What cost a game?

Just a thought - but certain rumours got me wondering what a chain of games shops would actually do with a GSP (Games service provider, like what morat is)

First the really obvious answers - it can cross advertise. People who buy games in its shops can get advertising about the gsp, and people who use the gsp will at least be advertised about the games they sell.

Probably they'll be able to buy online, and how useful will it be to be able to just pop down to the local shops to pick up your order? As well as being able to find out if the new games in stock yet without having to walk down there...

Anyway, then came the next obvious idea - like dixons and freeserve, they'd be able to directly sign people up for the service. But 0845 is pretty much dead now (especially for heavy users, like gamers) So they give away free sign-up CDs for the 0800 service, right?

Well - wrong actually, 0800s need lots of form filling, and a certain amount of money has to change paws too... credit card details.. it just gets messy.

So why not, instead, sell top-up cards. You'd walk in, and the assistant would sell you 30days of 0800 net access. You're buying this game too? Oh yes sir, that will be 10% off - 40 quid the lot. Will that be a top-up for an existing account or a new one? Thank you, come again...

A disturbing side effect of this would be people with temporary accounts, completely anonymous again, hard to throw off the system for abuse, and probably on completely without their parents knowledge (no credit card involved, pay by cash)

The obvious next extension is cheaper versions of this access, which only provide access to their servers, or only provide service for certain games...

Thoughts? Comments?