Why I couldn't work in a game store.

I have been thinking recently about a change of career. This has been largely prompted by being made redundant in my current job, sure, but I'd like to be involved in an industry which I care about and the video/computer game industry is just that. I tell you this because it lead me to think "how do I get into the games industry?" Now the main jobs in the industry involves coding which is not a skill I have and I'm not sure many games developers or publishers need billing analysts. The next thing I thought of was journalism which is notoriously hard to get into and writing doesn't exactly pay the bills unless you are very good or very lucky. In a moment of desperation I thought "I could work at a game store" and then considered what that would mean. This is how we get to the point of this post.

The fact is I am not a salesman. I'd much rather not sell you a product than sell you a bad one and I don't have the competitive drive succeed in such endeavours. In fact, I'm more of a customer service person; I'd want you to go away with a game you thoroughly enjoy and will have a positive impact in your life. Now if someone were to come into my store and ask me "what games should I buy for my Wii" I couldn't, in all honesty, suggest they buy anything other than Resident Evil 4, No More Heroes, Zelda and Trauma Center. I haven't even played them but I understand them to be the bulk of the few 'good games' on the Wii.

Worse would come when someone asked me if we had any copies of, say, Medal of Honor: Airborne. At which point I would probably lie and tell them to buy CoD: 4 and when they are outraged and claim that I'm just trying to sell them a more expensive game I would have to point out that I was just trying to sell them a decent game instead of letting them buy a steaming pile of rabbit droppings (that's either one big bunneh or enough rabbits to make you reconsider Night of the Lepus as a valid horror movie).

Then of course there is the second-hand game trade. As I've previously posted I am dead against most aspects of the way the second hand trade works and as I understand it Game and Gamestation encourage their employees to push the second hand sale.

All of this is a shame as I think I'd enjoy certain aspects of the job. I have, in the past, ended up chatting to Game employees for a decent length of time when they realise I'm an enthusiastic gamer who loves to talk about games as much as I love to play them.

I'd really love to work in a game store (lack of pay and weekend work aside) but sadly unless I can find an independent store with a sense of morality I don't think it's going to happen. Unless of course I start my own shop, which would be awesome as I'd be like a hub for all your gaming needs. Games, PC components, tabletop gaming systems, CCGs... a veritable hive of geeky/nerdy commerce. For the moment I'll have to make do with being involved in the industry through playing games and this blog. I hope this counts as a loss to the industry.