'Game' staff in clueless shocker

[grobda]

So I'm in town, pop into game and as usual the guy asks 'can I help' - instead of my usual 'no thanks' I ask 'do you have any shoot-em-ups for the xbox 360.' he frowns.. and says 'err no I don't think so... in fact I've just restocked the xbox shelves and I'm pretty sure we don't have anything... in fact I'm sure we don't, try our online store.

So I hand over the copy of Deathsmiles deluxe edition I've just picked up off the prominently displayed 'now reduced' section, pay and leave.

Its £15, which I thought was ok, just don't expect the staff to know what it is

[dannnnn]

I'm more surprised by the fact that he didn't point you towards Black Ops.

[xris]

^ I've noticed most video game reviews are now calling FPS and TPS games shoot-em-ups. So, we have officially lost the term.. It's time to brain storm a new name, it just sounds dirty saying shmup to the uninitiated. When talking to other gamers, I usually say 2D shooter.
Also, in before lock!

[Udderdude]

Shumps.

[Wonderbanana]

Shmuppets.

[Deca]

I do all I can to avoid using the term shmups, I do however like calling them shumps. Scrolling shooter to the unwashed masses.

[Sumez]

To be fair, there's nothing on the cover of DeathSmiles implying that it's actually a shoot'em up...

[bitkid]

Loli-blasters

[Udderdude]

loli 'em up?

[Jeneki]

(looks at cover art for 360 DOJ Black Label)
Hmm, "Aftermath of a Gang Bang 'em Up".

I've gotten the point across to regular joe's with the term "bullet dodging games".

[drauch]

Space ship shooter. Side-scrolling space shooter. Makes you want to die inside, but sometimes that's the only way.

[Elixir]

So I'm on the shmups forum, pop into a thread and as usual the guy says "this game employee didn't know about shmups" - instead of my usual "wow, shitty thread", I ask "do you realize this isn't actually news?". he frowns, and says "err, no, I don't think so.. in fact I've just browsed Off-Topic and I'm pretty sure this is news."

So I hand over my post that I've just prominently written in the "shitty thread" section, smirk and leave.

It's free, which I thought was ok, just don't expect the posters to know what I'm talking about.

[Annoyboy]

At my local branch of Game a few years ago, I asked an employee if they had any 360 power supplies (which I've only ever seen on eBay, but I thought replacement ones might be available in shops). He asked me what I meant. I told him, "You know, that massive black brick that goes into the system on one end and the other end plugs into the wall". He told me they did in fact stock those and showed me a play 'n' charge kit.

"Scrolling space shooter" usually does the trick for me, but sometimes I have to name a few.

[drunkninja24]

Space ship shooter. Side-scrolling space shooter. Makes you want to die inside, but sometimes that's the only way.

You forgot "Like Ikaruga"

[Jeneki]

This topic reminds me of when the cable company installed a cable modem, many years ago. The installer asked me if I had any questions. I asked him if my internet package included access to newsgroups. He loaded IE, went to CNN's website, and said "Sure!"

On topic, I get asked to bring "that game with the bugs" to all my convention events.

[RNGmaster]

ITT we all state the obvious

So I'm on the shmups forum, pop into a thread and as usual the guy says "this game employee didn't know about shmups" - instead of my usual "wow, shitty thread", I ask "do you realize this isn't actually news?". he frowns, and says "err, no, I don't think so.. in fact I've just browsed Off-Topic and I'm pretty sure this is news."

So I hand over my post that I've just prominently written in the "shitty thread" section, smirk and leave.

It's free, which I thought was ok, just don't expect the posters to know what I'm talking about.

+1

[elvis]

^ I've noticed most video game reviews are now calling FPS and TPS games shoot-em-ups. So, we have officially lost the term.. It's time to brain storm a new name, it just sounds dirty saying shmup to the uninitiated. When talking to other gamers, I usually say 2D shooter.
Also, in before lock!

I see a bunch of reviewers calling them "overhead shooters" (occasionally adding the word "arcade" in there somewhere).

Not that I'm for or against any sort of formal labelling, because I don't really care. Just citing what I see on the tubes.

[Rozyrg]

One of my friends just says 'airplane game.'

I don't mind the word 'shmup' as long as I don't have to hear anyone actually enunciate it. (Are two extra vowels too much to spare?)

I'd take the somewhat obnoxious 'arcade style scrolling space ship shooter' for the sake of clarity, too. >_>

[BPzeBanshee]

I say 'shmup' first, then 'scrolling shooters' if I'm trying to sound more formal or if they're stupid and don't get it. Stuff like Ikaruga doesn't exist here, only "like that Rayden X game?".

[Sumez]

I'm sure someone who works at Game is bound to know what a shoot'em up is. But he probably wouldn't know DeathSmiles unless he's a geek for semi-obscure Japanese titles.

[exquisite_torture]

I have to resort to 'old-school style 2d shooter' with most people for them to get it.

So I'm in town, pop into game and as usual the guy asks 'can I help' - instead of my usual 'no thanks' I ask 'do you have any shoot-em-ups for the xbox 360.' he frowns.. and says 'err no I don't think so... in fact I've just restocked the xbox shelves and I'm pretty sure we don't have anything... in fact I'm sure we don't, try our online store.

So I hand over the copy of Deathsmiles deluxe edition I've just picked up off the prominently displayed 'now reduced' section, pay and leave.

Its £15, which I thought was ok, just don't expect the staff to know what it is

At least your local game hole had it in stock. None here even bothered.

[Koa Zo]

I'm sure someone who works at Game is bound to kow what a shoot'em up is. But he probably wouldn't know DeathSmiles unless he's a geek for semi-obscure Japanese titles.

If I were working in retail I would be at least generally familiar with every product we stocked in the department I worked in.
That's why I don't work in retail... over-qualified.

[grobda]

So I'm trolling the shmups forum, pop into a thread and as usual some guy says "this game employee didn't know about shmups" - instead of my usual "ignore", I think "wow i can totally pwn this guy!". he replies, and says "omg you liek totally pwnd me."

So I give myself a huge smug pat on the back and leave.

It's free, which I thought was ok, just don't expect the posters to care what I'm talking about.

[mjclark]

So I hand over the copy of Deathsmiles deluxe edition I've just picked up off the prominently displayed 'now reduced' section, pay and leave.

So did you explain his innocent mistake to him so that he could be more helpful to others in future?
The British have a long history of taking out their bad moods on shop staff (see J.B. Priestley's "An Inspector Calls" for a 100yr old example) who are traditionally easy targets.
A guy in Game once refused to serve me because I was talking on my mobile whilst he was dealing with me so I complained to the manager and head office. An hour later I realised that, although he was being a twat, it was I who was being the biggest cunt, not him. I returned to the store and apologised for my overeaction and it's all hunky dory now.
Also, as I first noticed when Ketsui got MAMEd, it suits a lot of people for SHMUPS to be obscure and generally unavailable since it gives them a false sense of superiority and smugness to compensate for the emotional wasteland that fills the rest of their lives.
Threads like this make me feel like I've somehow woken up in an episode of "The Big Bang Theory".

[DMC]

Threads like this make me feel like I've somehow woken up in an episode of "The Big Bang Theory".

Except in Big bang theory, they play Wii.

[KidQuaalude]

And there's a woman in Big Bang Theory.

[neon guide]

I went into my local Game to see if they had Deathsmiles, the girl I asked laughed and said that they'd only had a few copies in, all of which had sold and her and her boyfriend were enjoying playing it at the moment. She reccommended that I try Shop2 because its cheap, i laughed said thank you and left.

Isnt Deatsmiles the only PAL retail shmup anyway??

[Sumez]

I wish my girlfriend would play DeathSmiles with me.