The future of us (Mark's rant)

As I type this, HMV, one of the biggest and best entertainment shops is on its last legs. This really upsets/enrages me, when I go to my local shopping centre this is always the shop that I spend the majority of my time in and probably the place where I spend the majority of my money.

The most saddening thing is that HMV wasn’t the first and definatly won’t be the last entertainment shop to close.

I’m picturing the high street and shopping centres in the not too distant future right now, and all I see are endless rows of boring cloths shops. And I imagine a bit further down the line all of those will be gone too.



In my opinion, online shopping is killing everything. I hate online shopping, while I do see the benefits of it, I think it should only be used either for something that you can’t easily get in store or if you genuinely don’t have time to browse around actual shops.

But people have become too accustomed to it now; it’s so easy to go to Amazon and piss away all of your money on stuff you didn’t really even need in the first place, and I suppose in a way credit and debit cards are also to blame here, most people probably don’t think about the money they’re wasting because they aren’t physically handing over hard cash, these days all you have to do is click a button and all of your pre-saved card details automatically appear on your screen, tempting so many people into getting into that “ah screw it, I’ll treat myself” mentality.

But back to entertainment shops, more specifically game retailers. Even though it’s probably inevitable, the last thing I want to see are games moving into that digital space and never being available on hard copy, because for me there would be no reason to go shopping anymore. In fact the only shop I would have left would be Starbucks, and I’d love to see money grabbing companies try to move that retail chain into the digital space, although the bastards will probably try and find a way. Probably a series of interconnected pipes running from a scummy factory to every house on the planet, where the future versions of ourselves would hold a cup up to the spout sticking out of our recliner as we mindlessly browse Amazon, buying anything that looks remotely interesting to us, and the only time we’d ever get up is to collect our deliveries from the robot postmen at the front door (because people don’t go outside anymore).

Anyway, once again I digress, this is a subject that I feel very strongly about so I’m trying my best not to steer away from my main point and I’m also finding it very hard not to swear more.

If I was the main man (or woman) over at a big games company such as Sony or Microsoft, I’d definatly be doing something to save these games retailers because after all, they are promoting my products. Honestly if the big game companies don’t to something they are essentially slamming a door right in the face of potential customers. But the sad fact is that they will never get off their money thrones and do something, because it would take a small chunk out of their precious pile of cash.

Really though, what are the odds of a non-gamer, stumbling across steam, making an account, browsing the store, buying a game he’s not even interested in and falling in love, compared to a non-gamer walking past a game retailer and seeing a sale on a console? Because in my opinion the person walking past the real shop is way more likely to have a look inside and end up turning into a new customer and making the games industry more money!

I’m telling you, actual game shops can and were massively benefitting the games industry; I have no doubt that the games industry will continue to grow exponentially, but why isn’t anyone making an effort to save this important form of selling to further benefit the industry? I’ll tell you why! Because that would be helping the competition, If Sony saved a Store which sold Microsoft’s products they are essentially giving money to the competition. And I know there is nothing wrong with some healthy competition but the future that I see has nothing healthy about it.

If you’re like me and don’t want to turn into the people in the floating chairs from WALL.E then get off your arse and buy your games (and other stuff) from the few remaining shops that are left.

End of rant.

Posted by Mark Wilson - 20/01/2013.