This weekend, countless UK Change owners will flock to their local GAME store to pick up a copy Animal Crossing: A new light, despite the fact that the rest of the world – let alone a large part of the world – is now the result of an outbreak of coronavirus that forces people to stay indoors for fear of spreading the disease.
However, like the US StoreStop, GAME – the only video-focused retailer in the UK – means that it will remain open to deal with a group of Nintendo fans looking for a copy of the well-known life sim.
GAME has ordered its stores to continue trading and workers are now worried about how they will cope with the increasing number of games like New Horizons and DO ETERNAL – Two 2020 releases so far – as well as handling the closure of a UK-based school, which will reduce staff prices as parents should be out of work and can increase the number of young players entering the stores looking for games to make them happy.
Talking to our friends on time Eurogamer, one GAME store manager – who wished to remain anonymous – said:
My colleagues and I are becoming increasingly concerned with seemingly nothing to do or worry from our office. This is before we consider the new releases and the increasing number of calls as people ask if we are open to new topics and it might be a very busy weekend.
Employees' biggest concern is that by staying open during busy times they increase their chances of contracting the virus to customers. One GAME employee told Eurogamer stores that they should be provided with hand sanitisers, but this hasn't happened yet:
At our shop we bring our own where we can work or our colleagues have been kind enough to collaborate to make sure we are as clean as possible, and I have been told by friends at GAME stores across the country the same as here.
It would seem that all of this describes the GameStop situation that has emerged above in the US, where the company puts profit before the health of its employees. GAME – which is yet to comment on the findings of Eurogamer – a network of social media accounts for its stores, one of whom informed consumers that digital was always an option.
While the UK government is yet to force stores to close, some GAME staff are hopeful that management will take this step anyway in time-line – as an unnamed source from the mall:
We all hope they will make this decision shortly before the government forces all non-essential companies to close but at the moment it does not feel like it is possible. I keep coming in just because this company or government has never made sure we get paid if we go and we all have bills to pay.
