Video Game Store Question

[SourRobot]

Hello again. It's been a while.

I'm listing places in my town where I could get job applications, and there's one in particular that I keep thinking about. It's a video game store very close to home, and I've bee going back and forth about whether or not to apply there. I wouldn't mind having a job there, but my question is, do you have to know a lot about video games to work there?

I began to think more seriously about it because my brother plays video games more than I do, and I was trying to convince him to get a job there since he'd be really helpful. He told me that the associates have to go around asking people if they need help with anything, and help them buy certain things. I told him that it really wasn't a big deal, and that you learn to respond to what the customer is saying and help them find what they need. If I could do it and get over being shy, then he could do it. Later on I thought about that and figured, well, I'm already doing that now at my current job, why not give this one a shot?

I do play video games, but I'm no expert with that stuff. If I don't know something, I will find a coworker who does, and then I look up information about it when I get home so that I'm more prepared if it comes up again in the future. Do you think that this kind of thing is good enough, or do they expect you to know a lot before even starting?

[Seshat]

Even people who go into such a job knowing a fair bit about games typically only know about the games for their particular system/s; and personal preferences.


Go ahead and apply. The worst that can happen is that they say no.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Better you than some charismatic bimbo who knows negative anything about anything, right? Survival of the fittest. You don't have to know every cheat code and secret level, despite what the SC's say.

[SourRobot]

Yeah, might as well try and see what happens. It's just that the way my brother and his friend were explaining it, you had to be an expert at that stuff.

[underemployeed]

maybe they think you should be an expert, I just expect you to know the location of the game I ask for, it helps if you aren't clueless. Easiest advice, If you don't know, don't pretend you do, find someone who knows and learn it for next time.

[SourRobot]

Easiest advice, If you don't know, don't pretend you do, find someone who knows and learn it for next time.

That's pretty much how I ended up being a pretty good employee at my current job. I'm just wondering if it'll be different with video games. Oh well. I guess I'll never know until I try it.

[ravevolution]

I say apply and hope you get the job

I worked at a gamestore for a while. Honestly you don't have to know much bout videogames, places like that just like if you have sales experience and good customer service skills. Most of the time people who come in will already know what they are looking for, sure you will get the 'does this game suck or not?' question. Or which system is better? Thats when you can get a cw to help ya out.

I didn't know much about cars before I started working at the autocenter and gradually learned from CW's and Managers.

Wish ya luck

[EricKei]

I'll give you a perfect example of someone at the GameStore where I used to work -- the *General Manager* -- He had come from a sports store, he really only knew about sports games. He encouraged us to help one another (and himself) with info about games so that we all got better at what we did; we all learned as much as possible about major new releases, even if they were in genre's that not all of us played (at all). He even made sure that he and the other Managers knew who was an expert on what genre on any given shift -- If someone came up to ask about obscure PC games or RPG's, they waved me over. Racing games? Jimmy. FPS's? Carl. Fighters? Jane. (made-up names, of course)

The main thing there is a willingness to learn, and, especially, enthusiasm. That often counts for as much, if not more than, game knowledge (tho knowing the basics helps, of course).