Articles

You would think being a game reviewer would have it’s perks. Go into a computer store and ask for a game, drop your credit card on the counter, and have the clerk’s eyes bug slightly. Of course, this doesn’t happen as much as you would think. Hence this particular editorial.

I had always thought that, if you are a clerk at an auto parts store, you had better have a pretty decent idea of the difference between four wheel and all wheel drive. Helps when trying to talk to a customer. I have also felt when working at a pet store you had better know the difference between dog food and cat litter. Now, why is it that the same rules don’t apply when buying a video game?

Typical scenario at a video store:

Clerk: Can I help you?
Me: Yeah. Looking for the latest release of Serious Sam.
Clerk: Oh it isn’t due out for a while.
Me: It says here that it is due out today.
Clerk: Where?
Me: In your advertisement.
Clerk: Must be the other store.
Me: There IS no other store.
Clerk: We didn’t get it.
Me: What’s this?
Clerk: OH! Did you say the LATEST Release?

Frankly, I have found that buying the games online from other gamers, from the company directly, or requesting the game to be sent for review works better than buying a game from a computer gaming store. The clerks have no idea what they are doing! Ask for a Playstation 2 game, you may get lucky and actually get a Playstion 2 game…but it won’t be the one you asked for. Ask for a computer game and well you may end up buying a very nice set of ram with the same anacronym. And heaven help you if you get technical with some of these goons. If you have questions regarding memory, drive space, video card, etc., send an email to the company that makes the game. Asking a clerk at one of these stores only gives them aneurysms and you a 50/50 chance of the answer being right.

One particular store in town here really gets my “Never shop again” award. After browsing for a while, a clerk was thrown from the back after losing at straws. Nervously he approached me and asked if he could help. I asked if the new Resident Evil was out yet. He practically ran to one of the shelves and proudly displayed several versions of the older games, then heaved a sigh of relief. When I said, “The one for the Gamecube,” he blinked and said he didn’t know they were making one. Realizing at this point I was dealing with an innocent who had been thrown to the wolves of gaming, I slowly explained how Resident Evil was supposed to go online, then went to the Gamecube instead. He then thought hard for a second (I could smell the candle wax burning) and said, “Well we have a few games for the Gamecube. You want to look?”

Ok. Those who know me know I have very little patience. I have a good heart, but can be a wee bit harsh when I am dealing with silliness. (I want to say stupidity, but that may be too hard for an editorial) But, I counted to ten, then asked to see them. Sure enough, sitting under a poster displaying the new Resident Evil, was the game. The clerk grabbed one and headed for the counter. On the way he remembered stocking the shelf with the game as well as putting up the poster, but had failed to put the event of my asking for it and the actual stocking together. Needless to say I didn’t buy the game there.

Word to the wise for those who own video stores. If you have staff, make sure they have at least some understanding of the industry. I have had more than one experience of asking for, say, Max Payne, for example, and have the clerk look me dead in the eye and ask if it was console or PC. I have also had more than one episode of when asking for console games, having the staff tell me they do not carry for Console, only Playstation 2, XBOX, PC, and Gamecube. Oh wait then there is that Dreamcube. Actually had someone call it that!

That being said, I can understand why reviewers are not well known in these stores. But one pet peeve I have is a salesman who will say anything to make a sale. One experience I will never forget happened two weeks ago. I had gone into Fred Meyer to check out their selection. Looking for a particular game, I approached the girl at the counter. I asked for the game. Surprise, not in stock. After going back through the shelves myself to make sure, I finally decided she may actually be right. I then went back to the counter and asked if I could put one on hold as soon as they came in, considering I had read on Gamespy that it would be awesome.

Chit chat began as she was filling out the information, and she mentioned she read up on all the reviews on the net she could find. Hey! A smart clerk! I asked about Just Adventure. She knew it well. Mentioned Dawn Johnson, she said she had read his reviews and liked them. Such as? Well, you know, he does a lot of reviews, can’t say which one I like the best. When I took out my credit card and put it on the counter, she said, “Hey! You have the same name! Kewl!” Needless to say I did not put the game on layaway there, and told her exactly why, as well as her supervisor. As my mother always used to say, keep your mouth shut if you don’t know the company you are keeping.

Bottom line, for this reviewer, I will remain a computer buyer, not a store shopper. Until I see an improvement in the staff, well they can take other people’s money who either know already what they are wanting, or don’t know the difference between a modem driver or a computer game.