Dystopian reality: GameStop taking your fingerprints when trading used games

[TheIrishman]

Dystopian reality: GameStop now taking your fingerprints before you can trade in used games

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/187403-dystopian-reality-gamestop-now-taking-your-fingerprints-before-you-can-trade-in-used-games

<< If you plan on trading in used games at GameStop stores in Philadelphia, be prepared to be treated like a criminal. Stores in the city of brotherly love are now requiring fingerprint scans of everyone trading in their used games. Even worse, the GameStop Corporation apparently implemented these outlandish anti-theft measures voluntarily. It's official: we're now living in the dystopian future dreamed of in 20th century sci-fi novels. >>

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[bitsmichel]

This is ridiculous, I think they will lose a lot of customers. It makes no sense either - if you are a thief, why would you trade a game 
I think this gives people all the more reason to pirate games.

[Ekaros]

What makes you think used games are a thing in future?

[Lethn]

That's it, I am now waging war on games publishers.

[Pushtheghost]

I can not wrap my head around this at all. Is it some way to get younger folks used to giving up liberties in the future?
Puzzled...

[bigtimespaghetti]

Lost for words... Surely the costs of this outweigh any benefits to the store?

[u9y42]

Lost for words... Surely the costs of this outweigh any benefits to the store?

The NSA appreciates their efforts, I'm sure. And then, selling this information to other interested parties should bring in some more dollars.

The Pirate Bay for the win.

[beetcoin]

i don't know how their PR department could ever think that this would be a good way of getting people to like your store/brand. might as well have me give them a urine sample.

[Bitsaurus]

Yeah a lot of the retail stores are doing this now. Best Buy recently had a promotion to trade in any working tablet for a $50 gift card and during that promotion they needed your fingerprint - I guess some fraud prevention technique - or that's how it was sold to the retards in Congress.

[beetcoin]

i would just straight up refuse.. if we don't accept it, it'll be less profitable to do, so then they'd have to revert back. but i don't know, it seems like people care less about privacy during a time when they should be doing the opposite.

[iopq]

http://consumerist.com/2014/08/01/gamestop-bonus-trade-in-video-game-get-your-fingerprints-uploaded-to-national-database-for-free/


As much as I wouldn't want to do this, and I generally like the Consumerist's articles, it's often a part of law enforcement, as Gamestop is generally required to abide by "pawn shop law." It's going to be the same at Best Buy's and Mom n Pop shops in the same areas that take in the same volume of trades for cash.

PROTIP: You get more out of your used games selling them on Ebay anyway. Stop screwing yourself by going to gamestop

[Hazir]

Pro tip: Don't go to GameStop. This is crazy, soon we will be forced to left fingerprints in shops! Wait! This is already happening! On a serious note I did not know that stolen video games are so serious problem. But for me GameStop is finished.

[koshgel]

Glad I converted to digital game downloads.

That is just downright creepy

[Lethn]

Glad I converted to digital game downloads.

That is just downright creepy

They still pester you for your date of birth on some games, what's the fucking point? Next they'll be asking for a scanned passport photo or ID to buy a game online.

[TaunSew]

This is ridiculous, I think they will lose a lot of customers. It makes no sense either - if you are a thief, why would you trade a game  
I think this gives people all the more reason to pirate games.

It's like the Dodgers in LA.  You can't watch them as they have an exclusive contract with Time Warner and Time Warner, due to exclusivity agreements with other cable companies (can't poach each other's customers), is not accessible to the majority of Californians.

So what do people do?  According to the radio hosts they watch the Dodgers illegally from some server in Slovakia or Russia.  The most ironic thing is having to turn to formerly Communist countries just to watch a basketball game of all things.   Don't even have the freedom in America anymore to watch a basketball game.   Disclaimer I am not suggesting that (wouldn't know how to do it) and neither the radio hosts were endorsing it, but they said many people are doing it out of no alternative options (even if you want to pay them $20 to watch it you can't).

  If they put all sorts of stupid alienating barriers towards video games then people are simply going to download their games off some server in Eastern Europe.

[cryptasm]

Anti-theft measures? Suuuuuure 

This is crazily over the top, next stop DNA samples and iris scans

[elliwilli]

This is insanity!
There is no real reasoning for it, any argument they give is flawed. Well done gamestop, way to alienate your market.

[galbros]

This is horrible, but it looks like they reversed it: http://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/08/04/gamestop-fingerprinting-philadelphia/

The article notes that pawnshops are required to take fingerprints, which is also interesting.

[Lethn]

This is insanity!
There is no real reasoning for it, any argument they give is flawed. Well done gamestop, way to alienate your market.

I stopped buying anything at UK games stores when they tried introducing age restrictions and asking people for ID's in order to buy things, I once got asked when I was 15 for an ID when I was buying a 15 rated game, haven't shopped at a game store since. Yeah, for something like Alcohol and Smoking I actually understand the logic behind that, but games? FUCK YOU! Thankfully the law was so ridiculous they decided to stop it, most likely because of the backlash it was about to cause.

[BTCmoons]

This is horrible, but it looks like they reversed it: http://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/08/04/gamestop-fingerprinting-philadelphia/

The article notes that pawnshops are required to take fingerprints, which is also interesting.

Gamestop is not quite the same as a pawnshop as AFAIK gamestop will only give you store credit while pawn shops will give you cash.

You can also get a lot more from a pawnshop then you can from gamestop.