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Following my post on how teenage gamers are treated by different shops I decided to do a test to find out which is the best place to purchase games for the teenage generation. As well as for teenagers this test should also give a good idea of which shops adults should buy their games from (Providing for some reason they can't order from SR). I am 15 and in my mind is the perfect age to find out these results. I wanted to pre-order a copy of State Of Emergency for me as well as for my mate who also wanted me to get him a copy of GTA3. So off I went on my quest to see which shops would serve me and which rated the best.
These are the categories I will be testing.
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- In order to rate this I will need to see how well I am treated and how the staff talk to/look at me.
2) *Service to teenagers*- Will I get the 18 rated games I want? Those who serve me will get a high rating here but may falter in the next category.
3) *Professionalism*- Staff are told not to serve under-aged people. Who will stick to these lines?
4) *Games on offer*- Which shops have a wide range of games?
5) *Pricing/special offers*- Which shops have the best deals and prices?
6) *Knowledge*- In order to get a good incline towards this the following questions were asked.
-Can you tell me about the PS2 HDD please? What is it?
Answer I expect- Something along the lines of it's a hard drive for the PS2 which can store saves, patches ect.
-When is LMA 2002 released for PS2?
Answer I expect- End of March
-When will the PS2 become online compatible in this country?
Answer I expect- Within a year.
All these categories will be marked out of ten.
********************************
So off I trundled hoping to pick up two copies of State Of Emergency and one copy of GTA3 and to also widen my knowledge on certain categories. Lets see how I got on.
First stop...
*******MVC*******
It's a pretty friendly atmosphere not many eyes on you as you walk in. The games are right at the end of the shop so you don't get any stares while your browsing. I pick up a copy of GTA3 while browsing the wide selection of games they have for all platforms. Not many offers and the prices are about average here. GTA3 is £39.99. So I take it to the counter ready to buy. I was greeted with a friendly smile. But to my disappointment I get the reply "Sorry but unless you can prove your age we will not sell you that game". Oh well. I then asked if I could pre order State Of Emergency and to my surprise they said, "Yes, as long as a person over 18 picks the game up when it is released". Nice one. That’s a copy of State of Emergency then.
Then I got onto my questions.
1) He seemed to know what he was on about. I didn't learn anything new but I did hear everything I expected.
2) March/April time. Correct again.
3) He told me that it has been confirmed but as yet he didn't have a clue when.
**Marking**
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- I didn’t get any evil stares and was greeted with a smile so I was pretty happy.
******** (8/10)
2) *Service to teenagers*- I didn't get GTA3 but I did wrap up an order on SOE. Not bad.
******* (7/10)
3) *Professionalism*- Aimed to please while keeping with the rules.
********* (9/10)
4) *Games on offer*- A very wide choice and had plenty of copies of most.
******** (8/10)
5) *Pricing/special offers*- Average prices and not too many deals. However you can get a discount card.
****** (6/10)
6) *Knowledge*- Seemed to know what he was on about and I couldn't really have expected anymore.
********* (9/10)
Overall 7.5/10
*****Electronics Boutique*****
As it's a small shop I got the sense that the staff were really watching me and this made me feel kind of daunted. So I picked up GTA3 and took it to the counter and the bloke actually said, "Can you take that back please?” For god sakes I aren’t a little kid! So I tried my look with State Of Emergency and was turned down rather rudely once more. Just the questions then.
1) He told me it was a Hard Drive for the PS2. That’s all.
2) March 31st. Very good.
3) He told me to expect it around Christmas/new year time. He also told me that already Tony Hawks 3 is online compatible and read a list of other games out. Pretty good this time.
**Marking**
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- Bah. Treated me like a kid.
*** (3/10)
2) *Service to teenagers*- I came out empty handed. *Sigh*
**** (4/10)
3) *Professionalism*- There was no way he was going to bend the rules but he was pretty rude.
****** (6/10)
4) *Games on offer*- A very wide choice and had plenty of copies of most. Also had a lot of pre-owned ones.
******** (9/10)
5) *Pricing/special offers*- Some good prices and there was also some cheap pre-owned deals to be picked up.
****** (8/10)
6) *Knowledge*- He was very good on this front. Told me what I wanted to hear.
********* (9/10)
Overall 6.5/10
****HMV****
Always loads of people in here so I didn't get stared at, I don't think. Had a good choice of games including GTA3 that was only £34.99! The best thing is I got served as well. They didn't even question me. I thought I would save the last copy of State Of Emergency for another shop. Also they had a help person at one end that I fired my questions at.
1) They gave me plenty of info on the HDD telling me all the specs and they also gave me an estimated price of about £150.
2) Beginning of April. I would deem that correct.
3) Again I got quite a lot of info on this subject. Seemed to be along the lines of what SR have on their site.
**Marking**
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- Treated me like an adult.
********* (9/10)
2) *Service to teenagers*- I got GTA3 and probably would have got SOE if I had asked.
********** (10/10)
3) *Professionalism*- Maybe should have asked for age verification but they did have a good help desk set up.
********* (9/10)
4) *Games on offer*- A good choice but some of the not so hot games could not be found. Not bad though!
******* (7/10)
5) *Pricing/special offers*- GTA3 only £35.99! Only SR could beat that! Also most PSOne games came with a free 1mb memory card.
********* (9/10)
6) *Knowledge*- A good help desk set up aimed to help, and that’s what they did! Pretty fantastic.
********* (9/10)
Overall 9/10
*****WHSmiths*****
Bah! I had to walk upstairs to get to the games! Not a bad selection though. Most games were priced about £40 with some second rate titles slightly cheaper. I was told that they weren't taking pre-orders on SOE, which was a shame until they told me they don't serve underage people anyway. They also weren’t very good at my questions. Doh!
1) They didn't have any info on the HDD.
2) Couldn’t find the game on the release planner. *Sigh*
3) No idea.
**Marking**
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- Friendly enough.
******* (7/10)
2) *Service to teenagers*- Wouldn't have let me pre-order SOE if they was doing pre-orders.
**** (4/10)
3) *Professionalism*- Didn't know a lot but they did keep to the rules.
******* (7/10)
4) *Games on offer*- Not that many games but they did have a lot of copies of chart games.
******* (7/10)
5) *Pricing/special offers*- You got a free 'P2 mag with the purchase of certain games but the prices weren't anything special.
****** (6/10)
6) *Knowledge*- Err.... all I can say is 'Doh!'
* (1/10)
Overall 5.5/10
*****Dixons*****
It's a small pokey place but no one seemed to stare. They have a pretty good selection of games but only a few copies of each. I was impressed by the deals they had on X-Box and PS2 consoles and also they had a great deal on Silent Hill 2. If you bought this game you got a free controller while stocks lasted. So I thought I would purchase that. To my horror though they wouldn't sell me it unless I could prove I was over 15! I wasn't happy. After putting it back I proceeded with the questions.
1) They knew a bit about this and showed me a picture of it that made a nice change. The bloke joked that it looked like a mini PS2 but I just ignored him while he chuckled to himself.
2) As if he knew it off by heart he replied straight away "end of March" without even checking. That’s what I call service!
3) Said it is expected sometime next year.
**Marking**
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- Pretty friendly and joked a bit.
******* (7/10)
2) *Service to teenagers*- Wouldn't even let me have Silent hill 2! Grrr!
*** (3/10)
3) *Professionalism*- Kept to the rules and knew a fair bit.
********* (9/10)
4) *Games on offer*- Not that many games but they did have a lot of copies of chart games.
******* (7/10)
5) *Pricing/special offers*- Good console deals and a good Silent Hill 2 offer.... if they would sell you it.
********* (9/10)
6) *Knowledge*- Didn't even have to look up the release date and knew a lot about the other subjects.
********* (9/10)
Overall 7.5/10
Last stop. Lets hope I can get my mate SOE else its back to HMV!
****Games Station****
It's really quite in here. The staff just sit behind the counter playing Devil May Cry. I look around and am amazed to see so many shelves full of games. I've never seen so many copies of Jak and Daxter! They are pretty cheap to. About a fiver cheaper than rrp. I also manage to interrupt the man playing DMC to ask him if I can pre-order SOE. I can, no trouble. My friend will be pleased! Now onto the questions.
1) He started to explain when before my very eyes he pulled out an American import PS2 mag from behind the corner. He opened it on a page, which had a whole lot of info on the HDD and PS2 Internet. He let me look at it for a second until I had finished reading it.
2) He told me March/April time.
3) I didn't need to ask. I had already seen it all in his mag!
**Marking**
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- Really friendly and went out his way to please.
********* (9/10)
2) *Service to teenagers*- Let me pre-order SOE as if he had no care in the world.
********* (9/10)
3) *Professionalism*- Well he did break the law and it's not always you see a member of staff playing a game during opening times. Oh well.
**** (4/10)
4) *Games on offer*- Absolutely loads. Even had some imports!
********** (10/10)
5) *Pricing/special offers*- Every game cheaper than rrp. No amazing deals but still great.
********* (9/10)
6) *Knowledge*- He wasted special DMC playing time just to make sure I got the answers I wanted. And he let me look at his mag!
********* (10/10)
Overall 8.5/10
So then not too bad all round. I got the games I want and more info than I set out to get. Not a bad day on the whole. And there is also a winner. HMV got the highest score with Games Station in a close second only being let down by not following in the rules. But who cares apart from the authorities? So if you can't reach SR (well your internet could go wrong, your phone dead, and your car bust all at the same time, can't they) then these are the two shops I recommend.
Please note. All this info is present and correct from 17/02/02. Significant changes may have changed since then (heh, I doubt it!). Also these shops are situated in Lincoln and could vary from place to place. But it should give a good idea of what to expect. Thanks for reading. Nath.
These are the categories I will be testing.
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- In order to rate this I will need to see how well I am treated and how the staff talk to/look at me.
2) *Service to teenagers*- Will I get the 18 rated games I want? Those who serve me will get a high rating here but may falter in the next category.
3) *Professionalism*- Staff are told not to serve under-aged people. Who will stick to these lines?
4) *Games on offer*- Which shops have a wide range of games?
5) *Pricing/special offers*- Which shops have the best deals and prices?
6) *Knowledge*- In order to get a good incline towards this the following questions were asked.
-Can you tell me about the PS2 HDD please? What is it?
Answer I expect- Something along the lines of it's a hard drive for the PS2 which can store saves, patches ect.
-When is LMA 2002 released for PS2?
Answer I expect- End of March
-When will the PS2 become online compatible in this country?
Answer I expect- Within a year.
All these categories will be marked out of ten.
********************************
So off I trundled hoping to pick up two copies of State Of Emergency and one copy of GTA3 and to also widen my knowledge on certain categories. Lets see how I got on.
First stop...
*******MVC*******
It's a pretty friendly atmosphere not many eyes on you as you walk in. The games are right at the end of the shop so you don't get any stares while your browsing. I pick up a copy of GTA3 while browsing the wide selection of games they have for all platforms. Not many offers and the prices are about average here. GTA3 is £39.99. So I take it to the counter ready to buy. I was greeted with a friendly smile. But to my disappointment I get the reply "Sorry but unless you can prove your age we will not sell you that game". Oh well. I then asked if I could pre order State Of Emergency and to my surprise they said, "Yes, as long as a person over 18 picks the game up when it is released". Nice one. That’s a copy of State of Emergency then.
Then I got onto my questions.
1) He seemed to know what he was on about. I didn't learn anything new but I did hear everything I expected.
2) March/April time. Correct again.
3) He told me that it has been confirmed but as yet he didn't have a clue when.
**Marking**
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- I didn’t get any evil stares and was greeted with a smile so I was pretty happy.
******** (8/10)
2) *Service to teenagers*- I didn't get GTA3 but I did wrap up an order on SOE. Not bad.
******* (7/10)
3) *Professionalism*- Aimed to please while keeping with the rules.
********* (9/10)
4) *Games on offer*- A very wide choice and had plenty of copies of most.
******** (8/10)
5) *Pricing/special offers*- Average prices and not too many deals. However you can get a discount card.
****** (6/10)
6) *Knowledge*- Seemed to know what he was on about and I couldn't really have expected anymore.
********* (9/10)
Overall 7.5/10
*****Electronics Boutique*****
As it's a small shop I got the sense that the staff were really watching me and this made me feel kind of daunted. So I picked up GTA3 and took it to the counter and the bloke actually said, "Can you take that back please?” For god sakes I aren’t a little kid! So I tried my look with State Of Emergency and was turned down rather rudely once more. Just the questions then.
1) He told me it was a Hard Drive for the PS2. That’s all.
2) March 31st. Very good.
3) He told me to expect it around Christmas/new year time. He also told me that already Tony Hawks 3 is online compatible and read a list of other games out. Pretty good this time.
**Marking**
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- Bah. Treated me like a kid.
*** (3/10)
2) *Service to teenagers*- I came out empty handed. *Sigh*
**** (4/10)
3) *Professionalism*- There was no way he was going to bend the rules but he was pretty rude.
****** (6/10)
4) *Games on offer*- A very wide choice and had plenty of copies of most. Also had a lot of pre-owned ones.
******** (9/10)
5) *Pricing/special offers*- Some good prices and there was also some cheap pre-owned deals to be picked up.
****** (8/10)
6) *Knowledge*- He was very good on this front. Told me what I wanted to hear.
********* (9/10)
Overall 6.5/10
****HMV****
Always loads of people in here so I didn't get stared at, I don't think. Had a good choice of games including GTA3 that was only £34.99! The best thing is I got served as well. They didn't even question me. I thought I would save the last copy of State Of Emergency for another shop. Also they had a help person at one end that I fired my questions at.
1) They gave me plenty of info on the HDD telling me all the specs and they also gave me an estimated price of about £150.
2) Beginning of April. I would deem that correct.
3) Again I got quite a lot of info on this subject. Seemed to be along the lines of what SR have on their site.
**Marking**
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- Treated me like an adult.
********* (9/10)
2) *Service to teenagers*- I got GTA3 and probably would have got SOE if I had asked.
********** (10/10)
3) *Professionalism*- Maybe should have asked for age verification but they did have a good help desk set up.
********* (9/10)
4) *Games on offer*- A good choice but some of the not so hot games could not be found. Not bad though!
******* (7/10)
5) *Pricing/special offers*- GTA3 only £35.99! Only SR could beat that! Also most PSOne games came with a free 1mb memory card.
********* (9/10)
6) *Knowledge*- A good help desk set up aimed to help, and that’s what they did! Pretty fantastic.
********* (9/10)
Overall 9/10
*****WHSmiths*****
Bah! I had to walk upstairs to get to the games! Not a bad selection though. Most games were priced about £40 with some second rate titles slightly cheaper. I was told that they weren't taking pre-orders on SOE, which was a shame until they told me they don't serve underage people anyway. They also weren’t very good at my questions. Doh!
1) They didn't have any info on the HDD.
2) Couldn’t find the game on the release planner. *Sigh*
3) No idea.
**Marking**
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- Friendly enough.
******* (7/10)
2) *Service to teenagers*- Wouldn't have let me pre-order SOE if they was doing pre-orders.
**** (4/10)
3) *Professionalism*- Didn't know a lot but they did keep to the rules.
******* (7/10)
4) *Games on offer*- Not that many games but they did have a lot of copies of chart games.
******* (7/10)
5) *Pricing/special offers*- You got a free 'P2 mag with the purchase of certain games but the prices weren't anything special.
****** (6/10)
6) *Knowledge*- Err.... all I can say is 'Doh!'
* (1/10)
Overall 5.5/10
*****Dixons*****
It's a small pokey place but no one seemed to stare. They have a pretty good selection of games but only a few copies of each. I was impressed by the deals they had on X-Box and PS2 consoles and also they had a great deal on Silent Hill 2. If you bought this game you got a free controller while stocks lasted. So I thought I would purchase that. To my horror though they wouldn't sell me it unless I could prove I was over 15! I wasn't happy. After putting it back I proceeded with the questions.
1) They knew a bit about this and showed me a picture of it that made a nice change. The bloke joked that it looked like a mini PS2 but I just ignored him while he chuckled to himself.
2) As if he knew it off by heart he replied straight away "end of March" without even checking. That’s what I call service!
3) Said it is expected sometime next year.
**Marking**
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- Pretty friendly and joked a bit.
******* (7/10)
2) *Service to teenagers*- Wouldn't even let me have Silent hill 2! Grrr!
*** (3/10)
3) *Professionalism*- Kept to the rules and knew a fair bit.
********* (9/10)
4) *Games on offer*- Not that many games but they did have a lot of copies of chart games.
******* (7/10)
5) *Pricing/special offers*- Good console deals and a good Silent Hill 2 offer.... if they would sell you it.
********* (9/10)
6) *Knowledge*- Didn't even have to look up the release date and knew a lot about the other subjects.
********* (9/10)
Overall 7.5/10
Last stop. Lets hope I can get my mate SOE else its back to HMV!
****Games Station****
It's really quite in here. The staff just sit behind the counter playing Devil May Cry. I look around and am amazed to see so many shelves full of games. I've never seen so many copies of Jak and Daxter! They are pretty cheap to. About a fiver cheaper than rrp. I also manage to interrupt the man playing DMC to ask him if I can pre-order SOE. I can, no trouble. My friend will be pleased! Now onto the questions.
1) He started to explain when before my very eyes he pulled out an American import PS2 mag from behind the corner. He opened it on a page, which had a whole lot of info on the HDD and PS2 Internet. He let me look at it for a second until I had finished reading it.
2) He told me March/April time.
3) I didn't need to ask. I had already seen it all in his mag!
**Marking**
1) *Friendly-ness towards teenagers*- Really friendly and went out his way to please.
********* (9/10)
2) *Service to teenagers*- Let me pre-order SOE as if he had no care in the world.
********* (9/10)
3) *Professionalism*- Well he did break the law and it's not always you see a member of staff playing a game during opening times. Oh well.
**** (4/10)
4) *Games on offer*- Absolutely loads. Even had some imports!
********** (10/10)
5) *Pricing/special offers*- Every game cheaper than rrp. No amazing deals but still great.
********* (9/10)
6) *Knowledge*- He wasted special DMC playing time just to make sure I got the answers I wanted. And he let me look at his mag!
********* (10/10)
Overall 8.5/10
So then not too bad all round. I got the games I want and more info than I set out to get. Not a bad day on the whole. And there is also a winner. HMV got the highest score with Games Station in a close second only being let down by not following in the rules. But who cares apart from the authorities? So if you can't reach SR (well your internet could go wrong, your phone dead, and your car bust all at the same time, can't they) then these are the two shops I recommend.
Please note. All this info is present and correct from 17/02/02. Significant changes may have changed since then (heh, I doubt it!). Also these shops are situated in Lincoln and could vary from place to place. But it should give a good idea of what to expect. Thanks for reading. Nath.
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Bah...looks like i'm a couple of years too late.
I too remember buying games from EB when i was 14, i bought some 15 and 18 games all the time like Doom ect.
I think EB/GAME have toughened up on selling games to under age gamers in the last few years. Maybe they've been fined in the past for selling to under age people as it is Illegal...
I remember buying the original GTA for PC from GAME when I was just 14...No questions asked what-so-ever.
I remember buying the original GTA for PC from GAME when I was just 14...No questions asked what-so-ever.
sPiKe2k wrote:
> good analysis of the shops there natbuc, i agree with most of them and i will
> know which ones to avoid in future!
Thanks...always pleased to help.
> good analysis of the shops there natbuc, i agree with most of them and i will
> know which ones to avoid in future!
Thanks...always pleased to help.
good analysis of the shops there natbuc, i agree with most of them and i will know which ones to avoid in future!
could be....like i say they're bound to vary but most are teached at training days to act the same
Dixons sold my friend, who looks 13 pushing it, gta3 with no questions asked, Dixons have sold many of my friends 18 games even though there 14-15, maybe it's just that one.
T-Devil wrote:
> When you get to nop.com, what do you have to do???
MVC are always age
> concerned. This really bugs me. As I'm small, I find it hard to get a game that
> is 12-15 age rated. Once, a guy in MVC actually asked me to put a game back on
> the shelf as he wouldn't serve me. I told him to p!$$off. Some guyin EB tried
> stopping me from buying two games which was ELPSA rated 15 and 18. I told him
> that ELPSA rated games are OK for a 14 year old to buy. ELPSA is a company that
> RECOMEND an age rating, and therefore, you are allowed to buy an ELPSA game. I
> then later showed the same guy in EB a poster on ELPSA, and bought the games.
I hate it when they tell u to put it back.....there like mums talking to little kids in a sweetshop.
> When you get to nop.com, what do you have to do???
MVC are always age
> concerned. This really bugs me. As I'm small, I find it hard to get a game that
> is 12-15 age rated. Once, a guy in MVC actually asked me to put a game back on
> the shelf as he wouldn't serve me. I told him to p!$$off. Some guyin EB tried
> stopping me from buying two games which was ELPSA rated 15 and 18. I told him
> that ELPSA rated games are OK for a 14 year old to buy. ELPSA is a company that
> RECOMEND an age rating, and therefore, you are allowed to buy an ELPSA game. I
> then later showed the same guy in EB a poster on ELPSA, and bought the games.
I hate it when they tell u to put it back.....there like mums talking to little kids in a sweetshop.
Sorry, it's ELSPA, not ELPSA!!!
ELSPA!!
Go to www.elspa.com for more info.
ELSPA!!
Go to www.elspa.com for more info.
When you get to nop.com, what do you have to do???
MVC are always age concerned. This really bugs me. As I'm small, I find it hard to get a game that is 12-15 age rated. Once, a guy in MVC actually asked me to put a game back on the shelf as he wouldn't serve me. I told him to p!$$off. Some guyin EB tried stopping me from buying two games which was ELPSA rated 15 and 18. I told him that ELPSA rated games are OK for a 14 year old to buy. ELPSA is a company that RECOMEND an age rating, and therefore, you are allowed to buy an ELPSA game. I then later showed the same guy in EB a poster on ELPSA, and bought the games.
MVC are always age concerned. This really bugs me. As I'm small, I find it hard to get a game that is 12-15 age rated. Once, a guy in MVC actually asked me to put a game back on the shelf as he wouldn't serve me. I told him to p!$$off. Some guyin EB tried stopping me from buying two games which was ELPSA rated 15 and 18. I told him that ELPSA rated games are OK for a 14 year old to buy. ELPSA is a company that RECOMEND an age rating, and therefore, you are allowed to buy an ELPSA game. I then later showed the same guy in EB a poster on ELPSA, and bought the games.
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