Another One Bites The Dust

It had to happen sooner or later. Another one of Edinburgh’s dwindling indie game stores closed its doors recently and by my count, we’re down to about two at the most – grim days indeed.

Gamesmasters RIP

So long, old friend :'(

It’s a sad day indeed. Anyone lucky enough to frequent an indie store in their local area may be inclined to agree when I say it’s a completely different shopping experience to Game or Gamestation in terms of different focus, back catalogue, atmosphere and pricing.

In this particular shop, I bought many Mega Drive titles in pristine condition, had very long conversations with the owner about his wares and picked up many bargains that would have cost me an arm and a leg on eBay.

The manager was well in the know when it came to games and he was never snobby with it or eager to get you out the door, unlike some unpleasant experiences I’ve had in larger retail chains.

Thanks to Gamesmasters I managed to track down an elusive copy of House of The Dead 2 with lightgun on Dreamcast, A mint condition copy of Ridge Racer Type 4 and Another World on Mega Drive, which I have never seen in any store before. The guy certainly knew his stuff.

There’s nothing really topical in this post, but it’s crappy to see a perfectly good store run into the ground by an over abundance of bigger chains in the city, so many so, that even they are beginning to under perform. I felt a little send off was in order.

Now I really have to resort to being fleeced online for my retro rarities – ‘sigh’

Does anyone else visiting this page visit indie stores or know of one that is awesome? What makes a good indie store stand out for you?

Comments

8 responses to “Another One Bites The Dust”

  1. Retro Boy G (Games Centre Manager) avatar
    Retro Boy G (Games Centre Manager)

    Did they have a beatmania PSX bundle in the window about a year ago?.. Its a shame when this happens.. i can’t imagine the rates in Edinburgh being too cheap though! thats what probably killed them.. 🙁 (R.I.P.)

  2. Nick avatar
    Nick

    It’s a shame when you see that happen 🙁 In the whole city of Dublin we have one lad who really is struggling at the most. Mainly because there are three Gamestops fifteen minutes from each other. Tough times.

  3. Laura avatar
    Laura

    The last one by me closed down about two years ago. The prices were amazing and the owner knew EVERYTHING about every game but it was sort of hard to get his full attention sometimes as he had his PC set up behind the counter.

  4. Dave avatar
    Dave

    Hi Retro Boy, yes they had a Beatmania in the window. You could find curio titles like that all the time in there, there was no shortage of games you would find on the shelf and be like ‘bloody hell! I haven’t seen that in years!’

    In the local vicinity, we have three Games, two Gamestations, CEX, ChiPS, two HMVs and a Zavvi. The little guy just doesn’t stand a chance.

    Although, there is one indie doing exceptionally well across the other side of town called 1up games that my mate runs, I hope its success continues!

  5. John avatar
    John

    My local one in Glasgow (CA games) shut it doors last year, nothing there to fill the void. Sad really…

  6. James avatar
    James

    Actually ive always been very happy with my Gamestation store… The prices have always been really good (£3 for Killer 7! yay!) and the service excellent 🙂

    Also they have retro stuff there to buy too… Maybe not brand new but still 😀 Its some good stuff… Just three stores down the street is GAME where the games are over-expensive, the customer service stinks and the lack of good games is appauling.

  7. Michael avatar
    Michael

    No, there’s no indies around here, just Game, Xtravision (I don’t use this) and quite paltry selections in Woolworths and Heatons.

    And, soon, CEX.

  8. Retro Boy G (Games Centre Manager) avatar
    Retro Boy G (Games Centre Manager)

    Cheers Dave! The reason i asked was me and my gf were up in Edinburgh last year for a short break and we drove past the shop every day.. i kept seeing the beatmania in the window and wanted to go in.. never got the chance! Looked like an awesome little shop as well..

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