K0BALT

January 09, 2009 at 9:30pm

Everytime I buy a PC game there, they take the empty box and go get a new SEALED game from the back room or under the counter.

The Nexus 6

December 12, 2008 at 11:41pm

GameStop is stupid and I hate them. This is the reason why I will NOT buy any PC games from them. Why do they OPEN them in the first place? I mean... every PC game has at least ONE antitheft device in the packaging and usually 2. I don't want someone elses grubby hands on my disc/manual/reg key. I bought a game there once and the key was already used (probably by an employee) and another time they wouldn't give me the manual I know came with it... and of course there is no return policy on PC games.

 GameStop sucks and should revise thier policies, or just quit selling PC games altogether and sell only console games.

 

s3th

December 09, 2008 at 12:52pm

Who cares lol, not like 50 people are going to use one cd-key anyway

Cybershaman

December 09, 2008 at 1:26am

CD Keys are so [insert random number here] years ago.  Not only are keys readily available online but it seems that the real game for some people is to spend time just trying to find a way to make the game (and the servers) think that it's a legit copy.  Funny thing is that I would be willing to bet that most people using this approach will just toss the game after a very limited time of play.

 Having said that, I have to say that keys shouldn't just be sitting on the shelves.  Although any problems down the road might be easily rectified for legit consumers, it would still leave a bad taste in their mouth.

 Therefore, I say "Gamestop, Stop".  Heck, just photocopy the fricken boxes and put them out there for the monkeys to play with.  Then have them ask for the real thing like that little alien in the cantina in Star Wars: A New Hope (or as I like to call it: The First Film) and hand them the real box.

 Having said THAT, we all can't expect Gamestop to examine each new game for dangling CD-key "chads" like the fricken 2000 presidential election recount SNAFU in Florida.  Yeah, it's easy for any of us to say "Hey, jackass!  Here's a code!" but when you are dealing with thousands of games it's probably just a weeeee bit harder.

In short, Gamestop has the heads-up and it's probably not going to happen again.  They have bigger fish to fry anyhoo.

Rock on...

 

Speaking to you from the third eye of the society machine...

Caboose

December 08, 2008 at 11:04pm

 Well, the alternate that GameStop's done is to cut the key out of the manual and place it on the CD sleve that the disc is sitting in behind the desk. I bought a Limited Edition copy of Quake Wars, only to find that the key had been cut out of the manual. There goes any value that the game could have had as being mint condition.

 When I bought Bioshock from them, I requested a new copy. The sales guy told me that the copy in my hand was new. I looked him in the eye and told him I wanted an un-opened copy and he sighed and got one from the backroom!

 Even their console games are opened. Why the f**k would they do this? Open one copy as a display copy, and keep the rest, factory sealed. That way I don't get that annoying glue on the case after I've had to fight with the retarded sticker that they have to put on the box

 

-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-

Spider-Mom

December 08, 2008 at 8:19pm

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3872/as_recession_deepens_used_games_.php?page=1

 

Their not. Publishers need to stfu about game stop.

TOaks-PS3

December 08, 2008 at 7:53pm

So whats the big deal? Just because the cd key is made available, they would still need the data from the disc, and most likely there is other DRM that would have to be cracked. If they know how to download a copy of the disc, or even burn a friends copy, I'm sure they could find a CD Key online, or crack some DRM.

K0BALT

December 08, 2008 at 7:32pm

Good idea. Thanks! :)

windbane

December 08, 2008 at 6:01pm

When I used to work for ebgames (now gamestop) we would gut all of our games including the PC games - pre-played and new . And leave the empty cases/boxes on the shelf, so people wouldn't steal the games. We always took the entire contents of the box and shrunk wrapped them together and put them under lock and key so that things like this wouldn't happen. The only downside is where to keep all the "guts" from the boxes. Some stores, i suppose, don't have the room and just take the disc/'s out of the boxes. Also it could happen due to wanting to get the boxes gutted and on display before the store gets busy. So to get all uppity cause someone forgot to take all the matterials out of the boxes is plain stupid. Stuff happens people!!

Scatter

December 08, 2008 at 5:29pm

Are these PC games or console games?

As far as I knew Gamestop didn't sell used PC games and there's really no reason for new PC games to be open.  

If they're console games whats the point of the CD key?  If a key is required to install a console game then wouldn't the code already have been used by the original owner and therefore invalid?

gatorXXX

December 08, 2008 at 4:10pm

Most of their games were already purchased once by someone legitematley. And if that someone sold it to Gamestop that is THEIR business and no one elses. If gamestop wants to leave the instructions in the case then so be it. THEY OWN IT!!! whether it's for sale or not. If anyone is doing the crime, it's the idiot writing the codes down for illegal use. Go after them JOEY, you know, the little terd stealing the codes, not gamestop.

my1dollarlife

December 08, 2008 at 3:53pm

The few times I've gone cd key hunting at gamestops they haven't had them.

Is it stealing if you open an already opened box and write down the key or take a cell phone picture of it?

Netram

December 08, 2008 at 2:17pm

This is pretty much theft.

Pyrophorics

December 08, 2008 at 2:10pm

CD Key on the CD itself...

Would prevent this problem and aid customers with the fact they dont have to search for a manual everytime they want to reinstall the game.

In either case, I have always hated Gamstop for the fact they open a game and put it's box on the shelf...only to resell it when their stock runs low. 

A couple local Gamestops actually open most of their supply so no matter what you usually get an opened copy. 

I argued once that they were trying to sell me a used copy. After we went back and forth I left, got a used game of mine with no scratches and brought it in to sell as new. Of course, he wouldn't accept it as new because it had been opened. I simply reminded him that he wanted me to accept a game as new when it had been opened ... then I just walked out. Last time I ever bought at a Gamestop.

Half the time (this coming from friends who work at Gamestop) they are allowed to take home the opened copies to try them out ... so they are knowledgable about the product they are selling. So half of the time the games truly ARE used.

Off subject but true :p

Siefer

December 08, 2008 at 1:59pm

We must keep this news from the serfs less they learn how to read!