GOTTAPLAY IN THE NEWS

Games N Gadgets
News and reviews about videogames and tech equipment that even grandma could understand.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Gottaplay Interactive, Inc., a leading provider of online video game rental subscription services, will open its newest distribution center in Pittsburgh, PA on April 20th.

Gottaplay recently launched a new site with vastly expanded capabilities including trading and social networking. This has resulted in a remarkable increase in traffic among those gamers who want to rent, buy, trade, and connect with other gamers who share the same interests.

Gottaplay Interactive, Inc. currently operates distribution centers in Southern California, Washington, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Connecticut, Maryland, Illinois, and Colorado. In addition to the Pittsburgh center, Gottaplay will be opening a center in Miami this month.

Langston Wertz Jr.
Charolette Observer

Industry News 4/10/2007 7:48:17 AM

Gottaplay Opens Pittsburgh Office
Online rental service expanding nationwide

Gottaplay Interactive today announced the April 20, 2007 launching of its newest distribution center, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company, which already has several offices nationwide, will be opening a Miami center later this month. Gottaplay also recently launched a new site that includes trading and social networking features.

"Gottaplay is aggressively working to expand its market-leading video game distribution footprint to increase the speed with which we can get games into the hands of our growing member base," said John P. Gorst, CEO of Gottaplay Interactive. "Our Pittsburgh distribution center is an important part of that initiative and is one of two new East Coast centers opening this month."

David Radd
GameDailyBiz

Why use GameFly when you GottaPlay?

April 10th, 2007
by: Brendon Lindsey
Gamer Node

Ask anyone what website they recommend if you're looking to rent video games online, and chances are they'll say GameFly. Like NetFlix, GameFly has created a large following, and among the masses is the only service of its type that exists. To help give gamers more of a choice when it comes to renting games online and to showcase what may end up being the next big thing before the other guys do, I wanted to tell people about a little website called GottaPlay.com.

It all started with John Gorst and Mark Levin. After working together for years and getting fed up with having to pitch ideas to others, the two decided to branch into video games, acquiring two services which already had subscribers, Deep Shark LLC and Next Rental, Inc. From there it was a journey which allowed the new company - GottaPlay - to collect millions in capital. Using this, they set up several distribution centers across the US. According to John, this is what made -- and makes -- GottaPlay unique. "They [GameFly] have more investment money -- we [GottaPlay] have more distribution centers."

The number of distribution centers for GottaPlay is the selling point for many gamers -- especially those on the East coast. Centered in California, GameFly can take quite a while to reach an east coast gamer in the mail. With GottaPlay, almost anyone in the continental United States can get their game in 2 days or less. But what about Hawaii and Alaska? "Hawaii and Alaska," John laughs. "Those are tricky." Sorry, guys.

Renting games quicker isn't the only thing that makes GottaPlay stand out. The site also offers an extensive and easy to use trading service, acting as the liaison between people wanting to trade and trade for video games. How it works is simple: you list what you have to trade/want, find a willing person to exchange with, and GP provides the mailers. To ensure that people who sign up for the site don't sign up just to trade and run, GP requires people to use points acquired by trading on the site in order to trade games; they also keep a history of deals, much like eBay and Amazon.

That may sound like plenty already, but GottaPlay has more in its future -- much more. In the near future, a planned social network aspect of the site will be fully unveiled. Subscribers will be able to create their own profile with their interests, favorites, friends, etc. (like MySpace without the pedophiles), and interact with one another. "Tournaments are also planned," John throws in. "We're working on possible prizes for them."

Along with the community aspect, mobile gamers will also feel the love in the future, as GP will eventually offer downloadable mobile content to subscribers. Whether or not that will cost a separate fee or be included somehow in the monthly subscription price is yet to be seen, but it's just another future reason why people should take GottaPlay into consideration when looking for a rental or trading service.

GottaPlay has a lot of lofty goals (including an eventual 41 distribution centers throughout the US, which is similar to NetFlix's setup). John and the rest of the GottaPlay crew aren't to nervous about failure, however, and they certainly understand how important the gamers and GottaPlay community are in fulfilling those dreams. "The gaming community is very important to us," says John. "We're trying to build a community of gamers who can play, rent, and trade with their peers. [Unlike other services] we're a very customer-centric business. We know our customers appreciate what we offer, but what they may not know is how much we appreciate them."

Gamers Unite at Gottaplay

By: IGN Staff
Comcast's Game Invasion

Gottaplay Interactive, Inc. today announced the relaunch of its highly anticipated revolutionary website (www.gottaplay.com). Now, when members visit Gottaplay.com, they will be able to rent, buy, and trade videogames at one online destination. In launching the new site, Gottaplay's mantra is "Gamers Unite!", because the site also serves as a community driven network that allows its users to communicate, share and generate videogame oriented content.

"Our goal with the new Gottaplay site is to offer unprecedented opportunities for video gamers," said John P. Gorst, the CEO of Gottaplay. "We bring three key features together: We are a premier shopping and rental site for video games. We are the only targeted trading site for videogames. And, we provide a social/information network for video gamers. We expanded our services to be the one-stop site on the web for all gamers' needs."

As always, Gottaplay members will be able to rent an unlimited number of videogames. Users develop an online queue or "wish list" of the games they would like to play, and have the top games on their list sent directly to their home. When a user returns a game, the next game queued up is automatically sent to them.

"Our nine strategically located shipping centers allow us to ensure that 95% of our users will get their games within two to three days," said Gorst. "This is a real differentiator for us."

For gamers who don't wish to just rent a videogame, but own their own copy, they can purchase them directly through the site's retail section.

The new site also gives members the unique ability to trade amongst themselves in a video game "market." In order to ensure that members are swapping videogames for their true market value, games will be given a point ranking based upon newness, popularity, and member input. Those points will be redeemable for other swaps.

"This provides extraordinary opportunities for gamers," said Gorst. "We're going to be creating an actual real time guide that will be able to price members' videogames, so our members will always know what their old games are worth on the market. Our members are integral to this process."

The social networking aspect of the site will allow users to interact directly to share gaming experiences as well as meet and communicate with gamers from all over the world. The site will allow members to develop and customize profile pages to find other gamers with similar interests, as well as post game reviews and share tips, hints, and cheat codes.

According to the Entertainment Software Association, US computer and video game software sales was a $7.4 billion dollar business in 2006 at a six percent growth rate. The trade-in market is also huge, with more than $1 billion per year in used game sales in the United States alone.

The Entertainment Software Association reports that sixty-nine percent of American heads of households play computer video games. "We expect a growing number of families to join our site as well as single players. With this launch we are upending the status quo," says Gorst. We have created a venue for gamers powered by gamers, where anything is possible."

Gamers Unite!

Gottaplay Interactive launches a full-service site where gamers can buy, rent, trade and network all in one spot.

by IGN Staff

April 2, 2007 - Gottaplay Interactive, Inc. today announced the relaunch of its highly anticipated revolutionary website (www.gottaplay.com). Now, when members visit Gottaplay.com, they will be able to rent, buy, and trade videogames at one online destination. In launching the new site, Gottaplay's mantra is "Gamers Unite!", because the site also serves as a community driven network that allows its users to communicate, share and generate videogame oriented content.

"Our goal with the new Gottaplay site is to offer unprecedented opportunities for video gamers," said John P. Gorst, the CEO of Gottaplay. "We bring three key features together: We are a premier shopping and rental site for video games. We are the only targeted trading site for videogames. And, we provide a social/information network for video gamers. We expanded our services to be the one-stop site on the web for all gamers' needs."

As always, Gottaplay members will be able to rent an unlimited number of videogames. Users develop an online queue or "wish list" of the games they would like to play, and have the top games on their list sent directly to their home. When a user returns a game, the next game queued up is automatically sent to them.

"Our nine strategically located shipping centers allow us to ensure that 95% of our users will get their games within two to three days," said Gorst. "This is a real differentiator for us."

For gamers who don't wish to just rent a videogame, but own their own copy, they can purchase them directly through the site's retail section.

The new site also gives members the unique ability to trade amongst themselves in a video game "market." In order to ensure that members are swapping videogames for their true market value, games will be given a point ranking based upon newness, popularity, and member input. Those points will be redeemable for other swaps.

"This provides extraordinary opportunities for gamers," said Gorst. "We're going to be creating an actual real time guide that will be able to price members' videogames, so our members will always know what their old games are worth on the market. Our members are integral to this process."

The social networking aspect of the site will allow users to interact directly to share gaming experiences as well as meet and communicate with gamers from all over the world. The site will allow members to develop and customize profile pages to find other gamers with similar interests, as well as post game reviews and share tips, hints, and cheat codes.

According to the Entertainment Software Association, US computer and video game software sales was a $7.4 billion dollar business in 2006 at a six percent growth rate. The trade in market is also huge, with more than $1 billion per year in used game sales in the United States alone.

The Entertainment Software Association reports that sixty-nine percent of American heads of households play computer video games. "We expect a growing number of families to join our site as well as single players. With this launch we are upending the status quo," says Gorst. We have created a venue for gamers powered by gamers, where anything is possible."

About Gottaplay Interactive, Inc.
Gottaplay Interactive is a publicly traded leading online gaming rental company. It features free home delivery and unlimited access to an extensive gaming library for a flat monthly fee. No due dates, No late fees -- it is simple, economical and convenient. Game titles are delivered via mail from multiple distribution centers established throughout the continental U.S.

GottaPlay.com Re-Launches Unique Service

Service provides game swapping by mail.

Saturday March 31, 2007 - We here at GameBattles are always on the prowl in order to bring you the latest news, reviews, events and service's sweeping through the gaming industry. While we don't endorse this new service, we are always on the lookout for the latest and greatest around the world of gaming. We recently got a look at a unique service that you've probably been unaware of up until now. It's called www.GottaPlay.com, and among their vast array of services provided, they've thrown in a few twists on what you might come to expect from a traditional game rental site.

The overall point of the site is to provide a web-based "rental" station for gamers who may enjoy playing a game for more than just a few days at a time. There are absolutely no restrictions as to how long or short you choose to keep any particular game. This all sounds pretty routine up to this point, however, this is where the similarities end. At its core, Gottaplay is a service for gamers to trade games with their fellow GottaPlay members, of which is all conducted through the site.

Let's say you have a Playstation 2 game that you've already beaten many times through. If you were interested in trading this game in exchange for another, you'd simply list the game amongst your tradable games on the site. GottaPlay then provides a link to other gamers who are interested in whichever game you may have listed. From there, you can easily make arrangements to trade off this game in exchange for another which sparks your interest, all coupled with a new social networking interface that allows you to easily connect with gamers.

Danny Hanst
gamebattles.com

Mar 27 2007 6:00 AM EDT

GameFile: Gaming One-Liners; 'Sims' Art; 'Final Fantasy' Party And More Why are memorable quotes from games so hard to come by?

By Stephen Totilo

Bryan Howell, who writes video game stories and dialogue for LucasArts, recently took a poll of his co-workers, asking them to quote memorable video game one-liners. Games have been a viable form of mass entertainment for a couple of decades now, so surely he was able to collect zingers as unforgettable as "I'll be back" or "Say hello to my little friend"?

He wasn't.

"I polled a dozen different people on my team," he wrote in an e-mail to GameFile late last week, "and I never got anything more than, ''It's-a me, Mario!,' 'Hail to the king, baby!' and 'All your base are belong to us.' "

There are many famous video game characters, many famous bits of video game graphics and even famous snippets of video game music. Famous one-liners are a little harder to come by. Why? How can this be changed? And is this even a problem?

"Gaming writing is still in its infancy," Howell said. "A lot of the rules are still being figured out and the results can be messy."

Matt Williamson, editor of the online magazine The Gamer's Quarter (GamersQuarter.com), could only think of the messy aspects. When asked if he could cite any memorable one-liners, he thought of five ? all groaners. He had "All your base are belong to us" from "Zero Wing"; "Metal ... gear?!" from "Metal Gear Solid"; "Perhaps the same could be said of all religions" from "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night"; "You're not Alexander" from "God Hand"; and "Do you know where I can find some sailors?" from "Shenmue." He noted the common quality of those lines: "They stand out for their highlevel of hilarity ... they're cheesy, poorly acted and great to laugh at with your nerd friends at parties." Naturally, there's already a Web site that has hosted some of the worst audio clips: AudioAtrocities.com.

Earlier this month at Game Developers Conference, game writer Susan O'Connor gave a talk about writing in games. She's as informed as they come, having collaborated on the scripts for "Gears of War" and the upcoming shooters "BioShock" and "Blacksite: Area 51." She, too, agreed there are few top-flight one-liners.

"You could argue that 'Gears' should've had a zillion one-liners, since it was such a bombastic, big-budget action game," she told GameFile in an e-mail last week. "But we were never shooting for that in the script review sessions. It's worth noting that often the people reviewing the scripts come from left-brain backgrounds ? the programmers, who are now producers, say ? and they don't skew towards one-liners. They're more interested in delivering key data to the player as quickly as possible."

Indeed, what's more important to get right for the player, lines like "Who's next?!?" that Marcus Fenix barks as players use the character to mow down enemy Locust; or the important tactical information that tells the player where to go, what to do and how much time is left before the enemy reinforcements are going to arrive? At her GDC talk, O'Connor noted that the writing in games often gets pruned back during the development process to the point that it includes, for better or worse, the minimal lines needed to ensure the player knows what they need to do: "Your story starts sounding like it's being told by this guy," she said, cueing up a slide of a traffic cop.

Surely there must be a way to get some good lines even in the middle of a heated video game firefight. Well, maybe not. "A lot of quotable movie lines tie into a moment in the movie that has a lot of emotion and intensity," Howell said. "In games, most of the intense emotional moments take place during gameplay, not while the player is taking a break watching a cut scene. And during intense moments of gameplay, the player may not even notice what dialogue is being spoken, much less remember it for quotation later."

At her GDC talk, O'Connor cited what she considered a triumph in the writing of "Gears of War." The player is forced to creep Marcus Fenix through a suspenseful, shadowy area while his teammates cheerfully radio in about their misadventures back at a base camp. The radio chatter increases the player's unease and establishes the teammates' personalities, without requiring the player to take a break from what they're doing to absorb everything. It's a moment, even without necessarily having a memorable line, when she thinks the writing clicked, a triumph of not necessarily what was said but just in figuring out when and how a bit of speech would be delivered.

So blame the struggles of game writers fitting lines into games. Blame bad voice actors. Blame the fear that a good line might be ruined if it plays every other time a player shoots down a bad guy. But the game writers interviewed by GameFile pointed out that even where there is a good one-liner, it might not become a classic, precisely because it is in a video game. Howell's co-workers like jokes in old LucasArts games such as "The Secret of Monkey Island" and "Grim Fandango." But Howell points out that the appeal was niche. "A lot of geeks love those games and can quote them," he said, "but my fiancee has never heard of them. My mom's never heard of them."

He doesn't think the gaming audience is broad enough for great lines to catch on. He considered a hypothetical advertising writer at work on a car commercial: "He's gonna quote something he knows and something he knows other people will know, laugh at and respond to. So he says, 'We'll show you the money with our instant rebates on all used Pontiacs!' "

The writers and gamers interviewed for this story agreed that there weren't a lot of one-liners, but ultimately they didn't all feel this was an issue that needed fixing. "I don't think it's too important to change this," Williamson said. "I think the best games usually involve memorable set pieces rather than one-liners." It's where you're going and what you're doing that gamers value most, he thinks.

For those who disagree, just utter the one-liner slowly building up renown from Capcom's "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney" series. It's just one word, squawked out of a Nintendo DS's speakers: "Objection!"

More from the world of video games:
Game designer Dave Perry recently explained his master plan to build a massively multiplayer game using a network of Web-connected volunteers. On Monday he announced that nearly 24,000 people have signed on to the project so far. He also revealed that the MMO project, still codenamed "Top Secret," will be in a genre no American MMO has yet to successfully handle: racing. For more details or to sign on to the project, go to TopSecret.Acclaim.com. ...

For those who really like "Final Fantasy" ? as in, like it enough to travel halfway around the world if need be ? series publisher Square Enix announced last week that the company will host "Square Enix Party 2007" at the Makuhari Messe international convention complex in Chiba, Japan's prefecture on May 12-13. The free event is open to the public and expected to be a celebration of all things "Fantasy," "Dragon Quest" and the like. The company reports that a similar event held at the same venue two years ago drew nearly 47,000 visitors. ...

Fans of "The Sims," art and a possible marriage between the two can look forward to a spring and summer "Sims" art tour. Game publisher Electronic Arts and a trio of universities will host exhibits of student-created "Sims" art. Expect some "Sims" machinima, fashion design as well as more traditional sculptures and paintings. The show dates are: April 19-May 12 at Parsons the New School for Design at New York's Chelsea Art Museum; June 26-July 19 at 79 Gallery at Academy of Art University in San Francisco; and July 14-August 11 at Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. ...

One of the best ways for an avid gamer to avoid high game prices without ditching their hobby is to join a rental service like GameFly (GameFly.com). The refurbished GottaPlay is now angling to be a contender as well, offering services for gamers to rent via mail, buy online or trade old games through the company's Web site, GottaPlay.com.

Trading games the easy way

NYPOST Video Game Blog

You bought a bunch of video games. You played them. You got bored of them. You're too lazy to go to GameStop to trade 'em in for Gamebucks. They're sitting on the floor, collecting dust and getting knocked over every time you get a little too excited about all the pwnage happening in your living room.

Fortunately, Gottaplay Interactive has the solution. On their newly relaunched website, gottaplay.com, members can rent, buy and trade games without having to go anywhere...other than their mailboxes, that is. (There's also a side option where you can "communicate, share and generate videogame oriented content," whatever you take that to mean - they're saying it's a social/information network for gamers.)

Much like Netflix, they operate on a "we'll send you a game, you send it back, we send you another game" basis. Rental plans start at $12.95 a month, for a one at a time rental (the $1 thing only applies to the first 10 days of the trial period). Trading plans start at $4.99 a month, giving you up to 2 trades a month. Either way, they send you pre-paid envelopes and there's no late fees.

The downside to the trading thing is that you can only trade your games for other games that have the same market value - so, "Bratz: Forever Diamonds" isn't going to score you a copy of "God of War II." You won't be able to save points to get a PS3 or anything either. But it sure beats having to stand on line at GameStop, getting glares from all the nerds who are desperate to buy the latest "Ghost Recon" or making fun of you for owning a game called "Chili Con Carnage," no matter how much fun it may be.

Gottaplay Adds Velocity with New Distribution Center

Xbox Users Group

Wednesday, 11 April 2007

Gottaplay Interactive, Inc., a leading provider of online video game rental subscription services, announced today, that it will open its newest distribution center in Pittsburgh, PA on April 20th, 2007. Gottaplay is aggressively working to expand its market-leading video game distribution footprint to increase the speed with which we can get games into the hands of our growing member base. Our Pittsburgh distribution center is an important part of that initiative and is one of two new East Coast centers opening this month, said John P. Gorst, CEO of Gottaplay Interactive, Inc.

Gottaplay recently launched a new site with vastly expanded capabilities including trading and social networking. This has resulted in a remarkable increase in traffic among those gamers who want to rent, buy, trade, and connect with other gamers who share the same interests. Even in its early stages, the social network is drawing new members and increasing the time members stay on the site.

Gottaplay Interactive, Inc. currently operates distribution centers in Southern California, Washington, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Connecticut, Maryland, Illinois, and Colorado. In addition to the Pittsburgh center, Gottaplay will be opening a center in Miami this month.

About Gottaplay Interactive, Inc.
Gottaplay Interactive is a leading online gaming rental company. It features free home delivery and unlimited access to an extensive gaming library for a flat monthly fee. No due dates, No late fees -- it is simple, economical and convenient. Game titles are delivered via mail from multiple distribution centers established throughout the continental U.S. Gottaplay is also a premier online peer-to-peer (P2P) destination for trading video games. The service offers an alternative way to play all of the video games a gamer wants through an interactive trading platform. Members can legally trade and swap video games in the most cost-effective way with no limits or rental subscription. For more information, please visit Gottaplay at www.gottaplay.com

Gottaplay Opens New Center

By: Gaming Groove2

As the heading states, this emerging video game rental subscription service (Gottaplay) will open a new distribution center in Pittsburgh, PA on April 20th, 2007. What does this mean for you? Increasing the number of copes and increasing the speed with which we can get games into the hands of gamers.

Gottaplay launches new service to rent and trade games

By: Gaming Nexus
Posted by: Charles Husemann
Date: 3/23/2007 6:36:00 PM

Looking to trade, rent, and hob-nob with other gamers all in one place? If so you might want to check out GottaPlay a new website that allows gamers to hook up and trade/rent games. Gottaplay allows you to rent games and purchase games similar to other service but with the added bonus of acting as a means to hook up with other gamers to trade games. The service does charge you to trade games but the peace of mind is probably worth it. Hit the site from more details on the various pricing plans and to see how it works.

Gamers Unite! on Gottaplays New Groundbreaking Destination Website for Video Gamers
Gottaplay Interactive launches full-service site where gamers can buy, rent, trade and network all in one spot -- becoming one of very few players in the billion dollar plus trade-in market

GIG HARBOR, WA March 21, 2007 Gottaplay Interactive, Inc. (OTC BB: GTAP.OB) today announced the relaunch of its highly anticipated revolutionary website (www.gottaplay.com). Now, when members visit Gottaplay.com, they will be able to rent, buy, and trade videogames at one online destination. In launching the new site, Gottaplay's mantra is "Gamers Unite!", because the site also serves as a community driven network that allows its users to communicate, share and generate videogame oriented content.

"Our goal with the new Gottaplay site is to offer unprecedented opportunities for video gamers," said John P. Gorst, the CEO of Gottaplay. We bring three key features together: We are a premier shopping and rental site for video games. We are the only targeted trading site for videogames. And, we provide a social/information network for video gamers. We expanded our services to be the one-stop site on the web for all gamers needs.

As always, Gottaplay members will be able to rent an unlimited number of videogames. Users develop an online queue or "wish list" of the games they would like to play, and have the top games on their list sent directly to their home. When a user returns a game, the next game queued up is automatically sent to them.

"Our nine strategically located shipping centers allow us to ensure that 95% of our users will get their games within two to three days," said Gorst. "This is a real differentiator for us.

For gamers who don't wish to just rent a videogame, but own their own copy, they can purchase them directly through the site's retail section.

The new site also gives members the unique ability to trade amongst themselves in a video game market. In order to ensure that members are swapping videogames for their true market value, games will be given a point ranking based upon newness, popularity, and member input. Those points will be redeemable for other swaps.

"This provides extraordinary opportunities for gamers," said Gorst. "We're going to be creating an actual real time guide that will be able to price members videogames, so our members will always know what their old games are worth on the market. Our members are integral to this process.

The social networking aspect of the site will allow users to interact directly to share gaming experiences as well as meet and communicate with gamers from all over the world. The site will allow members to develop and customize profile pages to find other gamers with similar interests, as well as post game reviews and share tips, hints, and cheat codes.

According to the Entertainment Software Association, US computer and video game software sales was a $7.4 billion dollar business in 2006 at a six percent growth rate. The trade in market is also huge, with more than $1 billion per year in used game sales in the United States alone.

The Entertainment Software Association reports that sixty-nine percent of American heads of households play computer video games. We expect a growing number of families to join our site as well as single players. With this launch we are upending the status quo," says Gorst. We have created a venue for gamers powered by gamers, where anything is possible.

GottaPlay.com Relaunched

By: XBOX User Group

Thursday, 22 March 2007

Gottaplay Interactive, Inc. today announced the relaunch of its highly anticipated revolutionary website (www.gottaplay.com). Now, when members visit Gottaplay.com, they will be able to rent, buy, and trade videogames at one online destination. In launching the new site, Gottaplay's mantra is "Gamers Unite!", because the site also serves as a community driven network that allows its users to communicate, share and generate videogame oriented content.

"Our goal with the new Gottaplay site is to offer unprecedented opportunities for video gamers," said John P. Gorst, the CEO of Gottaplay. "We bring three key features together: We are a premier shopping and rental site for video games. We are the only targeted trading site for videogames. And, we provide a social/info network for video gamers. We expanded our services to be the one-stop site on the web for all gamers needs."

As always, Gottaplay members will be able to rent an unlimited number of videogames. Users develop an online queue or "wish list" of the games they would like to play, and have the top games on their list sent directly to their home. When a user returns a game, the next game queued up is automatically sent to them.

"Our nine strategically located shipping centers allow us to ensure that 95% of our users will get their games within two to three days," said Gorst. "This is a real differentiator for us."

For gamers who don't wish to just rent a videogame, but own their own copy, they can purchase them directly through the site's retail section.

The new site also gives members the unique ability to trade amongst themselves in a video game market. In order to ensure that members are swapping videogames for their true market value, games will be given a point ranking based upon newness, popularity, and member input. Those points will be redeemable for other swaps.

"This provides extraordinary opportunities for gamers," said Gorst. "We're going to be creating an actual real time guide that will be able to price members videogames, so our members will always know what their old games are worth on the market. Our members are integral to this process."

The social networking aspect of the site will allow users to interact directly to share gaming experiences as well as meet and communicate with gamers from all over the world. The site will allow members to develop and customize profile pages to find other gamers with similar interests, as well as post game reviews and share tips, hints, and cheat codes.

According to the Entertainment Software Association, US computer and video game software sales was a $7.4 billion dollar business in 2006 at a six percent growth rate. The trade in market is also huge, with more than $1 billion per year in used game sales in the United States alone.

The Entertainment Software Association reports that sixty-nine percent of American heads of households play computer video games. "We expect a growing number of families to join our site as well as single players. With this launch we are upending the status quo," says Gorst. "We have created a venue for gamers powered by gamers, where anything is possible."