With an increasingly strong push toward download-only games and digital expansion packs, you have to wonder what's going to happen to retailers like GameStop. Used game sales can only carry you so far into the future, right? VentureBeat has a neat article detailing the company's model "store of the future."
Essentially, GameStop wants to bring digital distribution into the storefront. Yeah, I know. There will be interactive kiosks that can scan in your personal rewards card to bring up information such as the games you've bought, your wishlist, and other things of that nature.
Additionally, these will display any rewards you've obtained by way of shopping (achievements!), and allow you to purchase stuff like game add-ons -- you'll get a code that can be redeemed at home, through your console. It's a start, I guess.
And by that I mean the system will likely "work" on many people, but not you, and certainly not me.
GameStop debuts a "store of the future" as online threat looms [VentureBeat]
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Contest:
5:00 PM on 08.24.2010 | 
Short version: too little, too late, too bad.
Neat.
Gamestop will eventually go the way of Blockbuster.
and by adapted I mean it got a lot smaller.
i didn't read the article, taking too long to load.
@Keres Gamestop will go the way of Blockbuster, and maybe we'll see a RedBox thingy for videogames... waitaminute..... do they already have those?
Buying a box in a store is not going anywhere for a long time, even if those boxes all just link to download services. Used games are going to be killed though, and that' their main revenue stream.
The only advantage I can see is the ability to give friends codes for games instead of just points.
The only reason for me to be in a Gamestop these days is to price out used PS2 and GameCube games I can then order from Amazon.
While I do prefer buying boxed games in a sense - the download time is prohibitive to say the least - I do end up spending most of my game money through Steam these days. My purchases usually cheap more-or-less-impulse purchases of games I've sort of wanted for a long time or thought were amazing when I played the demos, and Steam likes to dangle quality games for hardly anything in one's face, so, y'know.
FTW
It's a very neat concept, and I'm looking forward to seeing where they go with it. Only big downside is no leftover points to rollover, which I'm quite fond of, but plenty of people love to complain about that. Look into it.
Purely downloadable games are fine for most of us with solid connections, but those without it play video games, too. The only thing that surprises me about the whole thing is that it took this long for them to do it.
Think about all the excellent xbla and psn games that were simply unavailable to a sizable audience simply because they lack a high speed connection?
TL;DR version: If you don't understand why you would drive to the store to buy this instead of from home, don't worry about it. It's not for you.
That doesn't really work, because once you've bought the DLC code at the store, you still need to download the content once you get home. It's not like they're putting it on a disc for you.
Why? Id rather stay home and go on Steam and begin my downloading.
I can see why I would for one reason to buy DD games/content in a retail store. To pay with cash instead of paypal/Credit card which would be awesome but beyond that.
Regardless, I think GameStop will be safe for quite some time. Hardcore gamers may have largely abandoned the store (or, at best, barely tolerate it for trade-ins and used games), but for every one of "us", there's a family with 12 kids who are mystified by the internet and are paranoid about giving their credit cards over to "them damned machines".
Younger gamers will eat this up, and I can't say I won't be tempted occasionally to trade in some physical games (during a good trade deal) for some digital games.
The only thing I don't really understand is how GameStop makes any money from selling them at face value. Did they make some kind of deal with Sony/MS on this one?
I suppose in my haste to post while also attempting to work I missed that pretty clear fact. Blame it on my stupidity.
I do, however, agree with other people here that it's still not a bad idea. I don't think I've ever had exactly 0 ms points since the inception of XBL, and I've been around since nearly the beginning. I don't put my credit card in because I don't trust myself when I'm drunk so I buy cards. It'd be nice to be able to buy a $10 game and only spend $10.
Not to mention, who wants to spend $1 worth of points on an indie game on XBL just to realize that now you'll need to get another $20 card to get X or Y badass game you want?
If you buy a $4.99 card for game X, you pay ONLY $4.99. If use a $20 bill, you get the change. You don't have to buy 2000 points and then have points left over that you can't use.
So this works just perfect for people who only want a specific game to begin with. It also makes for a cool gift idea. Instead of a generic point card, you can get a bit more personal and give a game card.
So all in all, not too bad of an idea. It would be nice if they had deals or specials on them as well. We will have to see.
And they can sell them online, so yeah, you lazy bums still don't need to leave the house.
All true.
I worry the majority are either too stupid or indifferent to care though.