More shocking secrets of game store workers

Aug 21 2007

After our deep detailexposé of the lives of videogame shop workersin America, we all know that these guys don't have the easiest job on the planet. They're insulted and exploited on a near daily basis. Though bagging a wallet-friendly discount is still a pretty good deal.

But, we thought, what about this side of the pond? Are British game shop customers just as amusing, exasperating and irritating as those in America? Do UK staff have just as many hilarious or depressing tales to tell as their US brethren?

More importantly, with Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 now on sale what stories of faulty hardware, trade-in shocks or money-shedding madness can we uncover? To find out, we've hand-picked seven employees from across the country and grilled them for anecdotal evidence.

Part one: The Store, The Job,The Management

Part two: The Customers, The Coworkers

Part three: Gaming - Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

Part four: The Fanboys, The Games, The Fallout

Note: All identities are anonymous to protect the innocent, as well as the not-so-innocent. The assigned "employee numbers," however, are consistent to each interviewee throughout.

Ben Richardson is a former Staff Writer for Official PlayStation 2 magazine and a former Content Editor of GamesRadar+. In the years since Ben left GR, he has worked as a columnist, communications officer, charity coach, and podcast host – but we still look back to his news stories from time to time, they are a window into a different era of video games.