2 Cents Gaming

Fall is in the air, the leaves are going from summer green to the browns, yellow’s and red’s that inspire painters to paint (or something)  This also means it’s that time of year.  Yep, where mortals become raving lunatics bent on getting the object of their desire.   While you do have this to some degree throughout the year, the slight chill in the night air brings about the feeling that yes,  It is fall, and yes, it is time for the fall/winter Videogame Launch season to begin!

Already I feel the pains of this radical season.  With Halo 3: ODST coming out yesterday, with no associates in the store to help, I had to handle this launch ALONE!  Am I bitter?  would I prefer to see all copies of ODST put into a pit and burned then piss on the ashes?  Probably not.   I can say that while I am weary after yesterday, I do know this isn’t even scratching the perverbial surface.  Who knew three years ago that the release of a new Halo game would not be the biggest launch this year?  Well thanks to Infinity Ward our plate on November 10th will be very full.  Some internal estimates are showing that Modern Warfare 2 may exceed Three Million in Pre-order’s alone, and thats not even counting the walk ins.  If these numbers hold true, we’re looking at the single biggest launch in video game history.  Goodbye Halo, Grand Theft Auto, etc.  I know it’s exciting this time of year, hell I’ll be in the middle of it myself, both on the customer and retail side.  However I would like to stress an important thing here:  please be patient with the people who sell you your games, unless they are real jerks.  Most of the time they’re having to do midnight launches, get off around 2 or 3 A.M., then have to be back at work at 9 A.M. to open and start the process all over again.  I’ll put it this way, a simple thank you can go a long way.

-Wayne Gay

Some may not think working for a game retailer would be all that rewarding. I mean hell, we’ve all heard the horror stories about working/shopping in said stores. However, there can be a lot of fun to be had if you are willing to look. Which brings me to the subject of today’s musings: Standee’s.

You have NO idea how much these taped together corugated masterpieces are sought after. From Halo to Call of Duty, to even lesser known games upcoming, we get countless people who will PAY cash money…and even there first born in some cases…to get ahold of these cardboard works of art. I will readily admit, some of these standee’s are cool, but it gets funny to see people actually willing to fight over these things.

I suggest this to gaming manufacturers: want to sell more games? Include a  small, shelf-putting standee with each pre-ordered copy. Not only would you get more games sold, you’d get a lot more customer loyalty in the process. And mostly, you’ll stop looking like a bunch of dicks. (I’m looking at YOU Activision CEO)

-Wayne Gay