10 Ways The Video Game Industry Has Gotten WORSE This Decade

Linking in with my point on pricing, physical game retail (in the United Kingdom at least) has been gradually having the life sucked out of it like a pokémon afflicted by leech seed.

While it’s not exclusively a game retailer, CEX has given a swift shoryuken to Game, knocking it out of the preowned ecosystem by offering better prices and a wider range of products. Game rebranded itself a couple of years ago, incorporating “nerd culture” and creating “Game Beyond”, transforming select stores into modern internet cafes.

Spins on this have been replicated overseas with respective chains too, but the response is a shoulder shrug, at best.

Game’s plan seems to be hinged on capturing devoted gamers by getting exclusive preorder editions of games, however many of these impractical and expensive add-ons seem to have fallen short. While these are popular with some gamers, paying £150 for a game that comes with a huge statue that for most (while undeniably awesome), will serve only to collect dust over the years.

Walk into any Game store and you’ll find it reeks of desperation, full of plushies, keychains, soft drinks, anything to capture the slightest portion of your wallet.