GamerNode: Columns - VS Node 8: What Are Ya Buyin, Stranger?

VS Node 8: What Are Ya Buyin, Stranger?

Eddie, Jason, and Kyle talk retail, resale, and digital distribution in the latest VS Node Podcast.

Eddie Inzauto, Jason Fanelli, and GamerNode contributor Kyle Stallock cover a number of topics ranging from racism, to Twitter, to console price wars and the business of videogames, finally settling into a discussion of the various methods of videogame distribution, their importance and implications, and the future of videogame sales.

00:00 - Welcome! Introductions.
01:19 - What we've been playing. Wolfenstein. Street Fighter IV. BlazBlue. Electronic masturbation. The Beatles: Rock Band, Scribblenauts.
04:46 - Scribblenauts word list. 5th Cell response. "Sambo" racism.
06:46 - Twitter in Uncharted 2.
07:37 - Mag Beta. "OMG, IT'S LIKE CALL OF DUTY, BUT MORE PEOPLE!"
08:26 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 bundle.
09:12 - Forza 3 and Halo 3: ODST Xbox 360 bundles.
10:02 - Kyle's tales of the Red Rings of Death and other Xbox 360 problems.
11:32 - Wii price cut confirmed(?) by Toys R Us ad. "The day the toys died."
13:09 - Tatsunoko vs. Capcom new characters confirmed. "I've covered wars, you know."
14:40 - Bobby Kotick the a-hole, Activision, and the business of games.
20:04 - Kurt Cobain in Guitar Hero 5.
20:41 - Blockbuster closing stores.
21:00 - Adult film industry pushing to be in PlayStation Store.
22:09 - Dumb Batman: Arkham Asylum pirates and developer response. "...a bug in your moral code."
24:23 - Videogame sales and distribution discussion.
24:44 - How/where do you buy your games?
30:37 - Game store employees. The government agent/military medic GameStop associate.
38:23 - Have most/many gamers made a switch to digital?
39:45 - Who won't change? Why?
42:22 - How the casual shift creates divergent sales trends?
43:07 - Digital downloads and bank accounts. Retail cards for digital products.
48:52 - Are preowned sales hurting the videogame industry? Should this change?
53:38 - Apple's game sales model. Inexpensive. Reaching a mass market vs. hitting sales goals.
55:00 - Videogames following music? Spreading the wealth within the industry.
58:01 - Kyle's elegant and low-cost "a la carte" solution. Eddie's sliding price scale.
59:57 - Is the consumer the problem?
61:42 - Budget differences and return on investment.
64:29 - Passion vs. profits. Franchise investments vs. short-term strategy.
65:53 - The future of videogame distribution. Our models.
72:37 - Forward-thinking. Remember broadband's infancy.
73:45 - Kanye West chimes in. Thanks and outro.

Intro music, Main Theme from 5th Cell's Scribblenauts, 2009. "Come Together" by The Beatles, 1969.

Links:
GamerNode's Scribblenauts review - Scribblenauts
Kyle Stallock's Ludic Dreams - http://www.ludicdreams.com
Eddie's Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/italianbreadman
Jason's Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/bigmanfanelli
Kyle's Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/coyotegrey

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For a direct link to the podcast feed, click here.

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