Unofficial Tex Murphy

If anyone doesnt already know that as of Saturday of last week EB no longer exists in name. As of this week EB has offically merged with Gamestop.


While this doesnt seem that much of a loss one has to dig a little deeper to understand that this is terrible news for PC gamers.


Gamestop in the US sells PC games but their selection is usually no more than 10-15 different titles and of those only the most popular games are sold. Its rare to see a war game adventure game in a Gamestop. But the real killer is that Gamestop does not accept or sell used PC games. I have seen this coming for some time now but it still stings very much.

I confirmed with a source I have at EB that within the next 6-10 months all EB's will stop accepting used PC games in trade. They have already stoped accepting genesis games. So basicly over the next year you will not be able to purchase any game older than Playstation 1 in either a EB or a gamestop. Also over the next 3 years or so all EB stores will pull down their EB banners and signs and replace them with Gamestop.

So that means for many of us in America that to purchase a used PC game will require us to use EBAY. While that isnt so bad it does make it rather inconvient not to mention it says a lot about the state of our gaming world. The real blow however is the way Gamestop sells PC games. For the most part they give them little to no room in the store and like I said earlier wont sell fringe titles.

Its a sad day

I noticed EB seemed to of changed to Game (which I guess is aka "Gamestop")... I gotta admit though it's not going to affect me personally but sorry to hear that it'll cut down your selection majorly.
I almost always buy online nowadays anyway however as I find it more convenient and better selection. I've never used Ebay though, I usually just use Amazon Markets if I want an old game. But I usually buy the ones marked "New/Sealed".
If I want to shop offline for second-hand games I would always go to a computer store here that deals with second-hand games and exchange of games though. But I think its predominately a UK branch.

EB Games seems to be still around in Australia. They don't even deal with used PC games, which is understandable considering how easy it is nowadays to make copies when compared to XBox and PS2 games.

Bren wrote:EB Games seems to be still around in Australia. They don't even deal with used PC games, which is understandable considering how easy it is nowadays to make copies when compared to XBox and PS2 games.

That's odd... here in Sydney almost every EB Games store have pre-owned Xbox games for sale... don't know about PC games though but I am pretty sure they have them for sale too.

-Cub. =o)

In the US its just about the only place to get used PC games (at least everywhere in the US I have been to).

1) Support your local shops more from now on. They're rare and getting rarer thanks to a lot of factors I don't even need to mention anymore. I'm working with another gaming site to put together a big index of indie stores, this thread kinda makes me think I should convince the guy to allow browsing by services rendered.

I loved the shop near Tampa that had used games going all the way back to the 16 color days. We need more.

2) My former DM when I managed at Babbage's confirmed they're consolidating style and locations. They're closing down redundant locations while pushing into new areas, so expect more of the same.

EB over here is Aus stock used console games but not used PC ones.

It's a shame because of all the gems i found at the EB when i lived in Seattle a couple years ago.

We had a great local games shop here but last time i checked they were gone. Probably run out of business. It's a real shame too.

Vance wrote:1) Support your local shops more from now on. They're rare and getting rarer thanks to a lot of factors I don't even need to mention anymore. I'm working with another gaming site to put together a big index of indie stores, this thread kinda makes me think I should convince the guy to allow browsing by services rendered.

Yes! Wal-Mart is evil! They're the reason that 99% of games now come in a tiny DVD holder.

Crowley wrote:

Vance wrote:1) Support your local shops more from now on. They're rare and getting rarer thanks to a lot of factors I don't even need to mention anymore. I'm working with another gaming site to put together a big index of indie stores, this thread kinda makes me think I should convince the guy to allow browsing by services rendered.

Yes! Wal-Mart is evil! They're the reason that 99% of games now come in a tiny DVD holder.

What?

Vance wrote:1) Support your local shops more from now on. They're rare and getting rarer thanks to a lot of factors I don't even need to mention anymore. I'm working with another gaming site to put together a big index of indie stores, this thread kinda makes me think I should convince the guy to allow browsing by services rendered.

I loved the shop near Tampa that had used games going all the way back to the 16 color days. We need more.

2) My former DM when I managed at Babbage's confirmed they're consolidating style and locations. They're closing down redundant locations while pushing into new areas, so expect more of the same.

Unforunately 99% of all the independent stores dont even carry PC at all! (again at least the ones I go to)


I think I am going to live to see the end of PC games. I worred for years that it was coming and I guess the day is now fast approaching. When PC games disappear from EB and stores like them then you will know the PC game platform is officially dead.

Its a sad day.

McDonis wrote:I think I am going to live to see the end of PC games. I worred for years that it was coming and I guess the day is now fast approaching. When PC games disappear from EB and stores like them then you will know the PC game platform is officially dead.

Its a sad day.

Whoa! Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Please. No need for unwarranted panic or spreading unnecessary BS (and yes, it's BS).

Yes, PC game sales are down by about 10% or so but I've been hearing about the death of PC games for the past decade + and the "doom" prophets of the gaming industry have been proven wrong time and again. Hell, if I would've gotten a dime for everytime I heard that... I'd be filthy rich!

Over a Decade of How PC Gaming has been "Dying" or "In Trouble"...and the Real Outcome

1993: It's declared PC Gaming is "dying" because the 16-bit wars are in full swing on console, the media claims there is no way PC will compete... the following year Doom is released on PC changing gaming forever and putting PC in front stage.

1993 Cont.: Atari Jaguar is released and once again PC gaming is "dying"... It's said that PC may have had Doom, but there is no way PC can compete against the Jaguar's graphics... The Jaguar is the last console ever released by Atari, the company goes on to publish games for the PC.

Spring 1995: Again, PC Gaming is "dying" with the arrival of the Sega Saturn, the media and some users make claims that the graphics in the Sega Saturn is ahead of PC games and there is no way PC gaming can compete... we all know the outcome.

Fall 1995: Once again, PC gaming is "dying", now that Console games come in CD format on the Playstation, there is nothing on the PC that will be a big seller... the following year Diablo, Quake, and Warcraft II are released to massive sales.

1997: Again, PC gaming is "dying" with FPS games like Goldeneye and Turok on the N64, the media and many users claim it's the end of PC since FPS is such a big genre on the platform, it's said there is NO way an FPS, or any PC game, can come out on PC that will match the buzz of Goldeneye... the following year Half Life is released becoming one of the most defining games of the genre, in addition Starcraft, Unreal, Grim Fandango, Baldur's Gate, and Thief are released on the PC making 1998 one of the PC's biggest years and most successful years in PC gaming, especially for the PC FPS genre.

1999: Once again, PC Gaming is "dying" with the release of the Dreamcast, the media and some users claim there is no way PC can compete with the Dreamcast's "true" 3D visuals and Sega's lineup, they also point out the Dreamcast's ablility to go online as a sign that PC Gaming will be "obsolete", with the arrival of the Dreamcast they claim PC gaming is truly dead... the outcome... well, we all know what really happened. The Dreamcast was the last console ever manufactured by Sega.

2000: PS2 is released, and once again PC Gaming is "dying", the media and some users claim that less "top tier" games will be on the PC... that year the PC sees the arrival of the top seller The Sims which goes on to be one of the biggest selling series on any platform and the best selling game of all-time, as well as classic titles like Deus Ex, No One Lives Forever, Baldur's Gate 2, Homeworld, Thief 2, The Longest Journey... and of course Unreal Tournament.

2002 - 2003: Once again the PC Gaming is "dying". The console race is in full swing, both the media and many "gamers" (or so they claim to be) claim that PC will be "dead" after 2003 and that there is "NO way" a stellar top selling PC game will come after 2003... that year HL2 is shown at E3 and becomes Best of Show and wowing the crowd more than any other game, the following year World of Warcraft, Far Cry, and Half-Life 2 are released becoming top sellers and HL2 and WOW end up winning a large majority of major Overall GOTY awards, including Overall GOTY at Gamespot and many other gaming sites... PC Gaming produces 4 Billion dollars in Revenue in 2004. World of Warcraft is the top selling online game with 4 Million subscribers and counting, having more subscribers than the entirety of any console online service. Vivendi, one of the biggest publishers in the business goes on to cite PC games in 2004 and 2005 for making the company finally turn a profit after being in the red for some time.

E3 2005: PC gaming is "dead"... again... there is NO way any PC game can match the onslaught of "next-gen" power that will be shown at E3 using terms like "HD-Era" and "1080p"... Will Wright's Spore for PC ends up winning Best of Show at E3.

Please add to that the fact that PC hardware is ALWAYS evolving. Once you buy a console, that's it, what you see is what you'll get. Ever. Next-Gen consoles have two main advantages on the PC: 1) Price. 2) Optimization. That's it. PC games will never die, but they will slow down from time to time, but will never die. The simple fact is that some genres basically require a PC. Genres like RTS, RPG, Flight/Space Sims, FPS games play far better with a keyboard and a mouse, and trust me I've tried playing on shooters on the PS2 and XBOX with gamepads and it sucks. Right now next-gen have a single hardware advantage on PCs and that's the processor. Graphics cards on the PC already match the ones on next-gen (GeForce 7800, etc.), in about two years PC will surpass it with better processors. That leaves pricing. Next-gen consoles will probably go for 400$ and a very high-end PC costs around 2000$ but provides for much more than just gaming. I believe PC hardware will have lower prices in the future, leaving no room for next-gen consoles to control the market.

But as always, PC game sales are declining as it has been many times in the past, but it ALWAYS recovered and produced most of the best games of all-time on ANY system. End of discussion.

kress wrote:

McDonis wrote:I think I am going to live to see the end of PC games. I worred for years that it was coming and I guess the day is now fast approaching. When PC games disappear from EB and stores like them then you will know the PC game platform is officially dead.

Its a sad day.

Whoa! Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Please. No need for unwarranted panic or spreading unnecessary BS (and yes, it's BS).

Yes, PC game sales are down by about 10% or so but I've been hearing about the death of PC games for the past decade + and the "doom" prophets of the gaming industry have been proven wrong time and again. Hell, if I would've gotten a dime for everytime I heard that... I'd be filthy rich!

Over a Decade of How PC Gaming has been "Dying" or "In Trouble"...and the Real Outcome

1993: It's declared PC Gaming is "dying" because the 16-bit wars are in full swing on console, the media claims there is no way PC will compete... the following year Doom is released on PC changing gaming forever and putting PC in front stage.

1993 Cont.: Atari Jaguar is released and once again PC gaming is "dying"... It's said that PC may have had Doom, but there is no way PC can compete against the Jaguar's graphics... The Jaguar is the last console ever released by Atari, the company goes on to publish games for the PC.

Spring 1995: Again, PC Gaming is "dying" with the arrival of the Sega Saturn, the media and some users make claims that the graphics in the Sega Saturn is ahead of PC games and there is no way PC gaming can compete... we all know the outcome.

Fall 1995: Once again, PC gaming is "dying", now that Console games come in CD format on the Playstation, there is nothing on the PC that will be a big seller... the following year Diablo, Quake, and Warcraft II are released to massive sales.

1997: Again, PC gaming is "dying" with FPS games like Goldeneye and Turok on the N64, the media and many users claim it's the end of PC since FPS is such a big genre on the platform, it's said there is NO way an FPS, or any PC game, can come out on PC that will match the buzz of Goldeneye... the following year Half Life is released becoming one of the most defining games of the genre, in addition Starcraft, Unreal, Grim Fandango, Baldur's Gate, and Thief are released on the PC making 1998 one of the PC's biggest years and most successful years in PC gaming, especially for the PC FPS genre.

1999: Once again, PC Gaming is "dying" with the release of the Dreamcast, the media and some users claim there is no way PC can compete with the Dreamcast's "true" 3D visuals and Sega's lineup, they also point out the Dreamcast's ablility to go online as a sign that PC Gaming will be "obsolete", with the arrival of the Dreamcast they claim PC gaming is truly dead... the outcome... well, we all know what really happened. The Dreamcast was the last console ever manufactured by Sega.

2000: PS2 is released, and once again PC Gaming is "dying", the media and some users claim that less "top tier" games will be on the PC... that year the PC sees the arrival of the top seller The Sims which goes on to be one of the biggest selling series on any platform and the best selling game of all-time, as well as classic titles like Deus Ex, No One Lives Forever, Baldur's Gate 2, Homeworld, Thief 2, The Longest Journey... and of course Unreal Tournament.

2002 - 2003: Once again the PC Gaming is "dying". The console race is in full swing, both the media and many "gamers" (or so they claim to be) claim that PC will be "dead" after 2003 and that there is "NO way" a stellar top selling PC game will come after 2003... that year HL2 is shown at E3 and becomes Best of Show and wowing the crowd more than any other game, the following year World of Warcraft, Far Cry, and Half-Life 2 are released becoming top sellers and HL2 and WOW end up winning a large majority of major Overall GOTY awards, including Overall GOTY at Gamespot and many other gaming sites... PC Gaming produces 4 Billion dollars in Revenue in 2004. World of Warcraft is the top selling online game with 4 Million subscribers and counting, having more subscribers than the entirety of any console online service. Vivendi, one of the biggest publishers in the business goes on to cite PC games in 2004 and 2005 for making the company finally turn a profit after being in the red for some time.

E3 2005: PC gaming is "dead"... again... there is NO way any PC game can match the onslaught of "next-gen" power that will be shown at E3 using terms like "HD-Era" and "1080p"... Will Wright's Spore for PC ends up winning Best of Show at E3.

Please add to that the fact that PC hardware is ALWAYS evolving. Once you buy a console, that's it, what you see is what you'll get. Ever. Next-Gen consoles have two main advantages on the PC: 1) Price. 2) Optimization. That's it. PC games will never die, but they will slow down from time to time, but will never die. The simple fact is that some genres basically require a PC. Genres like RTS, RPG, Flight/Space Sims, FPS games play far better with a keyboard and a mouse, and trust me I've tried playing on shooters on the PS2 and XBOX with gamepads and it sucks. Right now next-gen have a single hardware advantage on PCs and that's the processor. Graphics cards on the PC already match the ones on next-gen (GeForce 7800, etc.), in about two years PC will surpass it with better processors. That leaves pricing. Next-gen consoles will probably go for 400$ and a very high-end PC costs around 2000$ but provides for much more than just gaming. I believe PC hardware will have lower prices in the future, leaving no room for next-gen consoles to control the market.

But as always, PC game sales are declining as it has been many times in the past, but it ALWAYS recovered and produced most of the best games of all-time on ANY system. End of discussion.

Granted I am emotional but is not BS

Lets take a look at some other facts that help me illustrate what I am saying.

EB Store
1990 - If you walked into a Eb in this year you would have found an entire wall devoted to just PC games. This amounted to about 70% of the store if not 80%. You could probably find hundreds of different new titles every year. A publisher like Sierra would roll out lots of games and perhaps something like 25 big hits just from Sierra, Microprose and EA alone.

1995- For the most part not much has changed but the number of new titles is lower and EB has cut back some of the space. Perhaps something like 50-60% of the store is dedicated to computer games. Still great games to be found but fewer memorable titles.


2000 - Major difference in just 5 years. Now PC is only 20-30% of store. Many of the different publishers are gone and only 5 or so big houses remain. Now just a fraction of the number of new games are made and sold. As you can guess the number of memorable titles drop to just a handfull in an entire year.

2005 - In many EB's and definately in most gamestops only a small number of PC games are displayed in the hardest to reach part of the store. (usually right behind the door to the backroom) In gamestops only the biggest titles are sold, no niche titles can be found.


So I dont think it BS, if this trend continues you wont be able to puchase a PC game in a store unless its on the Interenet. Is it dead right now, no it isnt. But I have been around long enough to know it sure isnt getting better. If the same downard force continues within 5-10 years PC games themselves will be considered a "niche" product that can only be sold on the Internet and through direct mail. That hardly gives you the license to get big budget games that cost millions to make.

Look I am just saying what I think. If you think is BS thats your call, but I see the trend and I cant help but see where the whole thing is going. At least in the US anyway.

I hadn't heard of PC gaming "dying" until I was managing Babbage's and freelancing for Imagine Media (now Future.) I'd say that, since about 2000, there's been more than a 10% drop in PC game sales.

As a side note, it's comic/tragic to note that an Imagine publication, PC Accelerator, ran an article on the supposed death of PC gaming and ran a caption saying "SimCity 4 and Halo; two games you will never see on a console."

At that point, we had one entire wall dedicated to PC games, the other half being all console stuff and PC productivity. Now there's one side of a pathetic island shelving unit.

Bill Gates himself is responsible for almost all of the decline. The aforementioned Halo was to be a Mac/PC game, developed by "Mac enthusiasts" Bungie. They got bought and that mission statement on their website mysteriously changed overnight to "wanting to be on the cutting edge of the industry." They were, until they released a by-the-numbers sequel. Microsoft has stolen as much content as it possibly can from the PC to make exclusives on their box.

Now, what can go either way is the fact that consoles are merging more and more with the PC standard. Everybody wants to be a multimedia box more than a gaming machine, and it's showing in modular equipment (starting with Dreamcast and its Windows CE platform), hard drives, online options, etc. I would hopefully predict this as meaning easier portability, cheaper access to computer components, and so on. If we embrace alternate operating systems (the government is considering ditching a TON of Windows in favor of open source) then we can expect to see even greater flexibility in the above factors.

So, if I'm not talking out of my ass here, PC gaming isn't dying so much as it's hitting a recession. Hopefully it'll pull out and I can get back to playing Tex Murphy games.

McDonis wrote:
Granted I am emotional but is not BS

Lets take a look at some other facts that help me illustrate what I am saying.

EB Store
1990 - If you walked into a Eb in this year you would have found an entire wall devoted to just PC games. This amounted to about 70% of the store if not 80%. You could probably find hundreds of different new titles every year. A publisher like Sierra would roll out lots of games and perhaps something like 25 big hits just from Sierra, Microprose and EA alone.

1995- For the most part not much has changed but the number of new titles is lower and EB has cut back some of the space. Perhaps something like 50-60% of the store is dedicated to computer games. Still great games to be found but fewer memorable titles.


2000 - Major difference in just 5 years. Now PC is only 20-30% of store. Many of the different publishers are gone and only 5 or so big houses remain. Now just a fraction of the number of new games are made and sold. As you can guess the number of memorable titles drop to just a handfull in an entire year.

2005 - In many EB's and definately in most gamestops only a small number of PC games are displayed in the hardest to reach part of the store. (usually right behind the door to the backroom) In gamestops only the biggest titles are sold, no niche titles can be found.


So I dont think it BS, if this trend continues you wont be able to puchase a PC game in a store unless its on the Interenet. Is it dead right now, no it isnt. But I have been around long enough to know it sure isnt getting better. If the same downard force continues within 5-10 years PC games themselves will be considered a "niche" product that can only be sold on the Internet and through direct mail. That hardly gives you the license to get big budget games that cost millions to make.

Look I am just saying what I think. If you think is BS thats your call, but I see the trend and I cant help but see where the whole thing is going. At least in the US anyway.

I tend to agree, It isnt that PC arent actiually better at somethings (most things in fact), and constantly evolving, but If you look at it from a marketing perspective, Consol companies can make TONS more mony buy selling for consols only. Sony will make money off their consols, then they will make moony of the games they sell at insainee prices for their consols, that ONLY work on THEIR consols, then they make money from other companies buying the rights to make games on their consols, and then MAYBE they will sell the rights to a company to do a port for a PC and make even MORE money. Grantid sony does make computers, but I would imagine that a huge part of their incom is from playstation. And the same def. goes for microsoft. Speaking of which, i find it funny how the x-box is an intel celeron 733 prossessor, and I have a duel 3.2GHz pentium 4 at home... Consoles arent better, they just have the ability for companies to make ALOT more money.

Right, this has taken a belly flop into total lack of fact checking.

NOBODY makes money off of the production and sale of consoles. Especially when, in the case of the PS2, they have to build a completely new assembly lines and factories because the chip size doesn't match older specs. The make so little off the console it's ridiculous, and then the middle men sell to me for even less, and I sell them to customers for only two dollars profit.

Also, to call a $50 game insanely priced doesn't just break the gay barrier, it bursts through like a Kool-Aid man full of hot spunk. Games have remained at a $50 price point for ages, THE SAME AS PC GAMES, whereas most industries see constantly inflating prices in all product. This coming generation you'll see most Xbox 360 titles raising to $60, although Sony's first person titles seem to be pledged to staying at $50.

There is one correct fact above, though. Consoles are more profitable. For third party developers, that's because they sell much better than PC games. A PC game has to fight and fight and fight to be a million seller, and they tend to drop off shelves after a few months. You make a good console game and bam, you've sold a million. As for Sony, they tend to make the lion's share of their money off of licensing fees those third parties pay for the right to publish a game on the PS2, NOT from selling the hardware.