Blockbuster Video has announced their intent to expand videogame offerings in all of their locations by offering special bundle packs for purchase and increasing their selection of available rental games.

This may sound eerily familiar to you, because Blockbuster tried this tactic with limited success a few years back by opening up Game Rush sections in select stores. Game Rush was, essentially, everything the announcement describes: an increased videogame presence, complete with game and hardware sales and an expanded rental selection.

Except, the only reason anyone ever went there was because the company often failed to take note of price drops, making it an easy target for cheap gamers to flip copies of Open Season for double its worth.

You can still see the smear of their mistake at many Blockbuster locations, with orange and green bargain bins lined with classic launch titles that are still grossly overpriced. Considering how well it all went last time, just what is going to separate this attempt from the last one?

Now, as a die-hard Game Crazy customer--which, if you aren't aware, is a franchise owned and operated by and within Hollywood Video locations--I can say with absolute assurance that a kick-ass membership program and competitive prices from day one will probably increase their customer base.

If you know you can get Grand Theft Auto IV on sale for less than the current asking price, of course you'll hit their store versus GameStop and Best Buy.

But, if they continue their practice of being grossly out of touch with the climate of the gaming world, I expect they'll be just as baffled as when people decided that getting more movies for less that come right to your home is better than paying $7 to watch Keanu Reeves in "Chain Reaction" for less than a week.

Posted by Scud

05/04/2008 09:03:37

I find this somewhat disconcerting. I had no idea about the whole 'Game Rush' thing until I walking into a BlockBuster for the first time in 8 years, not too long ago. I remember thinking I was in the wrong place.

All I want is a place I can't borrow crappy movies from, then bitch when they call me saying it's overdue!