A new EB/Gamestop opened up in the mall near us recently. I greeted this news with the same enthusiasm I reserve for things like rising gas prices and plagues of locusts.

Hate is a strong word, I know, but I super-extra hate EB. The odd time that I have been forced to buy a new release there, I have done so with my head hung low, consumed by guilt, even though I know they make little to no money off of new releases. I’ll add that I only buy new games there if they are actually new, and still in their factory packaging. I don’t know what kind of bizarro universe EB execs live in, but in my world, you do not open something, take everything out of the case, cover it with stickers that are impossible to get off, put it on display for the unwashed masses to rub their filthy hands all over, then shove everything back in the case and sell it to me as “new”. The fact that at the end of this foul process, they affix yet ANOTHER sticker around the edge of the case that, when broken, voids the “new” status of the game, is an insult to my intelligence. So when they open it, and half the world touches it, it’s still new, but if I break that sticker, the game has been defiled beyond all reasonable hope of salvation? Please. The only difference between a new and a used game at EB is about $5, and the fact that they say so. Don’t even get me started on pre-order-only games, warranties, and disk doctors. I can barely contain myself as it is.

If you haven’t heard yet, EB/Gamestop recently offered in-store credit of the full purchase price of a pre-ordered copy of Haze, if you return it in the first week. So, basically, they were renting this game for free, on the promise that you spend $60 at their store at some future date. This way, not only do they have to pay the publisher for the game just once, but get to sell it at least twice, but some of those in-store credits will never get used, which is a $60 paycheque for nothing.

I’m not against people trading in games. If you want to trade in a couple of old games you don’t play anymore and get a new one, that’s fine. I love my games like my children, and could never do such a thing, but I can see how other people would. I also understand that they need to sell used games for more than they pay for them, because that’s how they make money (although the degree to which they do this is admittedly ridiculous). The problem here is that EB is taking something that publishers have always frowned upon, and ramping it up to such an extreme that eventually, somebody is going to get mad. If they get too greedy, it’s going to become worth someone’s time to try to change things. The bigger EB gets, and the more stunts they pull like the one with Haze, the more likely it is that they’re going to tread too roughly on the wrong person’s toes, and get slapped down for it. While nothing would make me happier than to see EB put in it’s place, I don’t want them to ruin things for the smaller retailers who still sell me Genesis games.

**Disclaimer**I realize that these types of decisions are not the province of the regular, behind the counter employees of these stores. I know that a lot of those people are just regular gamers looking for a cool job. However, I also know that a lot of them are total morons. If you work for an EB or Gamestop and you are reading this, you are obviously very well-read, and the epitome of cool. If you work for an EB or Gamestop and you are not reading this… you suck.

So I guess I shouldn’t contact EB to try to get them to sponsor completionist.com? Hoorah! Our editorial impartiality remains intact! Seriously though, there are many horror stories posted on these interwebs regarding EB and their sometimes questionable practices. One particular instance comes to mind of a guy buying a used game, opening the case outside the store only to find that it was empty, immediately going back in the store to return it and being declined because he had broken the sticker they placed on the box. I get that rules are rules but sometimes common sense has to kick in. Then again, they don’t always employ rocket scientists.

My advice? Try to buy from a mom-and-pop game store (if such a thing still exists). Short of that, go to a big box store for a new releases and Microplay or something similar for used games. If we rob EB of business, perhaps they’ll change their crazy ways…