Gamestop.com

Gamestop.com is a popular site to the chain of video game and electronic stores. They will buy and sell new and used video games, video games accessories, and DVDs. The site is just an extension of the actual store. The homepage shows a large amount of eye catching photos with small amounts of text. There are mostly adverstisements for popular new released games. There is also tabs at the top of the page which will take you to a particular place, such as a specific video game system.

Navigation is very easy. You can either browse the store by a specific system, or a specific type of game you are looking for, such as action or sports. Their is also a useful search box that allows you to search for a specific title or accessory.

Each page of the site that is navigated to has the same basic structure. Gamestop will appear at the top left of the screen with the navigation tabs right below it. There are several advertisements for newly released games. Each of the game or item info pages reveals a short summary of the game and its features. It also shows a review if the game has been released along with a section at the bottom for user reviews and comments on the item.

The overall buying process is fairly straight forward. There is a shopping cart that a shopper can fill with any of the games or items viewed as long as the item has been released and is in stock. The shopper creates a small account by typing in some basic info, along with the shipping and billing address, selects the payment method and also the shipping preference. I have used the site before, especially when I have not been able to find a specific game or accessory in stores.

OXM Podcast

I listened to a podcast by a magazine I used to get. XBox Magazine has a weekly podcast where they basically talk about whats going on in the video game industry, especially what is going on with the XBOX 360 and its games. Each podcast is done in the basic radio format, however they usually last in upwards of an hour. In the most recent edition that I listened to, the host was quizing a panel of video game writers on several video game industry trivia.
The host is very good at keeping the podcast moving and keeping it somewhat interesting. I think that this podcast is not as interesting as other editions that OXM has done because it was only geared toward older gamers that remember old game trivia. You really had to be a hardcore gamer to be able to listen to the entire podcast. I like hearing about upcoming games, but having to listen to these guys talk about old game trivia. The technical aspects were done well. They really didn't add a lot of extra sound affects, but usually in the OXM podcast, they don't need a lot of background music.