GTL: Toys "R" Us Closes Its Doors, While Gamers Look to Go Fully Digital

This episode of Game Talk Live focuses on the recent announcement by the legendary toy retailer Toys "R" Us that they will be closing the doors for all of their stores, along with how online retailers and marketplaces and the strides they are making has contributed to the downfall of the brick and mortor style of stores. Host Mandie Roman is joined today by a panel of experts including YouTuber Roger DiLuigi, the director of the documentary Not For Resale Kevin J. James and Dave Klein of the YouTube channel DaveControl. 

The recent news of Toys "R" Us closing its doors for good has sparked the debate of whether or not brick and mortor style retailers can survive in the digital age. With issues such as enormous debt and huge competition from the likes of Walmart, Target and Amazon, the panelists discuss what they believe to have been the major causes for the fall of Toys "R" Us, and what the closure of the iconic store means for the future of brick and mortor retail stores, especially in the video game industry.

Is there a place for physical retailers? Each panelists explains their thoughts on why they believe that physical retail stores are still needed in the gaming industry, such as nostalgia, conversing with like minded people and the offering of experiences and environments online retailers can't provide. 

"Around a decade ago @ToysRUs took on an insurmountable amount of debt… On top of that,...people aren’t motivated to leave their homes to go to retail stores." -@GameStoreDoc, on #ToysRUs closing

Watch Live: https://t.co/49A25hPfM7#retailproblems #digitalnews #gamers pic.twitter.com/ta57mJCpK0

— GameTalkLive (@GameTalkLive) March 23, 2018

Game Talk Live then moves its attention to why consumers are more inclined to purchase games and other items online than traveling to a physical location to do the same. The panel gives their thoughts on the positives and negatives of shopping online compared to actually traveling to a physical store.

KB Toys is planning on opening up physical retail spots during the holiday season to capitalize on Black Friday sales where physical toys and games are in large demand by consumers. The panel discusses how this style of seasonal opening and closing of physical retail locations could be the future, as it will allow stores to sell their backed up stock, while concentrating on the time of the year when they can move the most product. 

Topics also included Gamestop and the future of their business practices with the rise of digital marketplaces for games, whether or not some some games even need physical copies, and if consumers will even be able to purchase used version of this current generation's consoles years from now. 

"I don’t think we’re going to see used game sales of modern systems anymore." -@RogersBase

Watch Live: https://t.co/49A25hPfM7#videogamestores #videogames #future #GamersUnite #gaming #gamersaregood #geek #console #Consoles pic.twitter.com/xV7ENAqYDq

— GameTalkLive (@GameTalkLive) March 23, 2018

Each expert then gives their thoughts and opinions on if they would rather pay a certain fee a month for a library of the newest releases, but not have any ownership of the games or if the the prospect of physically owning their games is more alluring. The panel also discusses the recent trend of recreating retro consoles and how they fit into the current  landscape of the gaming industry. 

Finally, Game Talk Live moves into the area of digital marketplaces such as Steam and their dominance of the PC game ecosystem. Will another competitor ever rise to challenge Valve and their hold on the PC gaming economy? Panelists discuss why a strong competitor would be healthy and beneficial for consumers and the industry as whole. However, each panelists explain how digital marketplaces have helped indie developers greatly, as they allow them to have more creative freedom along with allowing publishers to take more chances because there are not as many risks and costs with placing a game for sale on Steam.

If I buy a physical copy of a #game then I'm more likely to finish that game than a #digital game I’ve #downloaded – even if I’ve paid the same amount of money." -@TheDaveKlein #Gamers #videogame #gamer4life #pcgamer #geek #nerd

Watch Live: https://t.co/49A25hPfM7 pic.twitter.com/jopa05F6k3

— GameTalkLive (@GameTalkLive) March 23, 2018

Today's episode has wrapped , but you can catch it in its entirety in the video above. Be sure to check out the previous episode of Game Talk Live where experts discuss the entering of YouTube brothers Logan and Jake Paul into the Twitch and Fortnite landscape.