What happened Shares of GameStop (NYSE: GME) were up 6% in midday trading on a shortened holiday trading day Friday. So what Black Friday is here, new Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox and Sony (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation game consoles are on sale, and the video-game retailer inked a deal with Vizio to sell TV sets. What's not to like? Image source: Getty Images. Now what The upgrade cycle for video game consoles is what GameStop investors have been waiting for to help lift the retailer out of the doldrums. Consumers were holding off on buying equipment until the new consoles launched -- at least until the pandemic hit, and then they were looking to get their hands on any equipment and entertainment during lockdowns. But now with much of the economy reopened, the excitement of the new consoles and games that will come with it is palpable, and the "official" unofficial launch to the Christmas shopping season is here in earnest. GameStop shares have nearly quadrupled in value over the last six months and are up over 500% from their March lows, when the retailer was all but left for dead. There's a renewed vigor surrounding the video game stock, though there are still valid questions about how long it will last. In the meantime, investors seem willing to make hay while the sun shines. 10 stocks we like better than GameStopWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and GameStop wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of November 20, 2020 Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Rich Duprey has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends GameStop and recommends the following options: long January 2021 $85 calls on Microsoft and short January 2021 $115 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source