You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. I hate to say it, but this cliché definitely hits close to my life right now. Last week Gamestop went public with the announcement that it had bought out Rhino videogames. Rhino, a chain of approximately 77 stores, had its headquarters in Florida and operated primarily within the southern states. Odds are, this news probably didn’t affect you at all. In fact, many probably don’t even realize that such an event happened. It might not seem like a big deal to some but to collectors as well as the less than affluent, this news is another nail in the coffin of choice. In my area there are seven game stores. Five of these stores are either Gamestops or Electronics Boutiques, one was a Rhino, and the other a Play’n’Trade. Thanks to this buyout those numbers have changed and I now have six stores in my area offering the exact same thing at the exact same price. Before the merger of Gamestop and EB I used to spend the entire day wandering from store to store and perusing the merchandise. I loved being able to compare prices and products and at the end of the day I generally went home happy and laden with bags from my various stops. Now, my trip will consist of a single 10 minute drive to the only store in my area that offers me a choice as to what systems I want to purchase for.

I tend to spend money generously on games and gaming merchandise and I purchase products ranging from the Atari 2600 to the Xbox360. Rhino and Play’n’Trade were the only havens I had for products that were released prior to 2000 and thanks to corporate greed even that has been taken away from me. I understand that I am a minority consumer but I would imagine that other customers enjoy choices as much as I do. Gamestop has now taken away one of the only stores I could enter and not get hassled about whether I brought my trade-ins, wanted to reserve something, or purchase a discount card. Part of the joy of game shopping is taking the time to browse through the stacks of games and dredge up childhood memories that relate to each cart or disc. Now, even after I’ve made it through the gauntlet of questions that every customer must endure before entering the store, I still won’t get any peace because I’ll have to listen to the automaton behind the counter giving the same spiel to the next person who enters.

Companies such as Gamestop are turning the individuality of the gaming subculture into a faceless corporate front. Every store has the same layout, the same marketing, the same phone greeting, and the same thing to say. So take this corporate buyout as a lesson and enjoy the choices that you possess right now and Keep the local community strong by supporting the little guy.