Is PC games being faded out in shops

D.Roberts

D.Roberts

D.Roberts

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Hi all went to town yesterday and tbh all most every shop now has a puny crappy little shelf with PC games on..

HMV
VIRGIN

even GAME STATION had none really.
Only shop to have a reasonably wide selection was GAME.

I then thought ok I will get a mag PC GAMER or PC FORMAT.

PC FORMAT being me favorite one and nope WH SMITHS didn't have any of them.

I tell ya PC GAMES in shops is dieing out fast.
 
Yep.

They're too worried that people will just copy them and try to return them. And then because they won't accept returns for them even from legit people they see them as causing too much grief.

Never mind, they still have some, and I tend to buy online (I don't really like downloading unless I have to).
 
yeah i think online downloading thro things like steam is killing it off

i think there was a report done in america last month saying that online games sales out sold in shop sales
 
Howitzer said:
Yep.

They're too worried that people will just copy them and try to return them. And then because they won't accept returns for them even from legit people they see them as causing too much grief.

Never mind, they still have some, and I tend to buy online (I don't really like downloading unless I have to).
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Possibly, although once I picked up the wrong console game, paid for it, realised I read the title wrong and they still wouldn't exchange it.

Buying, copying and returning didn't seem to trouble the shops back in the Amiga days - well, at least as long as you made sure you didn't go to the same checkout dude :D

Don't care anyway. High street shop prices are a rip anyway. Why should I pay a few quid extra to pay their overpriced lease.
 
I haven't been into a shop to buy a game for tens years. Even now I only buy box copies from E-tailers if its Steamworks and cheaper.

So there's not much point in them stocking them as far as I, and many others, are concerned.
 
Yup, pretty much a thing of the past now, the PS2 gets more space than PC games. The only downside to this is non-pc gamers see the shelf space going down and think "OMG PC GAMEZ R DYING!", which of course is a load of poo as it's just one step ahead of the console market with digital distribution. But this could potentially quash any ideas that person had about maybe starting PC gaming instead of a console.

I can't remember the exact source (RPS?), but I think the figure was something like 52% of PC games in the US over the last year were digital sales? Times are changing indeed.
 
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Spektor said:
HAHASHOPS
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Within reason, this. In an ideal world, there would be no reason to distribute a digital product physically.

The only reason to keep CD/DVD distribution alive is because of flaws in the digital delivery system. Eliminate the flaws and there would be zero use for physical media at all.

(I'm including lack of resale as a flaw; game developers often don't see it that way).
 
barmyllama said:
I haven't been into a shop to buy a game for tens years. Even now I only buy box copies from E-tailers if its Steamworks and cheaper.

So there's not much point in them stocking them as far as I, and many others, are concerned.
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Yup I'm exactly the same. I just can't be bothered to go to the shop these days, waste of time. I get most stuff from steam etc instead now. Especially with the fast broadband speeds, I can buy a game from steam, start downloading, eat some lunch and its finished and ready to play by the time I have finished lunch. Simply so much more convenient
 
I haven't bought a PC game in a shop for so long, I couldn't even remotely guess when it was. Most of my friends are the same as well.

Why would anyone pay over the odds for these days given the deals you can get from buying online (or from Steam's weekend deals)?

Actually, I just remembered when I did go instore - it was when Morrisons had GTA IV at £9.99 not that long after it was released.
 
Jezcentral said:
But also, people won't see that PC gaming is an option. Seeing the games on shelves means they know what is available.
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I don't remember a time when PC games ever took up much shelf space.

80s I remember c64 and speccy games having a small display in Menzies/Smiths. Early 90s was all about Megadrive/SNES.

IIRC I was buying my PC games mail-order in the 90s, from ads in PC Format/Zone.
 
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