@neo4812
They’re betting on the age of digital gaming taking over faster than people thought it would. To mixed results from fans.
It’s up and down to me, I prefer digital downloads like Steam because that way you tend to get better deals and it’s just more accessible. But it does obviously spell a death sentence to the used game industry, and it hurts people who just want to collect things.
Kind of like the double-edged sword that the kindle was. For people who like to read, it’s great to have a virtually infinite library of digital books, but there are still people out there who like to collect actual physical books to keep in a bookshelf just for the sake of it looking cool. Or to show off. You could argue, in that instance, that physical books are now an unnecessary waste of both materials and space, but dammit, there’s just something charming about a brick of information in the same way we all love looking at our shelves of video game cartridges, CD cases and other formats.
It’s also a peace of mind thing - it feels more “real” or more “secure” somehow when you actually physically have it. It feels more like your own property - and legally is to some degree. Like if you go out and buy an Xbox 360 game, it’s yours. You can do whatever you want with it so long as you don’t violate the terms of service by ripping it and posting it on pirate bay. Other than that, you can legally give it to someone. But now it’s looking like the future will say you can’t do that.
Regardless, Gamestop is on its way out, and they know it, so you’re seeing more nerdy things being sold there from Think Geek because they’re owned by them. They’re trying to make as much money as they can before eventually they just close down that part of the company in maybe another decade or less.
@neo4812
Gamestop is owned by ThinkGeek I think, so basically, they’re just mixing their inventory a little because they know Gamestop is on the decline. Used games for consoles are on their way out, especially considering recent news and rumors about the next generation.