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[that_shingo]

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So many Capcom announcements. This is good; it really is. I haven't seen anything at all to get excited about VG-wise for awhile. Summer's always a deadzone for anything more than news concerning games coming out later on. That meets expectations, but before these annoucements, there wasn't much to look forward to. Let's clarify that: even

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[that_shingo]

I almost bought the PS3 two pack the other day, would you believe it? I'd still like to get it before copies become scarce. I held out my search for the PS2 versions so I could buy this one.

About e-readers, though. I look at it as sort of a longer arc issue, a problem that, given enough time, will only increase the scarcity of book stores. NYC is awesome for having an environment that allows for the continued survival of the obsolete. So many varying tastes, so much eccentricity: there are stores there that still sell buttons and cufflinks! Not fabric stores, but actual stores. It's harder to find that sort of thing in the DMV. Everything is spread out, y'know? You might want to go to a new store that sells this one thing, but it'll take you forever to get there, and since most people don't share your love of said thing, the owners have to open a bunch of other stores or move to a better area to stay in business. Maybe it just seems that way.

The threat of e-readers doesn't stem from older generations, those that have lived with books from infancy, but from their kids and the generations to follow. You might never see a time when every book store on the planet is gone, but as the older generations decline and die off, it might be harder to find as many as we're accustomed to. Other factors will play into it, the increased usage of tablets and newer technologies for educational purposes, for one.

This could be good and bad. Good, in that we don't need a ton of Mega Bookstores selling the same product all over the country. The bookstores that remain may be much more unique in what they carry, and luckily, a little bit easier to keep around. Offering a range of things can help if it's smartly done. Bad, in that you'll have fewer brick-and-mortar stores and you'll have to go further to find them.

I don't see an end to bookstores ultimately, but maybe a return to a time when the stores were smaller and run by people interested in actually selling books--which could be very good. I think it'll be hard, though, coming down from the experiences Borders/B&N provided.

Le shrug...