Fuck Gamestation

Today I wanted to buy a game, crackdown, a 15. Nothing wrong with that, but see what happened when I tried to buy it. Just a note, the following conversation is real. It is copied pretty much verbatim from what happened, although my memory might have fogged up the word ordering in some places nothing is made up. Let’s go.

Me: Hey, can I buy this please?

Store person (a 45 year old that looks suspiciously like a trout): Can I see some ID?

Me: I’m sorry I don’t have any, but I am 16

SP: well I can’t sell it to you

Me: so… do I look 14?

SP: well you don’t look 15. To me anyway.

Me: Wait a second, I have something. (Withdraws train card, with date I turn 16 with picture of me) I have this?

SP: I’m sorry I can’t accept this.

Me: Why not??

SP: It has got to have the holographic symbol. I need a passport or a drivers licence.

Me: well… I don’t have either of them, I’m 16.

SP: well you can get a citizenship card.

Me: what’s that?

SP: Well its £12 and you can use it as ID

Me: Right, what else can I do with it?

SP: well like I said it’s ID

Me: so right. If I were to pay £12 and give you two passport pictures you would permit me to but a £5 game.

SP: Well look. I can’t sell it to you without ID

Me: I’ve presented you with ID!

SP: Its not valid, it’s too easily forged.

Me: Why would I forge ID to make me 16? If I were going to go to the bother of forging myself an ID I would make myself 18 so I could do anything.

Trouty looking bitch: I can’t sell this to you without ID and that’s the end of it.

Me: ok then. Fine

Then, motivated by nothing but passionate burning hatred, I went around Epsom for an hour looking for somewhere else to spend my money. Nowhere had anything I wanted, so I ended up just buying a super frupacino from Starbucks.

But this gave me time to think about the future of the games industry. How can it make a profit while it encourages its customers to buy less? I’m not expert but I’m pretty certain that most people who play console games on a regular basis are under 21. So the only thing that makes me happy about today is the sure-fire knowledge that the people who made sure that I am unable to play an awesome game are going to royally fuck themselves in the year to come. And I WILL be there to laugh in the face of the trout faced bitch on closing day.