GameStop Manager Suspended After "Games for Grades"

mikesd81 writes "A manager at a GameStop has been suspended for instituting a 'games for grades' policy. 'Brandon Scott says he started a unique new policy in his store to promote good grades in school but now his employer has sent him to detention for speaking out of turn. Scott says he's been suspended by GameStop in the wake of his unconventional "games for grades" policy at an Oak Cliff store.' Apparently, on his own, Scott decided to stop selling video games to any school-age customer unless an adult would vouch for the student's good grades."

Bad idea

[Fierythrasher (777913)]

I can understand giving kids a discount for good grades...had he done that and been suspended then that would have been wrong, but refusing to sell? That's just bad business.

Re:Bad idea

[toddbu (748790)]

Bad business, perhaps, but is it bad policy? I hear a lot of people complaining that corporate America is heartless and doesn't care, yet when one guy tries to do something that's right for the kids then he gets picked on. Why is it unreasonable for a company to say that they're unwilling to promote bad grades?

GREAT Business, GREAT sense

[Moryath (553296)]

Look, fools, you can't have it both ways. Either there are going to be standards, or there aren't. There's already a standard that you don't sell M-rated games to underage kids, this isn't any different.

If he's unwilling to sell games to kids who are flunking out of school? I TOTALLY LOVE THAT STAND. Seriously, think about it. We have major issues these days with schools being fucked up. If kids aren't making the grade, we may love games, but just letting them play the games is not going to teach them to take school (and work) seriously.

Fuck Gamestop for suspending him. They should be putting him on a pedestal and making this a nationwide policy.

Re:GREAT Business, GREAT sense

[Jartan (219704)]

If he's unwilling to sell games to kids who are flunking out of school? I TOTALLY LOVE THAT STAND. Seriously, think about it. We have major issues these days with schools being fucked up. If kids aren't making the grade, we may love games, but just letting them play the games is not going to teach them to take school (and work) seriously.

What's the cutoff though? I agree if someone is flunking and in danger of being held back a year then they shouldn't be playing games. But what about people who are barely passing? Are you willing to go so far as to let society dictate to them a change in lifestyle? Do you even know if the school that person is going to is properly testing the student?

When so many questions are being asked about the institutions supplying those grades (in the US) the idea seems dangerous. A lot of those kids who are barely passing are the smart ones because they aren't buying into the bullshit daycare system they've been shoved into.

Re:GREAT Business, GREAT sense

[RobertM1968 (951074)]

Really now, I think you are missing a very valid, important point this whole plan causes... PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT - the parents are forced to be involved in their kids' game-playing choices, as well as the fact their kids are getting good - or bad - grades is a reinforced memory. The fact that this store wont sell the kids games unless they are getting good grades should also thus (hopefully) prompt more parental involvement "Gee, that store manager was right... maybe I should look into other ways besides denying them the latest game to assist them in getting better grades"

Of course, the reality is probably that more parents, overburdened enough already just trying to make ends meet, will get less involved (or it wont change their involvement at all) under the false sense of security in the fact that "Gee, the store manager has already dealt with that issue"

Now, as for your change in lifestyle comment... I dont know about you, but if I was getting bad grades, and playing video games, I can guarantee you my parents would insist on a change in my lifestyle... (1) no games, (2) It would hurt sitting for at least a few days from the ass whooping I'd get. Am I condoning #2? No. (Though it was decent incentive for me to be an Honor Roll student)... but things that fit in the #1 category SHOULD be something considered by EVERY parent who wants to see their kids have a chance to succeed. Is school the be-all-end-all for having a successful life? NO... but it does help - in the very least, it opens up opportunities allowing the kid-turning-adult to choose when the time comes. Would you rather that, or a kid that wasnt motivated to do well in school who then complains the rest of his life that all he can be is a janitor? Being a janitor by choice is fine... not having a choice because when you were a kid, there was no incentive for good grades and behavior (and no punishment for bad) is pretty fucked up.

Your DayCare comment makes no sense... I doubt this story is about the guy not selling to kids in daycare. As for non-daycare school, I had some tough times because I was bored (thus didnt do my work, and had to struggle at the last minute to stay on the honor roll)... but I found that with the right motivation, that changed... got into AP classes, got more mentally challenged (pun possibly intended), and did far better in those classes than in the standard level classes.

Besides, it really shouldnt matter what SOCIETY does - it should really matter what is right - or wrong... not opinions, not faith, not "everyone does it".

For this guy to take such a stand, takes guts... funnily, if you go back in time a bit, substitute games with anything else that shouldnt be sold to a certain age, such as... cigarettes... you find something really interesting... he probably would be in the exact same situation had he not sold 17 year olds cigarettes because he didnt think he should be selling something to a kid who may not yet understand the risks they were undertaking... nowadays, if he DID sell those cigarettes, he'd get fined or worse... too much of a stink for the corporations to try to validate such sales. So, know you have a corporation looking for nothing more than making more money - at whatever legal expense, with no moral implications because of a society that doesnt care. And you apparently support that. Nice.

Re:GREAT Business, GREAT sense

[fishybell (516991)]

They should be putting him on a pedestal and making this a nationwide policy.

Because, after all, gamestop should be parenting rather than, oh, I don't know, the parents. If parents wants to let their kids play games all day instead of studying they're not exactly right, but more power to them. You can't force people to make the right desisions.

Re:GREAT Business, GREAT sense

[The Living Fractal (162153)]

He wasn't forcing anyone to do anything. He was reserving his right to refuse business to anyone. He doesn't even need a reason.

And his manager exercised the right to suspend him without pay.

And the world spins on...

Re:GREAT Business, GREAT sense

[Bluesman (104513)]

After the village comes over my house at 4:00 AM to rock my screaming infant to sleep, it can make decisions about what's best for my child.

But not before.

!GREAT Business, !GREAT sense

[mobby_6kl (668092)]

This guy is a fucking moron. I mean the guy from TFA, not the parent poster. I'll refrain from insults for now although I completely disagree on all counts. To get this out of the way, let's ditch the ratings too, they're bullshit. This way there shouldn't be any confusion about standards.

First of all, declining to sell the games to customers on random basis (he defines what "good grades" are, doesn't he?) is not what he was supposed to do. If he thought this would be beneficial to the business, he should've talked to the actual owners. He didn't and he got in trouble.

Secondly, the reason schools are all fucked up is NOT video games. I repeat, video games are not the reason schools suck. I'm rather big on procrastination, and I don't need any games to avoid working on the thesis. Neither do these kids. They'll find something else to do, which would be inevitably more interesting than doing homework. There are many options available, one could argue on slashdot, get drunk with their underage friends, watch paint dry, or, hell, even read a book.

And finally, even if we ignore the above two points, his negative approach is still stupid. Positive reinforcement would've worked just as well if not much better, without attracting any of the criticism. Simply give kids discounts for good grades. I've seen this done in a local computer hardware store, and while the discount wasn't huge, it was a nice touch. Maybe make each subject graded above X points worth a 5pp discount, or something. The more good grades the kids have, the more games they can buy. Everybody wins.

So in conclusion, fuck that guy. I'm glad they put a stop to this retarded policy before it could spread anywhere.

Re:GREAT Business, GREAT sense

[schnikies79 (788746)]

My ass. My entire high school time was based on the point system. Everyone in the class could get an A and everyone could get an F.

No one used the curve. Nor did anyone in college.

Re:GREAT Business, GREAT sense

[rainman_bc (735332)]

and since grades are set based on relative achievement

No, grades are set based on achievement against a standard. Most schools don't grade on a curve. I used to have university profs say "everyone starts with an A, it's yours to lose".

Props to the Gamestop guy for trying to bring some morality to this industry.

Re:GREAT Business, GREAT sense

[Planesdragon (210349)]

Not everyone graduates highschool,

By the time you're 20, if you haven't graduated highschool or gotten a GED, you're as far outside the norm of "everyone" as someone who's parents were filthy stinking rich.

and since grades are set based on relative achievement, a certain percentage of kids will always get bad grades

Nope. Grades are based on absolute achievement -- otherwise they're meaningless. What backwards school did you go to?

Re:GREAT Business, GREAT sense

[JNighthawk (769575)]

I graduated high school with a 2.2 GPA. I *hated* class (but loved high school, since I got to hang out with my friends). Most of my classes were boring and slow, especially AP Comp. Sci. I played video games for *at least* 20-30 hours a week throughout high school.

Where am I now? Volition, Inc. I'm a game programmer.

Grades are bullshit, mostly. They're a measure of your desire to let the system mold you, your tolerance for menial busy-work, and your memorization skills. Not all classes are like that (very few at my college were, so I actually liked those classes and studied), but most public education is like that.

It's none of Gamestop's business what grades kids get. Leave the parenting to the parents.

Re:GREAT Business, GREAT sense

[tsm_sf (545316)]

Good for you, Mr. Exception. Mr. Rule is the guy filling your soft drink.

Because it's not his place to do so

[Rix (54095)]

He hasn't the authority to be making those decisions. If the president of GameStop decided to do this it would be fine. When a peon goes behind the President's back and does it, it's a different story.

The sort of customer GameStop Corp. wants

[ackthpt (218170)]

"So that's World or Mariocraft at $54.95, Halogen World at $54.95 and ECCH Sofa Soccer '08 at $54.95, with tax is um $202.45"

"Duh, how many twenties is that?"

"How many do you have, ah 12 or 13 should do."

"*drool* Dar, don't I get some change back?"

"Oh Certainly, let's see here's 1, 2, 3, say, what grade are you in?"

"Duh, 10."

"Ah, very good, where was I, oh yes, 10, 11, how old are you if you don't mind my asking?"

"Dur. I'm 16."

"Ah, I should have guessed, so let's see, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, there you go have a nice day! Enjoy your games!"

"Duh, oh boy will I! Buh bye!"

Local news on the fiasco

[RobertB-DC (622190)]

For some reason, Google News (and the original poster) are linking to an Austin TV station's copy of the story, which originated in Dallas -- site of the store and, oh yeah, GameStop's headquarters [wikipedia.org]. Here are some links to the "breaking news story", as I'm sure Channel 8 is touting it:

Before (Sep 13): Store only sells video games to kids with good grades [wfaa.com]. Wow, great guy, good publicity!

After (Sep 14): GameStop manager suspended after 'games for grades' policy [wfaa.com]. Hey, bad boy, hurt sales!

Fortunately, I don't feel the need to stop in at GameStop anyway. Not when the Dallas area has independent stores like Game Trade [thegametrade.com], with a bigger selection, better prices, more knowledgable staff, and a LAN room in the back.

Re:Local news on the fiasco

[segoy (641704)]

Holy crap! It's the other person who bought Jyhad cards!

Lesson

[Kohath (38547)]

The lesson here is: don't try to be someone's Mom unless you are his Mom.

I wish more people in our society would learn this lesson. I'm old enough to not need a Mom to tell me what to do or not to do. Kids, on the other hand, already have a Mom and don't really need 50 of them.

The real problem I see with this is 16-18 yr olds

[CrazyJim1 (809850)]

Example: Someone has a car and good grades, but doesn't like to cart his mom with him. Result: No games for you!

Great idea, bad implementation

[Reason58 (775044)]

Chuck E. Cheese used to have something very similar. You bring in your report card, and you would get free tokens for each good grade. When I read the title I thought this is what the manager was doing and thought it was a fantastic idea. After reading his negative-reinforcement approach, however, I agree fully with his dismissal.

Failed exam = free vodka

[eknagy (1056622)]

Next to my Uni, there was a pub, where you got a free shot of vodka if you shown your index and there was a fresh "exam failed" mark in it.
Those were the days...

Bad rap

[rossz (67331)]

At the moment, you have to pass a test to graduate to prove you actually learned something. Most kids don't have any real comprehension that slacking off today is going to have dire consequences tomorrow. So this guy decides to get their attention through something they actually give a shit about, and everyone here on slashdot calls him an idiot.

"It's not his job to be those kids mom". Yep, you are right. So mom could lie and say he got good grades, or just buy her idiot son (with a promising future in the fast food service industry) the latest game. Problem solved.

I don't have a problem with what he was doing, though I think he would have been in a better position to offer discounts for good grades.

I also don't have a problem with certain types of games requiring an adult to purchase them. Again, it's not the store deciding if the kid gets the game or not. The parent will make the ultimate decision. Without the limitation, the parent doesn't get any say.

Oh, for you idiot teenagers with mod points today that will be modding me down as flamebait or a troll. Kiss my ass. You'll have kids one day. Your entire attitude will change.

Note to dad: Uhm, you remember when I was a teenager and was a complete asshole. I'm sorry about that. You were right.

Re:They can just say that they fired him for lack

[garcia (6573)]

They can just say that they fired him for lack of sales and be done with.

There's a high probability that they don't have to give him any reason why they let him go. Honestly, while this might be great and all in theory, I don't see why GameStop wouldn't act the way they did, it would be different if this guy owned his own store and was instituting his own policy. When you work for corporate America you follow the proper channels or you end up like this poor bastard.

Re:Where's the story here?

[cduffy (652)]

The story is that a policy that's popular within the community where it was implemented was terminated with prejudice by upper management.

It doesn't have to be a legal or ethical violation to be news.