We have always looked at our collection of games as something that we can be proud of. It was 1989, this Editor was only three years old but recalls playing games on tape before playing them on cartridges! Since the Super Nintendo our games have been kept and stored, not always in the original packaging but nevertheless with care and pride.
The idea of trading in our games was/still is almost something blasphemous to us, like giving away one of your children just because you were all done with and looking for a newer model! That however isn’t to say we haven’t done it before and we wouldn’t do it again (the game trading not the child giving up part!) sometimes a game just doesn’t belong in our collection and sometimes we’re just that little bit short of getting a new release!
One thing we have always found about the whole process of trading our games in is that you can’t always help feel ripped off by the store that are so kindly (and very willingly) taking the games off our hands. We’re going to be doing a more detailed piece on the best places to trade in but for now let’s just assume that it really is the same no matter what store you go to trade in with.
That problem seems like it could finally be a thing of the past! We’ve stumbled across Gamersworldmap.com and we’ve even caught up with the man behind the idea of the site!
Egil Andersen, the owner of Ecco Tech, lives in Norway and is running the whole site almost single handily in between his family life.
The whole idea of Gamers World Map is to make ‘it easy for friends to keep each other updated on game collections and wish lists. The map based “match” and search functionality makes it easy to find other gamers within ones local community. Thus games can be bought and sold without postal exchange, or games can be exchanged without involving any money at all.’
When you head over to the website you have the option of registering with site which allow you to list your own collection and make available which ones you’re looking to trade/sell but even without registering you’re able to search for games that are listed all over the world.
Like us, Egil noticed how much money was being spent on games and how little his sons were getting back from stores once they’d traded them in but even while setting up the website he was aware that his service may be considered ‘controversial’ by video game developers but according Egil the service isn’t meant to take money away from developers but ‘will primarily compete with the business model of stores. Gamers will get more value for money, and not thereby reduce their number of new games purchased.’.
We have to say the idea of Gamers World Map really intrigues us and we’ve gone and registered our own account. If you’re tired of being had by various stores on their ridiculous trade-in offers then now you have an alternative so be smart and give a Gamers World Map a try today!
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
