GameStop stores are turning into retro gaming cafes.

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https://www.tweaktown.com/news/67609/gamestop-stores-turning-retro-gaming-cafes/index.html

Home News Gaming GameStop stores are turning into retro gaming cafes GameStop stores are getting big redesigns including couches and retro gaming stations By Derek Strickland from 1 day, 2 hours ago Comment | Email to a Friend Nintendo Switch Lite - Yellow Buy at Amazon for $199.96 Soon GameStop will be a place where you play games and also buy them. After years of falling sales and a crippling $500 million loss in 2018, GameStop is making big changes to its business. The company is restructuring its storefronts into gaming cafes with retro gaming, LAN play, and modern console gaming to keep consumers engaged. To pay for all this, GameStop is closing as many as 200 stores across the globe to fund these new expenditures.


I love the idea. I've been more into retro gaming and tabletop stuff the last over the last decade than modern gaming. I like that they are mixing it in. I think its a smart take on something thats missing from the market too. GameStop isn't doing well at all and I cant remember the last time I shopped at one, but I'd go here and take my kids in a heartbeat.
 
I am sure everyone here has fond memories of the local game store where you went in and were just inundated with an enormous amount of games from every generation, consoles of all generations, and in my memories; places where you can try the game before you buy it. If Gamestop turns into the place where those experiences can be had again then they could rise from the ashes b/c with digital sales and online ordering whether used or new from eBay, Amazon, or wherever Gamestop was just heading in the same direction as Blockbuster was.

Hopefully it works for them, and hopefully when they restructure they'll also give me more than 2 cents for every game trade-in (even though i've never done it).
 
It's a very smart move IMO. I've been thinking for the past number of years why there aren't more gaming pub type places. For gamestop this is really the only way they will be able to stay alive, and the best part for them is they have all the trade-in inventory to equip all of their stores as they convert them to cafes/pubs.
 
GameStop spent years trying to piss off every single person who walked in the door for short term financial gains. I don’t think it matters what they do next, people dislike the company and won’t go there for a cafe experience.

Probably the only thing this manages to accomplish is ruin a few actual local game cafes.
 
They going to have to buy new buildings if they do this cafe stuff. Most GS around me are pretty damn tiny. I guess it could work if they get rid of all the rack full of junk no one want buy but I doubt they will.
 
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Game stores are similar to book stores. There has been a lot of success with book store cafes, I can see this working.
 
The local GameStop around here turned into a partial hobby store. It's got toys, plastic model kits, plushies, and even some DND stuff I think.

I think it was the right choice.
 

we have a place here in Austin called Pinballz
its where a kmart used to be. and now they have added more space to have indoor gokarts as well
its all pinball and arcade games (also food) but its got more cars in the parking lot at it than fry's does!
 
Good for them for trying to change a dead model. I am old enough to remember thinking "why would I wait in the mail for Netflix when I could just go to one of the 5 blockbusters within 2 miles of my house."
 
In the world of competitive fighting games, face-to-face local play events are very important. If they can capture that scene with organized events, they could pull decent crowds on a regular basis.
 
Is this why they were giving me trade-in bonuses on SNES & NES cards like a month or two ago ? $2 carts getting +$5/cart...
 
yea, i thought most gamestops were turning into thinkgeek portals.

Gamestop has been and was until the end, a ripoff venue that was caught more than once, opening brand new products and stealing content from inside and then re-sealing it to sell as new to customers. Not as a one off bad employee thing, but as a corporate instructed behavior.

They should rightly burn into the forgotten memory of failed businesses like they deserve.

I'd rather have seen Microcenter buy out some of the gamestops and fill it with their diy-hobby electronics section and re-create a sort of radio shack the way radio shack was originally meant to be. Since so few places have access to the awesomeness that is microcenter.

This idea of game cafe's and such is stupid and destined to fail. In the US, we have our own homes where we have our own computers and decent internet. There's literally no reason to try and lug your stuff to a cafe where you actually have to put on clothes to play games ....nor is there a real demographic of laptop users who want to do the same.
 
Not really working for books stores. A lot are still disappearing too.

Poorly run ones are dying. See Waterstones as an example of how book stores can survive and grow. James Daunt is now CEO of Barnes Noble.
 
PLEASE do this right. This could be a good decision for them.....but I'm not sure a cookie-cutter cafe would work everywhere. They might have to tailor the stores depending on regional tastes and interest. Not sure if that would work.
 
You know... imagine if you wanted to buy a game online and you visited your online vendor. But the game was a bit pricy and not on sale yet. So they in turn offer to let you play the game for a 1/2 hour for free on a service like Stadia knowing it won't be the complete local experience.

You could actually TRY a game before you but it. HARK HEAR THE HAROLD ANGELS SING!
 
yea, i thought most gamestops were turning into thinkgeek portals.

Yep, it seems GS has almost turned into the Spencer's/Hot Topic of the electronics/gaming industry.

They may as well add a Barnes and Noble style to their mixed bag...
 
I don't get the hate for used games. Sure most people are going digital, but I always buy physical copies, have em shipped to my house on launch day. Beat the game, then dump it on the used market for 55-60% of what I paid.

Pretty cheap way to play most new releases.
 
They con do what ever they want it's only a matter of time. One more console and that should do it.
 
Just follow Camelot331 on Youtube and you will know everything you want to know about Gamestop and their downfall. This is old news to me and they will be out of business inside of a year, most likely.
 
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You know... imagine if you wanted to buy a game online and you visited your online vendor. But the game was a bit pricy and not on sale yet. So they in turn offer to let you play the game for a 1/2 hour for free on a service like Stadia knowing it won't be the complete local experience.

You could actually TRY a game before you but it. HARK HEAR THE HAROLD ANGELS SING!
Steam gives you two hours free of the full game experience. If not sarcastic post on your part then that draw is not enough to save them.

If they turn into a retro gaming place it’ll draw a crowd for a short spell. — but it’ll die.

These types of places never live. I’ve not seen one independent gaming cafe survive yet and I’ve seen multiple fail.

People don’t want to pay $5 an hour or whatever to play a game. They can do that at home for free — And the business will have trouble filling the available slots at the measouly intake of $5 an hour. And if it’s the social element - there are big LAN parties with hundreds of people in attendance every month in big cities — that cost far less to attend (if you break down the hourly charge) - have big prizes, complimentary food covered by the entry fee and are organized.
 
Too bad they're not going out of business for good! But a long slow death may be a better fit.
 
This is actually not a horrible idea.

One of my favorite shops was this local gaming store that used to be around from the late 90's to early 2000's. They sold games, anime figures, had tournaments, and systems you could play arcade style (PS2, Xbox360, etc.).

It was supposed to be $5 for like 30 minutes or something, but if the store wasn't crowded, they would just let you hang out and play. Was really upset when they went under.
 
Shame not MORE holder of property look to do things like this.

Heck in some parts of the world arcades/cage/lan rooms etc are mucho big $$$$$$$$$$$$ and folks willing to pay for it....DONE PROPER

this is not a game of quick buck...much like paintball places...give attraction to the event, give reason to keep coming back (without market BS force sales) stuff like this does extremely well and easily grows over the years.

Ask all the CON events i.e Quakecon, Comiccon etc etc....hell Blizzard themselves does massive tournaments, imagine being the OWNER or the event locations.

cha ching..why not...especially when more or less forced to close massive operations for any number of reasons.

A fresh start/perspective helps make the world better at the end of the day IMHO
(done for the soul purpose of "Why not, it can only help"
 
The couches are going to smell like bad chinese food* farts and teenage angst within a few days. This is a horrible idea that is going to go hilarious.

(*added for racial sensitivity, I didn't mean to infer that only Chinese people fart or go to gamestop)
 
GameStop spent years trying to piss off every single person who walked in the door for short term financial gains. I don’t think it matters what they do next, people dislike the company and won’t go there for a cafe experience.

Probably the only thing this manages to accomplish is ruin a few actual local game cafes.

I have a feeling with all the bad will Gamestop gain over a decade, I don't think it will have significant impact to other local game cafe.
 
The couches are going to smell like bad chinese food* farts and teenage angst within a few days. This is a horrible idea that is going to go hilarious.

(*added for racial sensitivity, I didn't mean to infer that only Chinese people fart or go to gamestop)

I'm offended that you infer other people than the Chinese farts.
I'm also offended that you infer that only teenager has angst.
I'm offended by the use of the H-word, that has no place in an adult conversation.
I'm offended you are using the asterisk/start symbol as its looks like a bad anatomy part (Where farts comes from).

I have called the internet police and Bill Gates (My brother knows him)
 
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