Penny Arcade Burns EB Games

Penny Arcade managed to hit the nail on the head, yet again, in accurately shedding light on practices at “non-mainstream” (i.e. not Best Buy) video game stores in the comic below.

PA targets EB Games but it can just as easily been Game Stop or any other such store. Not too long ago a friend and I were at the Game Stop near him in a mall next to a movie theatre he used to work at. Two guys were working, one in his 30s and one late teens early 20s. My friend and I were checking out the new Wii games looking for Resident Evil 4. As soon as we walked into the store the younger employee saunters over to us, trying to get past the two girls wanting to pay for product, and as he clamors over his obstacle he rushes into us blurting out “Find anything you’d like to pre-order?” No, we’re all set thanks.

My friend found the game he wanted and I took a peek at the PS2 games where I had a “Need to pre-order?” catapulted at me. Seriously, I’m all set go diddle the merchandise or something. My friend went to pay for his game and the older employee, a manager I guess, launched into a debate of worst game ever. He was all cocky thinking he’d best my friend. The younger employee joined in and Team Game Stop thought they had trounced the lowly gamer with their superior gaming knowledge, why else work at a video game store except to make fun of customers and pretend to be superior, when my friend pulls out the Holy Grail of abysmal video games. Scraping the bottom of the barrel my friend sends a retort flying of the one game known to make up a buried mound of video games. A game so bad that the game maker went out of business and its owner went into Chuck e Cheese. You guessed it….E.T.!

Team Game Stop was Team Game Stumped and as dumbfounded as we left the store. Yet, they were they recovered their wits in time to hurl a feeble put down “That’s an old game…doesn’t count.” Whatever lets you sleep at night.

For Team Game Stop and game store employees everywhere with superiority complexes I dedicate my sharing of the below PA comic to YOU. As the Klingons say, “revenge is a dish best served cold.” Here’s my revenge so be sure to share and enjoy!

(Click the comic to get a closer look)