Curmudgeon GamerI was in GameStop getting that Game Boy Micro and two middle-aged women were there shopping in the PlayStation 2 games. I only heard little snippets of their conversation, which I'll try to reproduce here:
Woman1: How about this Final Fantasy? Have we played that one? I know we played some Final Fantasy.Later:
Woman2: Yeah, I think we played that one. They all run together.
Woman1: This one looks good.Eventually they bought something, I didn't see what. One of them noticed the Xbox 360 boxes and prices.
Woman2: What about it?
Woman1: It just looks good. I think I mostly just look at the people on the back. These look good.
Woman1: Xbox ... 360. What is that?That almost makes me want to work in a game store just to write about the people that come in.
Woman2: It's the latest Xbox.
Woman1: Is it like a Nintendo?
Woman2: No, it's from Microsoft.
Woman1: But what does it do?
Woman2: It plays the newest Xbox games. You play games on it.
Woman1: So you play games. It's just a Nintendo. But why would I pay all that money for the new one? What does it do that the old one can't do?
Woman2: I don't know. It's just the newest Xbox.
Woman1: I bet it won't play PlayStation games.
I wonder what the GameStop employees see when they watch me. I guess I could be that guy who spends 30 minutes going through all the games in the GBA, NDS, GC, PS2, PSP, and PS3 sections...and then usually leaves without buying anything.
Labels: game stores
I guess I could be that guy who spends 30 minutes going through all the games in the GBA, NDS, GC, PS2, PSP, and PS3 sections...and then usually leaves without buying anything.
/sigh
That's me too, only add 360 and Wii to that list.
By 
Alex, at
05 November, 2007 08:50
Woman1: So you play games. It's just a Nintendo. But why would I pay all that money for the new one? What does it do that the old one can't do?
Woman2: I don't know. It's just the newest Xbox.
Lady, you just hit the nail on the head.
I think the second conversation just shows how bad of a job Microsoft is doing with the "Brand of XBox". Yes, it should be obvious that a system that has sold less then 40 million units world wide between two system just does not have the same brand recognition as systems that have sold hundreds of millions. Nevertheless, I think Microsoft needs to put out another XB360 commercial just for the system that explains the system to "alpha moms" and "grand pop".
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