GAME (as in the shop GAME): Retailer Of The Year 2019

NickSCFC wrote:Overhead some scouse sounding woman in my local GAME ranting about prices and "the good old days" when games cost a tenner.

Obviously doesn't remember the days when the likes of Street Fighter II and Donkey Kong Country cost something like £50 (not adjusted for inflation).

In the good old day you could buy games for £1.99 or £2.99 on cassette. Really big new releases might cost £9.99 at the most but you would get a fancy box with those, rather than just the plastic cassette box.

And then the consoles took over.

Moggy wrote:

NickSCFC wrote:Overhead some scouse sounding woman in my local GAME ranting about prices and "the good old days" when games cost a tenner.

Obviously doesn't remember the days when the likes of Street Fighter II and Donkey Kong Country cost something like £50 (not adjusted for inflation).

In the good old day you could buy games for £1.99 or £2.99 on cassette. Really big new releases might cost £9.99 at the most but you would get a fancy box with those, rather than just the plastic cassette box.

And then the consoles took over.

Another person who can't remember how gooseberry fool Spectrum games were

I've never played one

NickSCFC wrote:

Moggy wrote:

NickSCFC wrote:Overhead some scouse sounding woman in my local GAME ranting about prices and "the good old days" when games cost a tenner.

Obviously doesn't remember the days when the likes of Street Fighter II and Donkey Kong Country cost something like £50 (not adjusted for inflation).

In the good old day you could buy games for £1.99 or £2.99 on cassette. Really big new releases might cost £9.99 at the most but you would get a fancy box with those, rather than just the plastic cassette box.

And then the consoles took over.

Another person who can't remember how gooseberry fool Spectrum games were

I've never played one

I had a C64.

Moggy wrote:I had a C64.

Automatically correct .

As for pricing...

> A budget game in 1987 was £1.99; that's £5.53 today
> An average Spectrum game in 1987 was £7.95; that's £22.11 today
> An average Commodore 64 game in 1987 was £9.95; that's £28.63 today
> An average Commodore 64 (disk; relatively rare in the UK) game in 1986 was £14.95; that's £41.45 today
> A budget Master System game in 1987 was £14.95; that's £41.45 today
> An average Master System game in 1987 was £19.95; that's £55.26 today
> An average Mega Drive game 1991 was £39.95; that's £84.36 today

A budget PS4 or XBO game today is £15 (download). An average PS4 or XBO game today is £45 (retail) or £55 (download). A "gold edition" PS4 or XBO game today is around £75 (retail) or £85 (download).

Evidence suggests that, in comparison to computer game prices, the arrival of console games substantially ramped up the costs. It's hard to compare console game prices to today's console game prices values because now we pay for online subs, additional items (season passes, loot boxes, DLC) and "gold" editions.

If you're mad about my comparisons and want to push the "games are cheap today!" argument, then quote the Atari VCS 2600 price; £29.95 in 1980 is £126.37 today.

jawafour wrote:

Moggy wrote:I had a C64.

Automatically correct .

As for pricing...

> A budget game in 1987 was £1.99; that's £5.53 today
> An average Spectrum game in 1987 was £7.95; that's £22.11 today
> An average Commodore 64 game in 1987 was £9.95; that's £28.63 today
> An average Commodore 64 (disk; relatively rare in the UK) game in 1986 was £14.95; that's £41.45 today
> A budget Master System game in 1987 was £14.95; that's £41.45 today
> An average Master System game in 1987 was £19.95; that's £55.26 today
> An average Mega Drive game 1991 was £39.95; that's £84.36 today

A budget PS4 or XBO game today is £15 (download). An average PS4 or XBO game today is £45 (retail) or £55 (download). A "gold edition" PS4 or XBO game today is around £75 (retail) or £85 (download).

Evidence suggests that, in comparison to computer game prices, the arrival of console games substantially ramped up the costs. It's hard to compare console game prices to today's console game prices values because now we pay for online subs, additional items (season passes, loot boxes, DLC) and "gold" editions.

If you're mad about my comparisons and want to push the "games are cheap today!" argument, then quote the Atari VCS 2600 price; £29.95 in 1980 is £126.37 today.

To be fair I’d imagine that modern games take a little bit more money to make.

I love today's epic games but I still kinda miss the time when you could code a game in your bedroom and get it onto the shelves of WH Smiths.

Videogaming has always been ace .

jawafour wrote:I love today's epic games but I still kinda miss the time when you could code a game in your bedroom and get it onto the shelves of WH Smiths.

Videogaming has always been ace .

You can still get stuff on Steam and have a relatively successful game.

Lex-Man wrote:

jawafour wrote:I love today's epic games but I still kinda miss the time when you could code a game in your bedroom and get it onto the shelves of WH Smiths.

Videogaming has always been ace .

You can still get stuff on Steam and have a relatively successful game.

Or itch.io

Lagamorph wrote:

Lex-Man wrote:

jawafour wrote:I love today's epic games but I still kinda miss the time when you could code a game in your bedroom and get it onto the shelves of WH Smiths.

Videogaming has always been ace .

You can still get stuff on Steam and have a relatively successful game.

Or itch.io

Or the shelves of WH Smith’s, if you’re really determined.

KK wrote:Saw this on eBay:



God, they were even ripping you off back then. "Lowest price guarantee" my arse, it was £39.99 in most places (£34.99 through mail order)!

The guarantee was that they would match the lowest price, if you asked them to. Dodgy as hell wording, but it’s how they got away with it.

rinks wrote:

KK wrote:Saw this on eBay:



God, they were even ripping you off back then. "Lowest price guarantee" my arse, it was £39.99 in most places (£34.99 through mail order)!

The guarantee was that they would match the lowest price, if you asked them to. Dodgy as hell wording, but it’s how they got away with it.

They would only match against local shops though not mail order stuff.

Lex-Man wrote:

rinks wrote:

KK wrote:Saw this on eBay:



God, they were even ripping you off back then. "Lowest price guarantee" my arse, it was £39.99 in most places (£34.99 through mail order)!

The guarantee was that they would match the lowest price, if you asked them to. Dodgy as hell wording, but it’s how they got away with it.

They would only match against local shops though not mail order stuff.

Yep. I’d get round this by buying at full price from Game to get it on day one, and also ordering mail order. When the mail order copy arrived, the other copy went back to Game for a full refund.

Peter Crisp wrote:Ratner's was the shop chain that was famously screwed by the owner saying "How can we sell this stuff so cheap? Because it's crap!" at a dinner thinking it would get a laugh.
People rather predictably decided they didn't feel like buying stuff from them any more and they went bust.

Not just at a dinner party but at the company conference infront of shareholders and, more tellingly, the media. No greater example of shooting yourself in the foot.

rinks wrote:

Lex-Man wrote:

rinks wrote:

KK wrote:Saw this on eBay:



God, they were even ripping you off back then. "Lowest price guarantee" my arse, it was £39.99 in most places (£34.99 through mail order)!

The guarantee was that they would match the lowest price, if you asked them to. Dodgy as hell wording, but it’s how they got away with it.

They would only match against local shops though not mail order stuff.

Yep. I’d get round this by buying at full price from Game to get it on day one, and also ordering mail order. When the mail order copy arrived, the other copy went back to Game for a full refund.

That photo also just reminded me why I liked ordering from Gameplay and similar companies - the game was still actually sealed and not slapped with price stickers (that were also a pain to remove). I don't remember EB or GAME doing this, but HMV used to put cellophane wrap around the manual and disc. I'm guessing that's why sealed PS1 games still go for quite a lot of money on eBay because it wasn't the norm to buy them like that on the high street.

rinks wrote:

KK wrote:Saw this on eBay:



God, they were even ripping you off back then. "Lowest price guarantee" my arse, it was £39.99 in most places (£34.99 through mail order)!

The guarantee was that they would match the lowest price, if you asked them to. Dodgy as hell wording, but it’s how they got away with it.

Least you could rinse it for 10 days then take it back for a full refund.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48528313

Mike Ashley's retail empire Sports Direct is making its latest High Street expansion move with a £51.9m bid for Game Digital.

Sports Direct said it will offer 30p a share for Game Digital under the cash bid, which was triggered after it upped its stake in the chain to 38.5%.

But Sports Direct warned there may be job losses if the bid succeeds.

It would potentially close some sites, or merge them with other Sports Direct-owned stores, after a review.

New in at GAME: Blood and Fury on PSVR, and the latest Lonsdale Chavsuit!

Free* GIANT mug and magazine with every purchase.

*not free

I miss CHiPS.

DJ Airhorn wrote:I miss CHiPS.

I don't. They were more overpriced than GAME ever were.

Lagamorph wrote:

DJ Airhorn wrote:I miss CHiPS.

I don't. They were more overpriced than GAME ever were.

Ah! Now I get it... I'd thought that Dan was referring to CHiPs and I just didn't get the connection .