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GameStop Wants You To Know More About DLC

If you can't beat 'em, join 'me. Or, at the very least, acknowledge the threat and maybe even embrace it as a positive thing.

As we all know, downloadable digital content has rapidly become more and more popular this generation and many analysts are expecting that eventually, most all video games will be delivered in this fashion. Obviously, for the world's #1 game retailer, which of course thrives on selling the physical game software, this could pose a huge problem. But GameStop COO J. Paul Raines actually says the advent of DLC is a "good thing," and that consumers should be educated on the issue. In speaking on a panel at the Game Business Law conference at Southern Methodist University, Raines said DLC "enhances and extends games" and that customers should remember that GameStop "does offer retail releases of some high-profile DLC." Raines wants everyone to become a little more schooled on the subject, which for many casual gamers still remains a bit of a mystery. Therefore, as "customer acquisition continues to be a huge part of the spend in this business," you can expect GameStop employees to be well versed in the available content on the PSN and XBLA. They'll be able to tell you what is online that can "enhance and extend" the game you just bought.

Lastly, Raines says that despite the lower-than-anticipated holiday figures, nobody is panicking at GameStop. "Rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated," he said. "We'll release financials in a few weeks so you'll see if we're still in business." Well, yeah, I think they are.

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jaybiv
jaybiv
15 years ago

In the time it takes to download the game, you can go to a store, buy it, get home, start playing and maybe level up a couple times.

to_far_apart
to_far_apart
15 years ago

I really don't know what most of you do, but i don't stand around waiting in line for hours to get a copy of a game i bought. Like a few others mentioned, there is pre-orders that deliver overnight or release day deliveries. And like world said, i really don't care waiting a week for my physical copy to get to me, it doesn't bother me the least.

The problem with most people, is that they feel the necessity to be the first to get the game. Understandably because of the long wait for that desired production, but does it really matter? All these kids want to do is get it, play for a minute, and start bragging how they already got their copy standing in line for hours like bimbos. Granted, there are those who have been waiting for the game for months, or really are fond of a particular game, etc. I know not everyone is like that, but i know i wouldn't care waiting an additional week, in the end i'll be playing it like everyone else. Any way, it's a personal experience, i don't care what everyone else does.

It's just like people who watch movies the day it comes out, or the midnight showing. Look, I'm not going to start writing here and say i haven't gone to a midnight showing of a movie before and sound all hypocritical, because i have and I'm one of the least hypocritical people you'll meet. My point is that these young kids now go out to these midnight showing to just brag the next day. Granted, their are those people who go to watch movies that late because they are avid movie lovers, fanatics of a certain series, fanatics of a certain actor/actress/etc.

So i don't want to here anyone giving me a hard time, I'm eliminating variables and just speaking in an overall general sense. If you disagree, please feel free to disagree, but i don't want to here any rambling and whining, because honestly…it gets old.

Thanks for your time guys, i know i tend to write a lot haha


Last edited by to_far_apart on 2/1/2010 7:22:31 PM

jami
jami
15 years ago

they should do away with DLC full stop and go back to releasing games in their entirety. fair does with things like costumes and stuff that just adds to the aesthetic value of a game, but cutting huge segments out of games to sell seperately is bang out of order. the greedy bastards >/

bridgera
bridgera
15 years ago

After the PSP Go came out, I went to Gamestop and looked at buying either a PSP or DS for my fiancee.

What did Gamestop have to say about downloadable PSP games on the PS3?

I believe the ver-betum quote was:

"You CAN'T download PSP via the PS3 and you CAN'T put the PSone classics on the PSP."

Interesting piece of education, I discussed this with the employee for about 2 minutes, and then when I got home, confirmed that employee was completely backwards.

Seems like Gamestop needs to educate their employees about DLC before trying to "educate" their customers about it.

SvenMD
SvenMD
15 years ago

No offense to Ben (who worked at Gamestop or Electronics Boutique or something)… but I'm assuming the only training the employees at Gamestop get is how to run the cash register.

Everything about games, as far as I've seen, is just their own personal bias….which is unfortunate.

sunspider13
sunspider13
15 years ago

And when he said that line I would have pulled out my psp and showed him Castlevaina:SotN and asked him to explain that.

bridgera
bridgera
15 years ago

If only I had a PSP, I would have loaded FFVII onto it from my PS3 and done just that lol.

Jian2069
Jian2069
15 years ago

honestly, when have you went into a gamestop/ebgames and talked to an EDUCATED salesperson

THE PS3 HAS NO GAMES!!!!!
while im standing in front of the "new releases" rack which coincidentally has no 360 games on it

rogers71
rogers71
15 years ago

The day that Gamestop employees educate me on anything other than how much they love Microsoft is the day that I quit gaming.

Yeah, I am that confident.

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
15 years ago

Gamestop: We want more money! F***!

Imagi
Imagi
15 years ago

"Rumours of our demise have been greatly exaggerated" So, the ship is still sinking, just a little slower than expected.

Alienange
Alienange
15 years ago

"the advent of DLC is a good thing"

So even GameStop wants to sell discs with half the content on them?

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
15 years ago

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'me." lol, classic.

Edumacate the register biscuits! Yes. Actually I could care less, if you are too dumb to understand DLC you don't belong in my house.

fuk u
fuk u
15 years ago

you write too much highlander

Alienange
Alienange
15 years ago

His long comments are more interesting than your constant "double posting for attention" strategy.

Why don't you say what you want to say about the article instead of demeaning other people?

to_far_apart
to_far_apart
15 years ago

Totally agree with you there Ben,

Since when can a person write to much? If anything, the more a person writes, the more they present their opinion/argument/statement/etc and the more insight a reader gets to give an opposing opinion/argument/statement/etc. To me, the more you write, the more substance you provide to that certain point you are trying to make, in my opinion.

Yes, Highlander is among the few that constantly provide such great posts, i really respect him, among the others like LimitedVertigo, World, Alienage, and others i can't think off the top of my head. If it's not for those readers, along with Ben and the PSXE staff, and the general atmosphere of this site (brought by the many great readers/contributors) i wouldn't be here right now.

bridgera
bridgera
15 years ago

>Since when can a person write to much?

Well there is this thing called spam, but Highlander ISN'T doing it.

fuk u
fuk u
15 years ago

lol jk but you do write too much

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

I have many thoughts struggling for attention…

sunspider13
sunspider13
15 years ago

Don't mind him, keep writing away, your comments are always a welcome read.

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
15 years ago

Dont mind him Highlander. You writing is more than welcome. In fact a lot of what you write is the first thing i read. You're more educated and well explained than a lot of people on here.

Reading what you have to write has tought me more in this industry (and some others) than I learned in all my years and classes of school. Guess school just wasn't as interesting as what you have to write and say.

He's just lazy and doesnt want to read, but if he did he may not be able to comprehend anyways. 😉 More so he would be in for an elightenment. Keep writing as you wish (not that you need my approval) ;)!


Last edited by bigrailer19 on 2/1/2010 3:57:40 PM

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
15 years ago

I will NOT have this site downshift into four-word replies in the Comments. It's why we have people like Highlander here.

The day random words and silly Internet abbreviations dominates the comment section is the day I go sledding in hell.

to_far_apart
to_far_apart
15 years ago

Totally agree with you there Ben,

Since when can a person write to much? If anything, the more a person writes, the more they present their opinion/argument/statement/etc and the more insight a reader gets to give an opposing opinion/argument/statement/etc. To me, the more you write, the more substance you provide to that certain point you are trying to make, in my opinion.

Yes, Highlander is among the few that constantly provide such great posts, i really respect him, among the others like LimitedVertigo, World, Alienage, and others i can't think off the top of my head. If it's not for those readers, along with Ben and the PSXE staff, and the general atmosphere of this site (brought by the many great readers/contributors) i wouldn't be here right now.


Last edited by to_far_apart on 2/1/2010 7:02:46 PM

LegendaryWolfeh
LegendaryWolfeh
15 years ago

tl;dr 🙂 LOL

to_far_apart
to_far_apart
15 years ago

Wolf!

i knew there was another name on the tip of my tongue! forgot to include you in there!


Last edited by to_far_apart on 2/2/2010 12:14:29 PM

Lemon_Saint
Lemon_Saint
15 years ago

"Rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated"

I'm surprised no one caught the Mark Twain reference … I thought it was pretty funny … in an inflated ego kind-of way …

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
15 years ago

I think everyone caught it, that's why it wasn't mentioned.

Arvis
Arvis
15 years ago

Yeah, it's just one of those references that gets made so much that it no longer needs to be pointed out.

-Arvis

Alienange
Alienange
15 years ago

What's a Mark Twain?

Fane1024
Fane1024
15 years ago

It's a measurement of the depth of water used on riverboats. 😉

Oyashiro
Oyashiro
15 years ago

They could always go back to selling retro games and such and try to get in on the collectors market. I'm a manager at a small store that sells games from the Atrai2600 on up and we are already more successful then most of the GameStops in our area.

Dancemachine55
Dancemachine55
15 years ago

EB is still doing alright here in Australia.

We have the Wii and DS to thank for that.

As for DLC or full game downloads, it is a looooong way off before physical disc goes the way of the dodo. I'm thinking around the PS6 generation of consoles. PS4 has already been confirmed to continue blu-ray and dvd support.

Also, I along with millions of others out there do not have the internet capacity or download limit to support a 48GB download of something like MGS4 or Gran Turismo 5. It'll be at least another 10-20 years before most developed nations have the technology to support full unlimited downloads to all citizens, particularly here in Australia.

@ Highlander, you are spot-on and so incredibly correct I feel you might just be a psychic or fortune-teller.

So long as there are developers who dream big, collectors and special editions of major releases and the old-school niche market of video game collectors like myself, places like EB Games, Gamestop, Gametraders, Game, etc will never fully go under. They may have to close some chains, but there will always be some stores around in major towns and cities.

EB here has a store in every shopping centre, big or small. I reckon that in 10-20 years time, we will see less of them, maybe about half of what is around now.

If retail figures from Modern Warfare 2 are anything to go by, these gaming stores don't have too much to worry about for now.

As for Gamestop, they are deluding themselves thinking they can sell DLC codes at retail. If these customers already have access to the net to use these DLC codes, why not just download them directly from the comfort of your own home? The only people using these retail codes are kids with no access to credit cards or PSN/XBLA cards.

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
15 years ago

I'm not one for DLC, I want the game in my hands, on on the shelf in one of my collections.

But, I could see some DLC for others, but only if it intends to enhance & farther that game with extra story's.

But there are more & more shady developer's that have realized how to scam us by stealing back some of their game's original content, & then trying to sell it back to us later on(AC2, etc).

sooooo now, sadly enough, even the word "DLC" alone, is beginning to mean just one thing… "SCAMAPALOOZA"!

Nlayer
Nlayer
15 years ago

Although it would be convenient to just Download full games, I hate the idea with a passion. One of the joys of buying a game for me, as with anything, is the physical collection. I love to just stare at the large amounts of media that I obtained throughout my life. I can't do this with downloads, it just wouldn't be the same…

Banky A
Banky A
15 years ago

Get outta' town!
Crazy fools.

fuk u
fuk u
15 years ago

it was a joke about highlander so dont get your panties in a bunch y'all

fuk u
fuk u
15 years ago

and dont kiss his ass too much haha

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

Indeed! No one would enjoy that!

Robochic
Robochic
15 years ago

@ Arvis, no you're not the only one that incounters that at gamestop had the same issue, I asked for heavy rain and the girl behind the cash register was like is that a game for the Wii? I was like are u F" joking me I asked her if she knew anything about the PS3 or even the 360 and she said she's never played a gaming console i was like WOW this is what they hire now a days totally shocked. When I worked their I had to know almost everything on gaming and what I didn't know I had to educate myself.

Arvis
Arvis
15 years ago

Heh. Heavy Rain on the Wii. 🙂

Well, most of the people on this site could sell games like crazy, they just wouldn't pay us what we're worth. 😉

-Arvis

___________
___________
15 years ago

gamestop and EB can go to hell for all i care.
as ive said many times EB should thank their whatever they worship that they are the only ones who offer the 7 day money back otherwise i would never shop there.
i went in there today to trade in a few US games i have got and they said im sorry but we are not allowed to sell US games EVEN THOUGH I TRADED IN DMC4 YESTERDAY WHICH WAS A US GAME!
i told her that and it was like talking to a brick wall, in one ear and out the other.
while i was down their i asked if they were allowed to sell dantes inferno yet because they had the copies on the desk and she said no.
so i leave and i get home, 5 minutes later i get a call saying my pre order of dantes inferno is ready to be picked up.
^^%#%@!$@#%^$&%#@$!@$##@%^$&^@%@$$!#%$^&%#@$!!#@
honestly i feel like ripping their skin off to see if there human or not.
the amount of lies that comes out of their mouth o my bloody god!
not to mention that time my psp would not read memory sticks so i rang sony they said take it back to the store you bought it from and they will give you a new one.
so i did so and they refused to give me a new one even though sony told them to.
im about 0.00000000001 mm away from saying fu*k it and not buy any more games from them.
i would loose money if i did but so what at least i wont have the stress to deal with!

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

No offense – really – but from the tone of your comments, you sound like you need to relax a bit. Break out your PS2 and fire up Fantavision….

___________
___________
15 years ago

cant. traded it in for my launch ps3 🙁
biggest mistake of my life.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

Oh man, that was a mistake. I still need to buy a PS2 slim to hang on to just in case my 60GB PS3 ever has an issue…

Those new slims are really inexpensive, do you still have your PS2 games? It might still be worth getting a PS2 slim.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

Oh man, that was a mistake. I still need to buy a PS2 slim to hang on to just in case my 60GB PS3 ever has an issue…

Those new slims are really inexpensive, do you still have your PS2 games? It might still be worth getting a PS2 slim.

bridgera
bridgera
15 years ago

LoL @ getting back from home and THEN having them call telling you it's ready. That actually happened to me a few weeks ago at another store.

Just buy games off of amazon. If they don't want to get their act together, they don't deserve your money.

___________
___________
15 years ago

its funny i had my launch 60GB till the launch of the slim and i only once played a ps2 game on it.
R&C 3.
now that i dont have the luxury i want to play ps2 games every freaking day.
i want to get a ps2 since ive got like 100+ ps2 games laughing at me but i just blew 400+ bucks on this months preorders.

kinda off topic but has to be said.
DANTES INFERNO IS FU**ING INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
if GOW3 is half as good as this were in for a treat!

rogers71
rogers71
15 years ago

Everyone in favor of digital distribution needs to remember one thing:

Before digital distribution becomes mainstream, the ISP's will start charging for downloading over a set limit. Some have already started.

So, how much sense does it make to pay not only the amount to buy the game but also have to pay your ISP for going over the set limit?

I can pretty much guarantee that it will not be cheap if you reach the MB cap.

rogers71
rogers71
15 years ago

To elaborate,

Imagine their are two games coming out in April that you really want. You have the money for both of them but you can only buy one because the second one would put you over your ISP's cap. So you have to wait until May to buy the second one.

That scenario is assuming the ISP's cap will be in Gigabytes per month. Just a thought.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

ISPs capping downloads is complete BS.

With services like Netflix and other online services all requiring various bandwidth for access, it's well beyond a consumer to determine ahead of time how much download capacity they will need in a month. Forcing this burden on consumers is anti-consumer.

From the point of view of net neutrality, enforcing hard caps on net access seems to me to utterly ignore the concept of net neutrality. If ISPs are having problems with some users hogging capacity because of their use of torrent sites, then the ISPs need to consider how they charge for bandwidth, not download capacity.

Personally, I think that the biggest abuse of bandwidth around today is the use of bit torrent sites for warez. ISPs need to get together and maintain a reference list of torrent sites. Then they can specifically throttle the bandwidth available to torrent sites in order to maintain service for other users.

It was like this back in the day when Usenet was all the rage. Towards the end of usenet's usefulness, many users had discovered the use of binary newgroups, where people would post binary files, usually hacked games or images of CDs or DVDs. The amount of bandwitdth that took prompted many ISPs to stop carrying Usenet all together, most simply blocked binary groups. I'd hope that ISPs were smart enough to target the problem, instead of the innocent consumers. Realistically, they'll hammer innocent consumers because they don't want to put the effort into the real target.