Another sad story about PC gaming...

Ok my local Best Buy is pretty big (not the biggest i've seen, but big) and it has all the new stuff, obviously not doing too bad. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is I walk in there yesterday, expecting to browse their expansive PC game collection (they usually have a great selection of new and old games). I walk back to the PC games section and what do I find? Test centers for the PS3, 360, and wii, each complete with giant flat screen HD displays. I wonder where my PC games went, so after looking forever, I ask someone. I find that they are by the gay-ass CD's, hidden by the keyboard pianos. They are all put together, no longer separated by genre, all clumped together in alphabetical order with kids games mixed in. It's impossible to find any games.

Is this saying anything about our beloved platform? Or am I just crazy?

my Best Buy organizes the games pretty well. everything gaming-related is in one corner. they're not seperated by genre and if I recall correctly, i've never ever been inside a store that organizes by genre (other than rental places). gets the job done.

i do agree that retail PC games seem to be declining. back when I only had a PC to game with, I was usually pissed with the selection. Places like Steam had more to offer, and honestly I don't like DD. It feels better to collect hard copies. The satisfaction of walking out of a store with a case in hand can't be replaced by sitting down in front of the computer for an hour or two. then again, the disappointment of going to a store when the game isn't in stock is a pain in the ass, too

i think pc games are not taken as seriously as they were and are incredibly overshadowed by console games and the interest in them is maybe falling dramatically i don't knowdan-rofl-copter

No. As I said, the buying of PC games through digital distribution and online retail has become the standard now, whereas it hasn't for console games. No point in continuing to have PC games lining the shelves if most of the PC gamers don't want to go to a store to buy it, and would prefer to just order or download it through a digital distribution service.

i do agree that retail PC games seem to be declining. back when I only had a PC to game with, I was usually pissed with the selection. Places like Steam had more to offer, and honestly I don't like DD. It feels better to collect hard copies.

bulletsword

Don't forget that there's still online retail, which doesn't dictate whether or not boxes are placed on shelves. Retail is still the majority of sales for PC games, however, a large amount of that retail is done online for PC gamers, so most PC game sales are still from ordering online (through DD or retail).

The satisfaction of walking out of a store with a case in hand can't be replaced by sitting down in front of the computer for an hour or two. then again, the disappointment of going to a store when the game isn't in stock is a pain in the ass, too

bulletsword

Not to mention, with rising gas costs in the US, that not-in-stock game is also a pain in the wallet.

Most people buy PC Games through online Shops or Digital Versions like Steam. Tuzolord

Verd. Bestbuy sucks. Gogamer pwns.

Theres like 5 EB Games within 30 minutes drive of my house...

But I've been to BB and bought Rainbow Six Vegas for $20 there, and there PC section was just fine. Come to think of it, I don't think I saw any kiddie games there.

CompUSA used to have the best PC game display....took up almost the whole back wall.!!! Hundreds of games...

Of course they went belly up...but I liked that store.

Nowadays I buy all my games online....either EBGames or Steam.

Yea, I guess there is the matter of DD's. I get a lot from steam, don't get me wrong, but like a previous poster said it's really great to have a game with case in hand, knowing it's physical; idk it has a good feeling and it has resale value (not that I really resale anyway, PC games are worth like 5 bucks used).jmsbond35

If you order Games online you will still get it in a Case or whatever.

Fred Meyers had a great selection of PC games. That have now dwindled to almost nothing. The boxes were pushed as far back to the shelf as possible mixed with other PC software.

It seems to me retailers are taking notice digital downloading is the wave of the future. No sense is stockpiling PC software any longer when your customers are able to get their titles on the internet.

My Best Buy, Walmart, organize its games.

I want retail dammit!

Every retail store within 10 miles of my house has a good collection of PC games.

Best Buy has tons of them all organized, so does Wal-Mart, Target, and Circut City. I guess just here where I live lots of people like physical copies.

I guess just here where I live lots of people like physical copies.

JonhMan

I'd say it's physical shopping experience that's preferred. Online PC game store ships games in retail box.

[QUOTE="dan-rofl-copter"]i think pc games are not taken as seriously as they were and are incredibly overshadowed by console games and the interest in them is maybe falling dramatically i don't knowJP_Russell

No. As I said, the buying of PC games through digital distribution and online retail has become the standard now, whereas it hasn't for console games. No point in continuing to have PC games lining the shelves if most of the PC gamers don't want to go to a store to buy it, and would prefer to just order or download it through a digital distribution service.

Do you have proof of this? Last I checked, downloading is not the #1 means of purchasing PC games, yet. Meaning those PC games need to be on those store shelves.

[quote="JP_Russell"][QUOTE="dan-rofl-copter"]i think pc games are not taken as seriously as they were and are incredibly overshadowed by console games and the interest in them is maybe falling dramatically i don't knowF1_2004

No. As I said, the buying of PC games through digital distribution and online retail has become the standard now, whereas it hasn't for console games. No point in continuing to have PC games lining the shelves if most of the PC gamers don't want to go to a store to buy it, and would prefer to just order or download it through a digital distribution service.

Do you have proof of this? Last I checked, downloading is not the #1 means of purchasing PC games, yet. Meaning those PC games need to be on those store shelves.

He said ordering online,both DD and retail and he is right, the proof is everywhere.

I usually don't find anything I want in stores and there is one online store in my country that has any, ANY game from 95 to 2008, except the ones that aren't made anymore, I always buy from there, even yesterday I got NWN 2, Dungeon Siege 2 Deluxe and Beyond Good and Evil (games that are impossible to find in stores here, especially BGE which I wanted to play for years but never found it).

OB isn't in stores here anymore, CoD 4 all the shops have 1 or 2 copies per day o_0. The only games you will definitely find are Blizz games, they are everywhere, half of the games that are in stores are Blizz games (in terms of numbers not game diversity:P), and EA games.

I uhh happen to work in that Best Buy sir.

We are working to arrange the PC section better than ever. We going to arrange a special space for it so just hang tight. It takes a long time to organise it you know!

Its coming though!

*shrugs*

Well here two EBs (in the city cbd) stock loads of PC games - more than any other system in each store.

One independent store Dungeon Crawl (awesome store) has loads of PC games, and amazing amounts of classic titles (picked up Rainbow Six Raven Shield Gold recently).

Another store Metro PC only stocks PC games, and gaming peripherals, and has a great range at that (Orange Box only $60 AUD there!)

Another large chain store JB HiFi stocks loads of PC games, just as many (or more) than any other system, and plenty of gaming peripherals too.

Come to think of it, its all pretty damn good on the PC gaming spectrum.

However in the outer suburbs at gaming stores there is less focus on PCs - on store shelves, and more on consoles.

here in canada best buy has great selection of pc games where I live. There is alot of different genres too. If your lucky you can find some old games too.

there is like a huge selection at futureshop too. I like buying from best buy because it's cheaper than EB games. I find Eb games has smaller selection of games that is over priced.

[QUOTE="F1_2004"][quote="JP_Russell"][QUOTE="dan-rofl-copter"]i think pc games are not taken as seriously as they were and are incredibly overshadowed by console games and the interest in them is maybe falling dramatically i don't knowDanielDust

No. As I said, the buying of PC games through digital distribution and online retail has become the standard now, whereas it hasn't for console games. No point in continuing to have PC games lining the shelves if most of the PC gamers don't want to go to a store to buy it, and would prefer to just order or download it through a digital distribution service.

Do you have proof of this? Last I checked, downloading is not the #1 means of purchasing PC games, yet. Meaning those PC games need to be on those store shelves.

He said ordering online,both DD and retail and he is right, the proof is everywhere.

I usually don't find anything I want in stores and there is one online store in my country that has any, ANY game from 95 to 2008, except the ones that aren't made anymore, I always buy from there, even yesterday I got NWN 2, Dungeon Siege 2 Deluxe and Beyond Good and Evil (games that are impossible to find in stores here, especially BGE which I wanted to play for years but never found it).

OB isn't in stores here anymore, CoD 4 all the shops have 1 or 2 copies per day o_0. The only games you will definitely find are Blizz games, they are everywhere, half of the games that are in stores are Blizz games (in terms of numbers not game diversity:P), and EA games.

maybe you live in a village? Cause where I live, each mall (and there's a million of them) has at least one store with tons of copies of PC games.

[quote="JP_Russell"][QUOTE="dan-rofl-copter"]i think pc games are not taken as seriously as they were and are incredibly overshadowed by console games and the interest in them is maybe falling dramatically i don't knowF1_2004

No. As I said, the buying of PC games through digital distribution and online retail has become the standard now, whereas it hasn't for console games. No point in continuing to have PC games lining the shelves if most of the PC gamers don't want to go to a store to buy it, and would prefer to just order or download it through a digital distribution service.

Do you have proof of this? Last I checked, downloading is not the #1 means of purchasing PC games, yet. Meaning those PC games need to be on those store shelves.

It's not being counted by the NPD as the online retailers either do not release their numbers or do not release accurate numbers. Hell, digital distribution could be overpowering console sales but we don't know it.

[QUOTE="DanielDust"][QUOTE="F1_2004"][quote="JP_Russell"][QUOTE="dan-rofl-copter"]i think pc games are not taken as seriously as they were and are incredibly overshadowed by console games and the interest in them is maybe falling dramatically i don't knowF1_2004

No. As I said, the buying of PC games through digital distribution and online retail has become the standard now, whereas it hasn't for console games. No point in continuing to have PC games lining the shelves if most of the PC gamers don't want to go to a store to buy it, and would prefer to just order or download it through a digital distribution service.

Do you have proof of this? Last I checked, downloading is not the #1 means of purchasing PC games, yet. Meaning those PC games need to be on those store shelves.

He said ordering online,both DD and retail and he is right, the proof is everywhere.

I usually don't find anything I want in stores and there is one online store in my country that has any, ANY game from 95 to 2008, except the ones that aren't made anymore, I always buy from there, even yesterday I got NWN 2, Dungeon Siege 2 Deluxe and Beyond Good and Evil (games that are impossible to find in stores here, especially BGE which I wanted to play for years but never found it).

OB isn't in stores here anymore, CoD 4 all the shops have 1 or 2 copies per day o_0. The only games you will definitely find are Blizz games, they are everywhere, half of the games that are in stores are Blizz games (in terms of numbers not game diversity:P), and EA games.

maybe you live in a village? Cause where I live, each mall (and there's a million of them) has at least one store with tons of copies of PC games.

No I don't live in a village, I live in the capital of my country.

Each mall here has tons of movies and console games but PC's get all that's recent or tops 2 months old, except games like CoD 4 that still sell good, and EA games, because they make tons of copies and they must sell them, and Blizz just because they sell :).

Online stores here have tons of games but in "real" stores dvd/blu-ray movies, audio cd's and console games take most of the space :(. There are a lot of "games" but that's just because there are about 7 EA games in each store with over 60 copies of those games, over 50 Blizz copies, over 80 friggin Sims 2 and expansions copies, CoH, Heroes 5, that's about all you can get in stores here : (get for sure, of course there are other games available but they keep just a few copies and they are sold fast)( oh and there are quite a few goldies available :), but I don't care, I order online retail, in this way I don't have to search through 10 malls, 12 computer shops, and other stores to find a game (maybe).

[QUOTE="Tuzolord"]Most people buy PC Games through online Shops or Digital Versions like Steam. StrawberryHill

Verd. Bestbuy sucks. Gogamer pwns.

I use gogamer as well

all clumped together in alphabetical order with kids games mixed in. It's impossible to find any games.

jmsbond35

sooooo, they are in alphabetical order.....and it's impossible to find any games........i'm seeing some thing's wrong with that sentence. :?

ROFL (i'd believe it - best buy is probably too cheap to buy a real PC)

anyways, this is sad enough, but there is no way in hell the PC is dying. Not on my watch. But besides, Steam is doing so well that it doesn't quite matter, and ppl will simply ORDER the game from online or from retail stores entirely devoted to games. (although they lean heavily towards consoles, Gamestop is an example)

Do not despair! SC2, if anything, will be the Suprman, nay, perhaps the Jesus of PC gaming once it releases (most likely sometime this year, probably winter). It'll come rolling in like thunder from South Korea, cleansing the console gamers from our lands with a bath of 4v4 BGH fire. Sort of.

I will not admit the death of PC gaming - not becuz I just don't like to hear it: becuz I continue to fight for it. The only day that I will shed my cape and permenantly resume my secret identity only when Blizzard makes a game for home consoles. ONLY THEN!

(Oh, and if u hear of Crytek making the next Crysis for consoles, don't despair - they'll have seperate teams handle the console and PC versions so that the PC version will be better than the consoles.)

the problem is, they THINK that PC gaming is dying. i just want to fricking break a chair over their heads - wake up! give PC gaming a chance!

I have a few Gamestops within a 10 mile radius from where I live. Their PC section today is actually not the smallest I have ever seen it. Like January of this year, they had about one side of a rack of PC games. Now both sides of the rack have PC games. The Best Buys and Circuit Cities have a much better selection of PC games in Southeast Florida, and it has been that way for years. Even Wal-Mart sometimes has a few gems. I picked up Neverwinter Nights Diamond and Command & Conquer: The First Decade there.

I like retail stores more than online stores, and much more than digital distribution. I try to get new games that I plan on playing, at retail stores. I also do plenty of impulse buys in the bargain bins. Sometimes you can find a real rarity. Last year I picked up a brand new copy of Master of Orion 2. For games that are impossible to find at retail, I usually buy from Amazon. I have bought a few games via digital distribution, but only when the deal is so amazing, I would be out of my mind to pass it up.

Oh yeah, I don't buy games with limits on activations, unless the price reflects the fact that you can only activate 3 times. Like I would buy Mass Effect for $5.00 if it sold for that little.

I actually prefer Circuit City becuz they've got an amazing selection of PC games. Instead of giving small racks over to it, my local one gives and ENTIRE SECTION over to PC games, with at least a hundred different titles, multiple copies of each, spread out over it (not hidden away, titles PROUDLy displayed to the consumer. Right next to the PC section. fine, that's in the back, but EVERYONE goes back there!)

I uhh happen to work in that Best Buy sir.

We are working to arrange the PC section better than ever. We going to arrange a special space for it so just hang tight. It takes a long time to organise it you know!

Its coming though!

biggest_loser

are you serious:o :lol: