Friday, April 20, 2007

What Part of New Don’t You Understand?

It's no big secret that GameStop is the whipping boy for the video game community, whether it is honestly earned or not. Heck, they are probably ranked up there with Electronic Arts and Hitler in terms of overall popularity when it comes to talking smack about what's wrong with the video game industry (or society) as a whole. I've been known to rag on each of them myself, on occasion, but most of the time I try my best to judge their products and services on an individual basis. Take for instance, the local GameStop, that I've been know to frequent (You Guys Rock!).

While I think the parent company could very well be led by a bunch of bow tie wearing douche bags, the guys that I see running the place on a daily basis are as decent a bunch of gamers as you'd see anywhere. I've made it a point to give them my personal test that I sometimes use on other gaming departments or stores when I'm in the "feeling out" process of deciding whether or not I really want to spend my hard earned cash at. Since I often make it up on the fly, the exacting wording is different each time, but the premise remains the same. I'll walk into a store, and play the part of a complete know-nothing when it comes to video games. Try this for yourself a couple of times, and you'll get a better appreciation for the people that take your money behind the counter. If nothing else, you'll encounter a few amusing experiences to share with your friends.

Most of the time, I've found these people to be fairly knowledgeable concerning the subject matter, and for that I'm quite thankful. Nothing is worse than someone selling you something, with a smile no less, that they wouldn't ever dream of buying for themselves. However, I've seen my fair share of people trying to sell me "insurance" on the game I was purchasing. Insurance for what, I'm still trying to figure out. Since DVD's don't seem to have too many moving parts, and I take care of my collection like a newborn baby, I don't see "protection money" being anything more than another useless marketing tool pointed at me.

But I digress. The real point of this senseless rambling is that while it's fun to poke fun at these jerks when they are obviously being less than honest with us, you can't blame the group as a whole for what transpires. For every bad decision from someone up chain of command, there is an equally decent individual someone down the line that is just doing their best to get by and actually gives a shit about what they are handling, whatever that might be. So what are you to do when you are dealing with places that seem to be less interested in you, and more about milking your dry? Why you simply make a mental note, striking them off the list, and mosey on down to the next place of business to start the dance all over again. Nothing like a little "role playing" of your own to satisfy the inner jackass in all of us.

As a wise (and personal favorite) lyricist once said, "Life's a Journey, Not a Destination". This person obviously never played through a timed section of a Grand Theft Auto game, but I think you get the picture.

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