Starting today you can purchase Steam Wallet codes at GameStop stores. These codes, which are available in $20 and $50 denominations, can be added to a Steam account and used to purchase content through Valve’s immensely popular digital distribution service. This move may come as a surprise to some as GameStop last year purchased Steam competitor Impulse, yet it actually is a very sensible move for both sides.

For GameStop, this is another way for it to insert itself into the sale of digital content. It already offers things like downloadable content and points for the console manufacturers’ respective platforms, as well as (more recently) digital PC games through Impulse. Getting a cut of money spent on Steam is an obvious benefit, but there is more to it than that.

The ability to take old games and trade them in for Steam credit may have the same effect that the availability of Impulse games could have: Gamers who ordinarily don’t visit GameStop or sell their games may now be inclined to do so. The used games business is incredibly lucrative for GameStop, and while it would probably be more beneficial to its bottom line for people to spend their store credit on used games, this may still generate business that it did not see before. And who knows, some of those people wandering in to get Steam credit in exchange for their old games might end up buying something in-store they would not have otherwise. Speaking for myself, I rarely visit GameStop anymore, but knowing some of my old games I never play anymore can be turned into money that can be spent on Steam gives me a reason to change that.

And it’s not as if offering Steam Wallet codes prevents GameStop from still putting Impulse front and center. These are essentially gift cards for Steam being sold, not games; GameStop sells individual digital games from Impulse in-store, which might be more appealing to consumers who want a digital game and don’t have any preference for where the game is downloaded. GameStop is also still free to bundle different versions of a PC game together for an added cost (like a physical and digital version, or a physical and streaming version) as I originally theorized it might when it acquired Impulse and streaming tech company Spawn Labs last year.

It was the company’s ownership of Spawn Labs which caused a controversy last year that might make this Steam deal come as somewhat of a shock. PC copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution were packaged with a code for a free OnLive version of the game. GameStop was unaware of this when it began stocking the game, and when it was discovered it instructed employees to open the game, remove the code, and then sell the game as new without informing customers. As customers cried foul, GameStop pulled copies of the game until they could be replaced with ones that did not contain the codes, claiming it does not promote competing services “without a formal partnership.” (An internal memo noted Spawn Labs is developing a streaming service, which is what makes OnLive a competitor.) GameStop ultimately apologized to customers and offered a $50 gift card to those who were affected.

From Valve’s perspective, this deal opens up Steam to a new demographic. Those who are averse to buying things online now have a way of becoming Steam customers without their credit card numbers ever having to be entered into a computer. By extension, this allows for those without credit cards or PayPal to spend money on Steam. Offering the codes at GameStop also opens the door for gamers to make purchases on Steam without having any money to spend, only physical games they’re willing to part ways with.

But more important is the impact this has on the relationship between retail and publishers. The reality of digital distribution is it has the potential to cut out retail altogether. At some point in the future that may not worry publishers, but at this point in time retail is still of critical importance to them, and they are therefore hesitant to put more strain on that relationship than they have to.

The important role retail plays is precisely what Electronic Arts COO Peter Moore preached recently. “We love what retail does for us. We love its ability to create massive launches and create excitement,” he said last week, Gamasutra reports. “GameStop probably sees three million hardcore gamers walk through their doors every day, and that’s a marketing opportunity for us.” He also pointed out how many consumers don’t have credit cards, and that some of those who do are scared to use them following the PlayStation Network hack last year (not to mention the rarely-mentioned Steam breach).

“A lot of our consumers prefer to go into retail buy those Xbox Live or PlayStation Network cards, and retail gets a very strong margin on that,” Moore continued. “For retail, if they can evolve to be not just a physical media purveyor, but a digital media purveyor, it’ll play a very strong role in our business going forward.”

Publishers don’t want to risk angering retail with their forays into digital distribution while they remain key partners capable of bringing in a significant amount of revenue and helping to market new games. It’s an understandable position, albeit one Valve is helping to mitigate with this partnership.

Valve teaming up with GameStop should help to downplay concerns about retail being left behind. Doing so also establishes a presence at retail that did not exist previously. In other words, Valve is helping publishers to alleviate retail partners’ worries and expanding the market for their products to be sold to while also increasing the size of Steam’s userbase. And with gamers only getting more options for how they can buy games on Steam — and increasing pressure on its competitors to do something to compete — there really is no downside for anyone involved.

Similar Article can be found at: http://www.1up.com/news/gamestop-offer-steam-codes

Tags: content, Impulse, impulse games, sensible move, something in store, steam account, Store, Valve

On April 16, Western alum Joe Peachey’s game for iPhones and iPads, “Western Shootout,” was released via the iTunes App Store. Peachey, who finished his M.S. in WIU’s School of Computer Sciences last fall, said not only will 50 percent of the profits from “Western Shootout” be donated to the National Brain Tumor Society, but the apps and games he builds and sells through his new company, That Peachey Thing, will also all support a specific charity.

For avid gamers, the gaming experience — advancing to higher and higher levels, as well as achieving higher and higher scores — often drive the desire to play. But for Western Illinois University alumnus Joe Peachey, a game he recently published in Apple’s iTunes App Store, his desire to design a game that enables gamers to “play for something bigger” started with his own experience with a malignant brain tumor he had as a child and with a course he took in his graduate program in Western’s School of Computer Sciences.

On April 16, Peachey’s game, “Western Shootout” was released via iTunes. Peachey, who finished his M.S. in computer science last fall, said not only will 50 percent of the profits from “Western Shootout” be donated to a worthy cause (the National Brain Tumor Society), but the apps and games he builds and sells through his new company, That Peachey Thing, will also all support a specific charity.

“The idea behind ‘That Peachey Thing’ is to give 50 percent of the profits from any app made to a specific charity,” Peachey noted. “Each app will support a different cause. This way, others may play for something they feel passionate about. The idea is to let people play for something bigger than just high scores.”

Recently, Peachey provided some background about his new game, how he started it, and why he started his new company.

Q). Tell me a little bit about yourself and your background at WIU: How did you get into building games? What are your professional pursuits in computer sciences and/or game development?

My undergraduate degree is in psychology with a minor in computer science from Olivet Nazarene University. After graduation, I decided to pursue my master’s degree in computer science. I am from the Midwest, and WIU allowed me the convenience of being close to home with an opportunity to be a research assistant and teaching assistant.

Originally, my plan was to study network security. During my last semester, I took Computer Graphics 465G. This class piqued my interest and laid the groundwork for my first app, “Western Shootout.” In February, I set up a small business, That Peachey Thing, to make apps and games. I recently took a job with Tata Consultancy Services as an iOS developer. I will be working on enterprise level iPad/iPhone applications.

Peachey’s “Western Shootout” game started as a project for his Computer Graphics 465G course. “I needed a final project that involved logic or a game. My friend and I were talking about learning iOS development, and I decided to use the iOS platform to do my final project,” he said.

Q). What gave you the idea for “Western Shootout”? Will you eventually publish it on the Android platform?

Western Shootout started as a project for Computer Graphics 465G. I needed a final project that involved logic or a game. My friend and I were talking about learning iOS development, and I decided to use the iOS platform to do my final project. My hope was to keep the game play simple enough to learn the basics of iOS development but also make it intriguing and fun to play. It started as an idea to shoot just one cowboy. My final project was just one cowboy and the player had 10 seconds to shoot him.

After graduation, I decided to finish the project and publish it to the App Store. Now there are a total of 36 levels across three different difficulties and three shooting galleries varying in difficulty. The game’s levels are simple: shoot all the “ bad guys” before time runs out. In the shooting galleries, the objective is to get a high score by shooting as many “bad guys” as possible in two minutes. The shooting galleries are a way to compete against friends via Apple’s Game Center. Eventually, I may work a little bit in the Android space. For now I will concentrate on my job as an iOS developer and see what the future holds.

Q). Why are you donating 50 percent of the profits you earn from Western Shootout to the National Brain Tumor Society?

At the age of eight, I began to experience seizures. It was discovered two years later that the seizures were caused by a malignant brain tumor. It was not until I was 11 years old that the brain tumor was removed. This was a very challenging and difficult time in my life and the lives of my family.

A vivid memory I have is just before surgery, I looked at my worried, but smiling, mom and wanted to reassure her that I would be okay. I told her, “Don’t worry mom, if I don’t see you when I wake up, I will see you in heaven.” I will never forget the peace I had before the surgery. After surgery I was completely healed and have not had any complications since. Many friends and family were praying for me and I truly believe God saved my life for a purpose. I believe God plans to use That Peachey Thing as a way for me to help others. Giving back to the National Brain Tumor Society is just one way I can begin to give back.

Q). What did you enjoy most about the process of developing the game?

Dealing with the graphics was a lot of fun. The graphics are what got me excited about developing in the iOS environment. Making something that other people would enjoy to play is also rewarding.

Q). Any advice for students or professionals interested in developing games and/or applications (for Apple or Android platform)?

Do not be afraid to try something… just start. There are a lot of resources and people out there to help you along the way. A lot of things I learned came from blogs, stackoverflow.com, and other iOS Developers. Also, ask for help. There are a lot of people with different skills that have developed apps or want to learn more about the iOS platform. At WIU, Jacob Thurman has also developed apps for the App Store and was always willing to help. Toward the end of the development, I was getting help from a graphic artist, Jeff Barbee, and a musician, Lyndon Perry. Both were just dying to get into the iOS space. The more we collaborated; the more excited we became; therefore, the game just got better and better.

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Visit That Peachey Thing at www.thatpeacheything.com