Wii and DS sections, loaded with examples. We're talking last fall here. I can spot Castlevania, Kirby, Mario and countless others. He couldn't think of one.
You have to be prepared for questions like this, no matter how obscure. People aren't just going to come into these stores asking about games you already like. I get questions about deer hunting sims and Nancy Drew games. You're going to get old ladies looking for turn-based RPGS on DS and PS2 - you have to be ready to roll with this stuff.
I probably would have imploded that kid's head if I asked about vector dungeons, but I thought I was lobbing a softball for sure.
My wife teaches. She does a good job at school and stuff, but you better believe when some kid does something stupid or writes something dumb, we have a laugh about it later. Maybe laughing at their face is unprofessional, but laughing in general is natural.
In my opinion, that's an idea that needs to be capitalised upon. Although Elsa had referred DC Universe being an equivalent, a Batman RPG wouldn't be such a bad idea. I mean, Batman has a party (Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, etc) as well as villians that could double as bosses, all in a quest in a city with a fair amount of criminals to gain XP from.
@Wry
I want to see this resume.