The world's largest retailer, Walmart, is known primarily for having the lowest prices and this, and the store's discounts on Black Friday are the kinds of events that cause people to get trampled to death. This year, however, in the face of continued economic uncertainty, Walmart has decided to extend some of those deals straight through until Christmas, and gamers are among the groups that will be able to reap the benefits. For starters, anyone who purchases a Nintendo Wii from December 5th through the 12th will receive a $50 Walmart gift card. Furthermore, the chain has announced that a total of 25 games will be discounted between 15 and 25 percent from now until December 24th, including some of this year's biggest and best titles. Some of the highlights are:

• Lego Rock Band (Wii) - now $40
• Rock Band: Beatles (Wii) - now $40
• MySims: Agents (Wii) - now $40
• Tekken 6 (Xbox 360 and PS3) - now $50
• Madden 2010 (Xbox 360 and PS3) - now $50
• WWE 2010 (Xbox 360) - now $50
• WWE 2010 (Wii) - now $40
• Batman Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360) - now $50
• Dragon Age: Origins (PS3) - now $50
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360) - now $50
• Halo 3:ODST (Xbox 360) - now $50
• Uncharted 2 (PS3) - now $50

Walmart's vice president of media and services, Greg Hall, thinks that these kinds of savings will speak to any gamer's budget:

"We have promised shoppers that through the holidays, even after last week, we would continue to offer real savings on items we know are on shoppers' minds, and this offer is for anyone buying games as gifts or even for themselves. Regardless of whether you have a PS3, Xbox or Wii, these savings will help anyone to build a gaming library with great new titles"

In the wake of the announced price cuts, stocks for gaming super-retailer GameStop took a beating. That store's shares fell over eight percent, to end the day at $21.87 per share. Today was the third straight day of decline for GameStop's stock, with total losses over the past three months decreasing company value by 6.8%. Many wonder about the future of GameStop in the marketplace, especially if big-box stores like Walmart decide to adopt a long term low price strategy. While GameStop appeals to a more hard-core niche audience that tends to be loyal, few companies can compete dollar for dollar with Walmart. It should be interesting to see if this gaming discount strategy on the part of Walmart is the start of something bigger, or if GameStop can adapt to meet the financial needs of its customers.