Contemporary Culture

Downturn hits gamers
Game Crazy closes 16 stores
By Gbolahan Olanubi, November 09
Contemporary Culture Editor

Photo by Gbolahan Olanubi

Out numbered, but not out matched: Game Crazy still promises to offer customers superior service.

In early October, Movie Gallery Inc. began closing Game Crazy stores all over Arizona.

“They decided that it would be better to focus on the productive stores,” said Diane Jensen, store manager of Game Crazy.

From the 25 locations in Arizona, only nine stores will be left after the liquidation. There will no longer be Game Crazies in Good Year, Queen Creek, Chandler or Tucson.

“It’s a shame,” said Jensen remorsefully. “We had such a strong presence in Arizona.”

Phoenix will keep two of its locations: Cave Creek Road and Union Hills Drive and Seventh Avenue and Bell Road.
With such staggering close outs, people begin to wonder: where have all the gamers gone?

“They are still here, but they are not buying as much as they used to,” said Jensen.

Rental seems to have become the bane of retail games. Games like “Wet,” “Mirrors Edge” and “Price of Persia” are all good games, but they are short.

“These games only have single players,” said Reuben Deer, Game Crazy customer. “They just don’t last.”
Nowadays, 10 to15 hours of game-play is just not enough to justify a $60 purchase.

“Honestly I don’t think (rental games) really affects us,” said Jensen. “Most hardcode gamers still want to own the game.”

Sales of new games may have declined, but the current economic times have given rise to the sale of used games.
Used games go for about $10 to$15 less than their new counterparts. Game Crazy offers a free 90-day guarantee on all of their used products, and lifetime warrantees are available to purchase. If you find a new or used game for less, just bring proof of the price to Game Crazy. They price match and take an additional 5 percent off the listed price.

Now that GameStop, the biggest game retail chain with about 40 stores, has the clear numerical advantage in Arizona, are there even enough Game Crazy’s left? Game Stop has already acquired EB Games. Could Game Crazy be its next acquisition?