Our industry is embroiled in an eternal conflict. Which console is right for you? Xbox? PlayStation 2? GameCube?
Wait, strike that last one. If you relied solely on mainstream media for your news, you might never realize that
there's a third company out there vying for your attention. Then again, these are just faceless corporations pandering
to the lowest common denominator. Informed, responsible gamers don't harbor such bias, right? ...Right? Gather
'round, children, and let me tell you a story.
The day is Wednesday, August 24. I enter my local GameStop, clutching a reservation slip, and am greeted by two
cashiers and a manager. I tell them that I'm here to pick up my copy of Advance Wars DS.
"Still holding out for the DS, huh?" remarks the manager. "Why haven't you gone for the PSP by now?"
It's true that I don't own a PSP, but this man doesn't know that. His mind is apparently incapable of grasping the
concept that someone could own two video game systems simultaneously. I ignore him and continue my transaction. Oh, but
it doesn't end there.
"While you're here, why don't you pre-order that new Kim Possible game? After all, you don't have anything else to
look forward to on the DS."
What?
This wasn't just a passing remark. He said it snidely, derisively. I used to work at a Wendy's, and if I were
to suggest a sandwich to a customer in that tone, I'd probably get my ass fired. At the moment, I was too taken aback
to formulate a proper response. Fortunately for me, one of the cashiers intervened on my behalf.
"Well, no, there's that Castlevania game coming out pretty soon."
"Yeah, plus Animal Crossing's coming later this year," interjected the second cashier.
"Animal Crossing?" sneered the manager. "Yeah, like that won't fizzle out."
The second cashier fell silent. However, having regained the use of my voice, I proceeded to remind him of Mario
Kart DS and Tony Hawk, while the cashier recited Resident Evil DS and Dig Dug. When I
got to Mario & Luigi DS, the manager audibly scoffed. However, perhaps realizing he was outnumbered, he
retreated to the back room, presumably to shoot some heroin. It vaguely registered in my mind that, for the first time
in my life, I had met a real, live console fanboy over the age of thirteen.
How common are these kinds of events? Am I in the vast minority, or has anyone else out there ever been discriminated against based upon their gaming preferences? If a Nintendo fanboy were to kill Jay Allen, would it be considered a hate crime? Moreover, if a Nintendo fanboy did kill Jay Allen, would he opt for the poison mushrooms or the length of sewer pipe? Alas, some questions are destined to go unanswered.
[NOTE: Jason totally caught onto the fact that Jay Allen is not, perhaps, a real person at all, and that I am, most likely, on heroin myself.]
(Page 1) Reader Comments
1) I felt like it.
2) Ha ha ha ha.
[striegs]
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Newsflash: People other than game store employees have the internet! Anyone over 18 who's buying a game knows what they're talking about.
I'm officially boycotting EB and Gamestop in favor of Walmart. At least the old lady in electronics never gives me any shit for buying a DS game.
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Really though unless you have a bunch of money to just spend on games you have to choose sides and a good way to validate the side you've chosen is to bash the other with good reason or without. Think of it like sports teams... except there are only three...
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Crikey...
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Yesterday I went into Gamestop to buy 12 month subscription card to Xbox Live, as mine is already out. He treated me like a child, as I was discussing Xbox 360 games with my friend, he would constantly interject, offering his opinion on the game. He wanted me to reserve Madden 2006, to which I replied hell no. So I guess it gave him more of a reason to be an asshole, and he acted as such.
So much for Gamestop, Ill never go there again.
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And no, this isn't because I know them. They do this to customers all the time. Like he has this story about how one christmas a lady came in asking for "Dragonball Bukkake" - then he said he has dragonball, and he has bukkake, which exactly was she looking for? Then another manager had someone come in looking for "Deffer Jam: Live from New York" and she told him they don't care that. If he wants they have Def Jam, but she wouldn't sell it to him because he can't read anyways.
It's just a simple fact(if you haven't read these forums)- gamers are dicks. Working won't change a thing, especially in a gaming environment.
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Matter of fact, here's something to think about:
If you want my money, you'll let me buy the game I came here to buy.
Perhaps I WOULD buy a PSP if they offered some new games I've never seen before - LIKE Nintendogs, Meteos.. something along those lines. If you already have a PS2, why buy another one for 100 more bucks.. just so you can play the same games on a smaller screen with worse graphics than the actual PS2? Are you really out and about that much that you NEED a PSP with you at all times?
I think of the DS as a separate console, almost. Honestly, you can't play Nintendogs (or any other game with a touchscreen) anywhere else!
Stupid store clerks...
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"And I asked for your opinion when...?"
Usually they come up with some smart ass comment about my purchase about how they are just trying to help me out or that they are telling me I'm making a mistake.
"I'm sorry but I don't need your help, I don't need your snide remarks, and if you think I do in that pea sized brain of yours, then you don't need my money. I'd love to speak to your manager if it comes to that."
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I was constantly belittled for enjoying Nintendo stuff and had to fight with coworkers and customers for enjoying both Nintendo and Sega. All these fools could see was EA Sports and Syphon Filter.
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when i mentioned my excitement over an upcoming PS2 title the clerk arrogantly informed me that "Xbox games are the only ones worth playing". what??
@# 11 BoB: "He wanted me to reserve Madden 2006, to which I replied hell no."
you do understand that part of their job is to attempt to make a sale, right? if they have big titles up for reserve, they're required to ask.. don't be an asshole just because they're being a dutiful employee.
last time i made a purchase at gamestop i was asked if i'd like to reserve legend of zelda: twilight princess. does that mean the man was a nintendo fanboy? no, it means he's a salesman.
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so i buy makai kingdom and ikaruga and we have a little discussion about disgaea and phantom brave. then i ask to preorder aw ds and we have a small discussion on how its been getting great reviews.
they are the most unbiased clerks i've ever seen.
which reminds me of that trip to target once...
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So it makes me & GameStop look like ass clowns & I didnt even start it.
EB & GameStop are in the business of obviously all game systems, so why hire biased fanboys? who knows. either go there & get hated on because you liked Killer 7 or go to a big electronics store to have them stare blankly at you when you say something that doesnt have Mario, PS2, GTA, or Halo in your question. Nothing is perfect & people are freaking pricks. Least I can say when I sold games, I held my opinion to myself unless specifically asked what I thought of a game or system purchase. Then like any other retail monkey hound them for accessory purchasese. Thats how you do it.
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People have far too many hangups, or maybe I just have no shame. I don't care if they stare when I laugh like I belong in a psych ward when playing Wario Ware: Touched on the bus, or when I speak to my Nintendogs. I'm the one having fun in the end, and at no one's expense but my own.
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I currently don't own any consoles due to money issues, but you can put me on the list for the Revolution and the 360 (Don't care much for Sony's hype at the moment, I'm going to see how things shake out, especially concerning the comments Kutaragi has made about the price).
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Oddly enough, Nintendo is the nicest company to store managers. I've recieved many free games (and yes, a free DS last holiday season) in the couple years I managed a store. Microsoft has nice incentives for Xbox-centric training via their website (completing quizzes earns free games or merchandise), and Sony says "Screw you, we're number one. We don't need to do a damn thing."
For the record, I actually am a gamer and own everything but a PSP (traded it in when I lost my job to help cover bills, I don't really miss it beyond gear lust). Many GameStop regional/district/store managers simply moved from one retail job to the next; the more hardcore gamers will typically be the part-timers.
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They (a guy and some college grad chick) would suggest what games are fun. I went to get Warioware: Twisted (this was a while back) and he talked about how busy it was the day it and Fire Emblem:Sacred Stones came out. And then I asked them when Nintendogs was coming out and He said Aug 22nd, and then the chick said how she and lots of her friends were dying to get that game. The me and the guy talked about some games, mainly DS. I would ask when the game would come out, they'd tell me and then give they're opinion on the game. Then we talked about how "We Love Kamtari" (I'lm not sure if the title is right, I hadn't gotten a chance to play it yet) was gonna have a sequel. Then I left the shop with one game.
I sure hope I never meet cashiers like that, but if I do I'll use #17's advice, for you lazy people here's #17:
"
At times like those I like to say
"And I asked for your opinion when...?"
Usually they come up with some smart ass comment about my purchase about how they are just trying to help me out or that they are telling me I'm making a mistake.
"I'm sorry but I don't need your help, I don't need your snide remarks, and if you think I do in that pea sized brain of yours, then you don't need my money. I'd love to speak to your manager if it comes to that."
"
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I don't think it's the store's problem. It's the person's problem.
The people in my local EB games (Vancouver) are very nice. When I bought my PSP there, they let me open different boxes to find a perfect one. They are always up to date with what games are coming for all the system. Sometimes they would recommend me some games and actually put it into a demo system to let me try it out. And most importantly they don't bash any systems.
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What gives!?
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Gamestop here is full of a bunch of PC whores. The one time they were actually having a discussion saying the PC had a better version of the game because the PC has "better graphics".They'll tell you information on the product you're buying as they're ringing it up but other than that they don't bother you.
The EB Games in the mall is another story. There is some asshole in there who will act like it's the hardest fucking chore on earth to find out anything you ask about if it's not concerning Sony (the manager just acts like everything is the hardest fucking chore on earth).
The one time I came in there and asked to see a list for 360 games to preorder and he asked if I was going to get a PS3.I told him no and he acted like the biggest jackass in the world trying to tell me how much better and "more powerful" the PS3 was (it's amazing how he knows this considering neither consoles are even available to the public). The guy had a black eye and I wondered if he was just a dick all the time and got punched in the face.I kept staring at it but I had sunglasses on so he didnt know.
The EB Games that has it's own store by itself is ok.It always smells like the Subway next door and they will just ask if you need help finding something,then ring you up quick and usually never say anything besides the usual "That comes to $____" and "Here you go,enjoy your day".
I know I put too much detail into this.
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I think it helps silence the store clerks if you look like Bull from Night Court
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I have had no problems with jerks at my local Canadian EB....however...i do get sick of hearing "would you like to put a gurantee on your previously owned game for 2 dollars?" Shouldn't that be included!? With the price they sell at, those PO games are nearly all profit!
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If I were in this situation...
"Still holding out for the DS, huh?" he'd say.
"Still think you've got a future by managing retail, huh?" I'd say.
Alas, I don't waste my time with game stores (or shopping malls, for that matter).
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Ah, and if the fanboy'ism goes anyway in my area, they favor Nintendo. The managers love nintendo, cuz they gave them a free GBA, SP, DS, and they'll be getting a free Micro and Revolution as well. I called him a sellout and he denied it, but followed up by "dude, if they wanna give me free shit, I will totally support it and tell others to get it". Apparently he doesn't know what a sellout is. Shows the intelligence of nintendo fanboys =)"
Well, this nintendo "fanboy" may not know what a sellout is, but you don't know what a fanboy is. A fanboy is not one because he gets free stuff, dumbass. A fanboy is one because he likes everything a company (like nintendo, for example) makes.
I love nintendo, and if I was given for free a ps2 and/or an Xbox, I wouldn't become a sony/xbox fanboy. Nor a sellout. You are also critic about "nintendo's fanboys' intelligence", but I wonder: why are nintendo's fanboys' among joystiq's much more 'literate' posters, if not so aggressive and/or stupid as the rest of the PS/Xbox/sports fanboys? You answer me that, you putz.
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Practice what you preach.
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SOLUTION:
if the manager was being such a dick to you about your choices, why give them your money? You have the power at any point to just walk out and take your money elsewhere and make it specifically known that their attitude is why you're choosing to leave. I never have done this personally, but several employees have made me put a purchase back on the shelf long before I even approached the checkout counter.
In a way though, these people are doing their job by getting you riled up and defensive about your purchase. Their being a fanboy brought out the fanboy in you, hopefully instilling a need for continuing purchases.
i buy all my games (WHEN i even buy them, which is rare/never) online, preferably used. I'm too old and have too few real life friends who game to really get excited about anything new. I have an x-box and have been putting off getting KOTOR2 and Mercenaries for quite some time.
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Even though it's from a minority of people, there seems to be so much hatred. If you go on any internet forum or message board (which for this very reason I try and avoid) and see some of the vile comments that are posted by fanboys, it's just so depressing.
Now I'm a huge Nintendo fan, nay an obsessive Nintendo fan (I own all their consoles), but I would never ever slag off another console or chastise someone for owning a different one to me. Each to their own.
That store manager was just a complete prick and I'm suprised you didn't punch him in his obnoxious face. (Though I imagine as a Sony fanboy, he was probably very bitter about the fact that the DS is doing better than the PSP. That's how fanboys work. Their vileness is proportional to the success/failure of their beloved console).
Luckily I've never had any bad experiences in game shops. They've always been very nice and always complimented me on my excellent choice. I even once Pictochatted with one guy in Game, and had a conversation about the greatness of Ice Climbers with one in Gamestation.
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Anyway, I asked for the pink one, and the guy in EB getting the GBA offered no fewer than three other colors. I'm sure he thought he was trying to save me from myself. I dug my heels in and declined every offer.
He looked confused, as if everything in the world turned suddenly, inexplicably blue. I didn't look gay. I didn't act gay. I didn't speak with a lisp or shop at Express for Men (they called it Structure back then). Yet I was buying a pink GBA.
There is nothing much more to the story. I got my pink GBA, paid for it, and left. I try not to be led around by what others think. Sometimes I make it. Other times I don't. I get the sinking feeling, however, that most people don't even try to resist. The PS3 is the most powerful of the next gen consoles. If GameSpot says it, it must be right. Iraq is an imminent threat. If the president says it, it must be right. They live their lives without challenging common knowledge, without standing up for who they are, taking directions every step of the way.
Now, I don't like Nintendo, because I want to be rebellous. I like Nintendo, because I like Nintendo. Their products agree with me and so do their personalities. However, I will be damned if I'm going to let some goddamned social taboo keep me from buying the GBA color I want. It's a toy. It's pink. Who the hell cares? If liking a pink toy over a white toy qualifies as so rebellious that anyone should want to discourage me for my own benefit, then we are all in trouble.
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It's an unfortunate thing that we all have to deal with...but we don't have to accept it. Whenever you hit that kind of snobbery from a store clerk, leave. Don't go in again until someone decent is working there.
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i have em and i love em.
my and my co-worker play a lot of metroid for hours and hours.
and i use my PSP to make everyone jealous of me.
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