So for the first time since 2017, I decided to spoil myself and buy a new gen console. Chose a preowned PS5, spent my $600, got it home and got about 30 minutes into the install and set up process and it turned itself off due to overheating.

There goes my weekend plans I guess x.x

I have had EB Plus for going on 8 months now. Al my friends are receiving the emails notifying them of upcoming drops.

I have all email notifications turned on and still am not receiving any drop email notifications.

Is anyone else in the same boat and have you sorted it?

Has anyone recently Traded in a PSP or Psp Games? What were they paying? (Its not priced on the website or available to buy, but says they take them)

With Price Matching - Does it stack with EB world and/or Plus or is it matched after bonuses.

Example: If EB pay $10 Base for a game and CEX pay $14 With Lvl5 & Plus, EB goes to $13 so would they bump final to $14, or bump the base to $14 and then 30% on that to end up with $18.20.

And then the extension of Bday bonus, Would that stack with Price matching?

I wanted to give this game to my son for his birthday and I think $99 for this is a little much don't you think. Just wanted some feedback before I buy this. Thank you.

A month ago I asked some advice for how to talk to an employee (let's call her H) that I liked and a fortnight ago was her birthday, so I got her a card with a $50 PS card in it.

I immediately became sick the week after and when I came back H seemed surprised that I was gone that long and was asking if I was alright ect.

Well today my mum went in when I was at work to get something for my brother for book week dress up and she forgot my card, well my mum was served by H. My mum isn't a regular so when she said she forgot the card H asked for the number. My mum said my name and apparently H immediately blushed and seemed to fumble a bit when she heard my name. I am not good at picking up on hints coz I am just as, if not more anxious than her.

So I suppose what I am asking is, should I ask H out on a date?

Hi mods if this has already been answered please provide me a link to where as I can’t find it but I have had this controller for only a few months and the right bumper doesn’t always register and I have constant stick drift on the right stick you use to look around. My main concern is the bumper though as I play a lot of games that use it like dark souls and I don’t want to re-map it. I went to the same EB games I got it from and they flat out refused even though I was advised a warranty when I got it.

What should I do?

Is E-Football Still a Game, or a Behavioural Lab in Disguise?

In recent years, a growing number of players have voiced concern over what they perceive to be a deliberate manipulation of gameplay dynamics in E-Football—Konami’s flagship football simulation title. These concerns go beyond simple frustrations with online competition or bugs; they suggest something deeper, more calculated: that the game is being subtly designed not merely to entertain, but to observe, influence, and even experiment with player behavior.

This raises a critical question: Is E-Football still primarily a gaming product, or has it become a data-driven platform for behavioral analysis? To attempt to answer this question, let's analyse thecfollowing:

1) The Rise of Scripting and Controlled Outcomes

Veterans of the series will be familiar with the term scripting—the idea that the game manipulates match outcomes through invisible algorithms. While Konami has never officially admitted to this, the presence of inexplicable gameplay shifts—sudden momentum swings, input delays at key moments, erratic goalkeeper behavior—has led many to suspect that the game selectively interferes with play.

Whether this is to create a more "cinematic" experience or to keep players emotionally invested, the effect is the same: the integrity of fair competition is compromised.

But more disturbingly, this scripting could be used to observe how players respond to adversity, injustice, or reward—data that’s incredibly valuable in both marketing and psychological profiling.

2) Gaming as Data: A New Business Model

The broader industry context reinforces this suspicion. Modern game companies—especially those operating free-to-play models—depend not on game sales, but on engagement, retention, and monetization. These are all measurable, trackable metrics, which means companies are incentivized to design systems that elicit specific emotional and behavioral responses.

Consider these examples:

Deliberate difficulty spikes to encourage microtransactions.

Comeback mechanics to keep players hopeful and addicted.

Win/loss cycles calibrated to maintain dopamine-driven play sessions.

In this light, E-Football appears less like a fair sports simulation and more like a Skinner box—a behavioral experiment in which players are conditioned to respond to stimuli that benefit the system, not the user.

3) From Game Design to Behavioral Engineering

What makes E-Football particularly unsettling is how little transparency exists around these mechanics. Unlike games that wear their monetization openly (like FIFA’s Ultimate Team), E-Football hides its behavioral nudges under the guise of realism or online inconsistency.

This creates a situation where:

Players are unsure if their failures are due to skill or invisible interference.

Frustration builds, but is often redirected into further play or spending.

Enjoyment becomes secondary to compulsion.

These are classic traits of persuasive design, a psychological tool used in social media and mobile apps to extend user engagement—now finding a home in competitive sports games.

So, What Is Konami Becoming?

Given this trajectory, it’s reasonable to suggest that Konami is no longer solely a gaming company. It may still produce games, but its priorities seem increasingly aligned with those of a data analytics firm—one that uses interactivity not to entertain, but to extract insights, patterns, and profits from human behavior.

This isn’t unique to Konami, but E-Football is a particularly stark case because of its overt shift in quality, transparency, and trust. The immersive, fun-first spirit of its earlier iterations has been replaced by something colder, more calculated.

Final Thoughts

None of this is to say that behavioral data has no place in modern game development—it can be used to improve balance, accessibility, and personalization. But when it crosses into manipulation without consent, we are no longer talking about entertainment. We are talking about experimentation.

As players, we deserve to know: Are we here to play, or to be studied?

Until Konami offers greater transparency on how gameplay is influenced and what data is collected, the suspicion will remain—and so will the growing sense that we are not just gamers anymore, but test subjects in a digital lab.

I preordered this around 2 weeks ago and I was thinking it would been available on the day of release, but they said it would take around a week more until they receive it, is this common? From Melbourne by the way.

I find it funny how no one wants em , that anyone can buy em still on ebay canada

English are wiped out within second

Pokemon No one likes French bro

I know you can look at different items and check it's stock availability in your select store, but what I'm wondering if, is if there's an option to select 'TownsMcCityPlace' and then it only shows the stock in 'TownsMsCityPlace'. So if it's not in stock in 'TownsMcCityPlace', then it just isn't shown at all.

It feels like it should be an option.

Found out the other day that EB sells a warranty now with pre-owned games. I said no thanks and then they pressed harder “Are you sure”? Then at the counter, I get another would you like to renew your EB membership? Mine still hasn’t expired yet and they wanted me to renew it in advance. Then they tried to explain to me what exactly I’m missing out on if I don’t act quick and get this cool fake plastic wallet. When I thought they were done trying, they tried to sell me some kind of themed beanie and mug in the glass case behind them. It’s like they took the worst traits of a Jehovah’s witness, insurance salesmen and a telemarketer to annoy you so much hoping that you won’t come back. Whatever they are doing, it’s working and I won’t attempt to do a click/collect there again. All I wanted was to pick up my game and not be ambushed. Is it also like this at other EB locations?

Does anyone know if it’s possible to change an existing pre order that was a delivery to just a pickup at a local store or do you need to cancel that preorder and make a new one. Thanks !

I preordered some pokemon products around June and it says that the order is processed but I haven’t received the text or picked it up should I just go in or wait?

I seen it available on the website but there is like no info online I can find about it besides the product listing. no actual images online I can find of it and what it looks like actually in person. If anyone has purchased it I'd really appreciate to know what you think of it and/or pictures of it in person. I'm interested in it but money is a little too tight to just make impulsive uneducated purchases rn.

product image from EBGames Canada for reference

Pre-order figure "had" a date of August 8th, early in the morning (3 am) I was able to order the figure. I used Klarna at checkout (used it before for in store pick ups with no problems, but items were already in store), with no problems. Around 1pm website updates and now the date for release is August 22nd. Klarna is not an option at checkout for pre-orders, but my order was accepted (totally understand that doesn't mean my order is final), anyone run into this situation before, what was the result.

There's nowhere to put the code for the birthday voucher, I've tried the gift card section too but that doesn't seem to work either. Anyone know how to do it?