Times are changing for companies selling physical copies of video games. The shift to the digital world has hit stores like GameStop since games can now be downloaded directly from their consoles, PCs, phones or tablets. Fewer people are shopping for physical items at brick and mortar stores which means revenues are at an all time low and the pandemic has accelerated this decline.

Almost as many as 1000 GameStop stores have closed since 2019 and the trend looks to continue in 2021. The company’s sales have shown that they aren’t nearly as profitable as they once were. One major factor is that not as much content is available in stores as there is online. PlayStation, Xbox, and PC are investing more and more into the digital market place causing the downfall of in store purchasing.

After talking to other Saint Joe students regarding this, the majority of gamers can’t even remember the last time they went in stores to buy a video game. All gaming content is available online making the shoppers life easier by offering purchasing in the comfort of their own home. Like the film and music have already done, video games appear to be the next media industry to move almost entirely to digital.