Gamestop Idiocy

[rolenta]

I approached the powers to be at Gamestop to have Ralph Baer visit the three Manchester NH stores to talk and sign books. They declined. They probably never heard of him.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Just bring him to OVGE in June. Seriously. :D

[WiseSalesman]

Hell, I've never heard of him, and I'm several times more knowledgeable on the subject of electronic entertainment than your average GS employee.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Ralph kinda like...invented home video games. FYI.

[orangemage]

http://www.ralphbaer.com/video_game_history.htm

[swlovinist]

Gamestop does not care about the history of video games, let alone retro gamers. If they cannot make money from it, they wont do it.

[rolenta]

Gamestop does not care about the history of video games, let alone retro gamers. If they cannot make money from it, they wont do it.

I know that but I figure that having the inventor in the store would generate a lot of traffic where they would make money.

[Wavelflack]

I can see what would happen if this came to pass:

kid: What are you doing here, old man?
Ralph: I'm signing copies of my book.
kid: Is it a strategy guide?
Ralph: No.
kid: It must be stupid then. Why do you get to be here instead of someone cool?
Ralph: Well, I pretty much invented videogames.
kid: Wow! I didn't recognize you, Mr. Kuturagi!

[atomicthumbs]

Definately have heard of him and I don't even really consider myself a REAL retro-gamer (got the stuff. grew up on atari. born in 78' though).

I called my local GameStop the other day looking for a used Super Advantage* joystick. I had to explain what it was. They said that they didn't really carry any of the "old stuff" anymore. Oh well... That's business I guess. Atleast there are a couple of local stores that carry "old to ancient stuff".


*still looking

[lendelin]

I approached the powers to be at Gamestop to have Ralph Baer visit the three Manchester NH stores to talk and sign books. They declined. They probably never heard of him.

Geez, that's ridiculous and outrageous; the stores could have improved their image and attract new potential customers. Gamestores who decline to have the inventor of videogames for a book signing are simply nuts. I can only shake my head in disbelief.

I pre-ordered Baers book today, btw. I hope it comes with his autograph because I ordered it before April 1st.

I can't wait to read what Baer has to say about copyright infringements of some of his patents, and about the controversy with Bushnell in particular. It was about time that he himself set the record straight after you and Kent did so already in your game books.

[Tony Montana]

I work for a large video game chain and I dont think its as much the powers who be as it is the customer base. I would say 95% of customers who come in dont care about the history of games or retro gaming at all. They want the newest hottest thing unless they are a parent looking for something cheap for the little kids, then they might pick up some N64 or PS1 games.

Although I wouldn't mind listening to him.

[rolenta]

I work for a large video game chain and I dont think its as much the powers who be as it is the customer base. I would say 95% of customers who come in dont care about the history of games or retro gaming at all. They want the newest hottest thing unless they are a parent looking for something cheap for the little kids, then they might pick up some N64 or PS1 games.

This wouldn't have anything to do with an existing customer base. If it was advertised that Ralph Baer, the inventor of home videogames, was going to be in the store, there would be many many people visiting the store just for the chance to meet a piece of history.

[WiseSalesman]

Ralph kinda like...invented home video games. FYI.


http://www.ralphbaer.com/video_game_history.htm

Oh yeah, this guy. Okay, I have heard of him. But I don't know if it would bring me into a store.

[Pantechnicon]

Oh yeah, this guy. Okay, I have heard of him. But I don't know if it would bring me into a store.

You need to set your sights a little higher then. The prospect of meeting Ralph Baer brought me all the way to Las Vegas, i.e. - CGE2000.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/pzcortez/baer2000.jpg

Baer is a class act and as gracious a man as you could ever hope to meet.

[Sebastian]

kid: What are you doing here, old man?
Ralph: I'm signing copies of my book.
kid: Is it a strategy guide?
Ralph: No.
kid: It must be stupid then. Why do you get to be here instead of someone cool?
Ralph: Well, I pretty much invented videogames.
kid: Wow! I didn't recognize you, Mr. Kuturagi!

HAHAAHAHAHAAH....i don't think many of the kids today even know who Kuturagi is just to tell you the truth.

More like........Mr.Bill Gates!

[stevec1636]

sad, just sad. I hate Gamestop and everything that they do. this just confirms it.

[Leo_A]

If they're aiming at selling stuff to young people, I'm afraid some of the replies posted in this thread by kids just confirms that they did the right thing.

[Iron Draggon]

Definately have heard of him and I don't even really consider myself a REAL retro-gamer (got the stuff. grew up on atari. born in 78' though).

I called my local GameStop the other day looking for a used Super Advantage* joystick. I had to explain what it was. They said that they didn't really carry any of the "old stuff" anymore. Oh well... That's business I guess. Atleast there are a couple of local stores that carry "old to ancient stuff".


*still looking

I have a pair of those lying around, as well as a pair of Genesis fighter sticks.

Back on topic, bring Mr. Baer down here to Houston. We have alot of book signings here, but we rarely have anything to do with video games. Dallas gets alot of stuff like that, but we never get any video gaming conventions that I know of. Just the standard comic book whore conventions and stuff like that. There's Nancon, but that's for D&D and collectible card games and stuff. You'd think that we'd have a huge video gaming convention here, but the only ones that I recall even hearing about were those roving tour type gigs where they have a traveling kiosk of some sort here for a few hours one day. If we have anything else even remotely like a classic gaming convention, it must be occaisional LAN parties for some PC FPS games. I've had people ask me if I know of anything in the area, but sadly I know of nothing here. I only know that if any city in Texas ever had a classic gaming convention, it would be held in Dallas, like every other convention of interest that comes to this state. No one seems to be aware yet that Houston is the biggest city in the state, nor do they seem to know that it's bigger than all the other major cities in Texas combined! So everything still goes to Dallas all the damn time.

[Landon]

Maybe another perspective here, but....

First off, it isn't the job of any business to "care" about anything that doesn't make them money. You can bet your backside that gaming retail outlets probably have the most detail-specific in-depth knowledge of "what games sell" far above and beyond anyone who doesn't run such a business.
If retrogames made them money, then you can bet your ass they would "care".
Unfortunatley, ebay has seriously diminished if not outright killed the resale aspect of retail sales. Why would I sell or trade in my game to a retail outlet for .50 cents worth of "credit" when I can sell the same game on ebay for $3.00 cash?
Why would I shop at gamestop and pay $5.99 for an insanely common NES game that I need to fill a hole when I can point-and-click one to my front door for .50 cents price and $3.99 shipping..?

The other thing is that you can't expect much from "the guy behind the counter" in any retail outlet- be it Walmart, Game Stop, Barnes and Noble, your local Sporting Goods store, etc... These are people who make $7.50 an hour to run a cash register, period. From time to time you might luck into a retail jockey who actually knows a thing or two, but that knowledge won't be nearly as in-depth as your typical internet addict who can absorb decades worth of advanced collecting information in a few hours on google.

It would be supercool to meet Ralph Baer, yeah.
With the right promo's as far as "who he is" and a little build up, could it be profitable? Probably.
But your average gamestop/EBGames manager isn't invested enough in "caring" to make such an event happen, especially considering that for those places, every single decision is made on the corporate level, and the only thing the manager really does is schedule the employees and keep tke alarm codes and door keys.

[Sothy]

Gamestop is a douche bag.

Thought I already told you people that.

[Funkenstein]

I'm a resident of Manchester, NH. I would have been elated to meet Mr. Baer, but probably would have been one of the few in the citiy. Classic gaming is not big round these parts, unfortunately.

Why Manchester? Does he live around here?

[WiseSalesman]

Oh yeah, this guy. Okay, I have heard of him. But I don't know if it would bring me into a store.

You need to set your sights a little higher then. The prospect of meeting Ralph Baer brought me all the way to Las Vegas, i.e. - CGE2000.

Baer is a class act and as gracious a man as you could ever hope to meet.

It's cool that he's nice guy, I just don't really have any interest in meeting him. I don't know, I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, but it's not like I have a great admiration for the guy. He basically invented video games, and I'm not trying to downplay his achievements at all, but, really, what is it he's going to tell me that I'm going to be interested in? Seriously.

[Zadoc]

The other thing is that you can't expect much from "the guy behind the counter" in any retail outlet- be it Walmart, Game Stop, Barnes and Noble, your local Sporting Goods store, etc... These are people who make $7.50 an hour to run a cash register, period.

When I was a manager at Gamestop we used to only hire gamers... until they adopted a no gamer policy in my district. Why? Because gamers are "lazy."

fuck that shitty, shitty corporation.

[FurinkanianFrood]

When I was a manager at Gamestop we used to only hire gamers... until they adopted a no gamer policy in my district. Why? Because gamers are "lazy."


The EB I worked at some years ago only hired gamers. I don't know if they changed that, but they did some awful stuff, like selling trade-ins as new (on a massive scale).

F them anyhow. Gamestop does that crap too. They will tell you they stopped.
Hahaha. :angry:

Hardly anyone you run into in public will know who Baer is, sadly....

As for Kutaragi, I feel sorry for him. One of these days the hype machine will die and no one will remember him except as the king of Sony's hype slinging drones.

[Lady Jaye]

Well, Mr. Baer also created the Simon game, so I owe him countless hours of my youth playing the pocket version of the game (to this day, I can still hum the Simon noises like it's some kind of catchy tune...).

[rolenta]

Why Manchester? Does he live around here?

Yes. And videogames were invented in Nashua.

[Tony Montana]

This wouldn't have anything to do with an existing customer base. If it was advertised that Ralph Baer, the inventor of home videogames, was going to be in the store, there would be many many people visiting the store just for the chance to meet a piece of history.

I highly doubt that, at least in my area.

[Griking]

The EB I worked at some years ago only hired gamers. I don't know if they changed that, but they did some awful stuff, like selling trade-ins as new (on a massive scale).

I wonder how many eBay sellers will receive a negative fedabck over that down the road? :roll:

[rbudrick]

Yes. And videogames were invented in Nashua.

True...I never thought of it that way, being a Milford man myself...that's a very interesting point.

-Rob

[SoulBlazer]

Yup, growing up in Amherst, many of my friend's knew someone who worked at the Sanders plant in Nashua. They are still there, right?

Why did I think Mr. Baer lived in New York or New Jersey, though?

[Porkchop]

Why Manchester? Does he live around here?

Yes. And videogames were invented in Nashua.


Nashua should cash in on this a build a video game hall of fame.

[calthaer]

Gamestop is a douche bag.

Thought I already told you people that.

Hear him, when Sothy speaks.

That is all.

[Bluteg]

Gamestop is only good for two things $1.99 RPG stategy guides and $1.99 PSX longbox games.

Yeah Texas never gets any CGE esque conventions. It's all comic-cons or TCG stuff even in Dallas.