Selling coffee and cakes would also make the chain money. In Japan they have karaoke bars where young people to go and hang out. A lot of there time is spent just hanging out with their friends not singing karaoke. Game could renting rooms for people to go and chill out and play games with friends on systems they won't have at home. I think young people may use the service to have somewhere to hang out with their friends as they would have more privacy than at home.

No, you're missing my point. Think of what putting Starbucks and Costas into Borders and Watertones did for making book buying an 'experience' again. Big comfy seats to lounge in, reading the books in a nice environment etc. I want that but for games. Big TVs, couches, a café/snacks/bar etc, in-store competitions, a chance to try out all the latest games, and limited edition merch and stuff. They fundamentally cannot compete with online prices due to basic economics, so they have to offer what online cannot; service and experience.

Indeed, Borders did go under, maybe Waterstones will too once their primary clientèle get old and die. But in that case then every high street shop is doomed for the same reason.

The point I'm trying to make is that high street shops fundamentally cannot compete with online stores on prices. Can't be done. Simple economics will keep online overheads significantly lower than high street ones and that gap, however narrowed, will never be overcome. As such, there is no point in GAME or any other high street store trying to make price their primary battleground. Their prices should be as low as possible obviously, but it's a battle they can't win. Instead, what GAME should concentrate on is what they can offer that the online shops cannot; namely a hands on, interactive, service-driven environment. Play pods, comfy sofas, maybe a drink or something while you try out a game. Hell, have a system where you can pay £5 for an hour's free playing and if you like it, they'll take the £5 off the price of the game.

Would that save them? Don't know, maybe it's simply a business serving a demographic who want to buy online and they should sell up and buy out. All I'm saying is that GAME can't compete on price and should stop trying, and should focus on a battle it can win.

I think the more pressing issue for books, games and movie retailers is not that we're moving to online shopping, but that we're moving away from physical products entirely.

I don't think it's unreasonable to think that within the next decade all movies, music and games will be digital only, there'll probably still be a demand for paper books until all the old people die, but even those will probably become things you'd order direct from the publisher as opposed to in a shop.

I guess the highsteet will just be for clothes shopping..

It'll be a pretty sad Christmas when your kid is unwrapping his present from Santa and all that's in the box is a code to download the present online.

Might make the Santa story a bit more believable though, rather than having to visit 2 billion houses he just sets up a massive email mailing list of all the good kids.

Maybe it's just me but I still prefer a real book even though I love my kindles.

I think a book is more of a personal thing as well as I have books that are tattered from reading so many times but that's part of what makes it special. I'm not sure I'm making much sense but books are just fabulous objects that I just value more than even the best games (Baldur's Gate 2 or Bloodwych) I've ever played. I've had a 15 year games collection stolen and not really cared but I'd have been devastated if the burgles had taken my books.

I tend to agree with this, but I think we have to acknowledge that this is due in part to our own experiences. When you think that children in Reception class at school right now are about as old as the iPad, are growing up not having experienced the change from paper to screen and are remarkably confident and proficient with technological devices such as Tablets or Kindles, then I reckon it's inevitable that the next generation will simpy not have the same nostalgic view of things.

In short, where we 'curled up with a good book', our children are cuddling up to the screen.

Gamestation opened a massive store in Birmingham City Centre a while back, it was superb for the first few years with a massive downstairs area for retro gaming, merchandise and PC stuff. They also had loads of consoles set up for multiplayer. The place was usually packed at all times.

Then, they shut down the downstairs areas, and got rid of most of the playable displays. Now, I barely see anybody in the shop, and as a result I never go there anymore.

If it were to go back to how it used to be, the increased footflow would inevitably increase sales. But you know, why bother with that?

And our children will be slaves to draconian EULAs. I think it's quite sad that they may never actually own a piece of classic literature.

Hopefully some companies will still make a device where you can read classic and none copyright literature free of DRM or restrictions.

Maybe it's just me but I still prefer a real book even though I love my kindles.

It's called a book.

Hopefully some companies will still make a device where you can read classic and none copyright literature free of DRM or restrictions.

I realise that but for the younger generations who may as you have said not have any link to books I hope someone will make a device that can read things without restriction.

You mean a Kindle?

It would be a tragedy for the entirity of human knowledge to end up in digital form, where it can be easily tampered with and withdrawn at the whim of whoever happens to be running things at the time.