I was thinking about what makes a great game store the other day. When I first started gaming, the local game store was the hang out for the disinherited (D&D players and gamers); the individuals that society didn’t really understand at the time. In the past we had to special order our stuff from bookstores, toyshops and hobby centers. Then we needed to locate other players and then find a place to play. Many games were played in freezing garages, next to the family station wagon. Then came a place where we could find all these things at once, the game store.
A store dedicated to the games and only to the games we loved. It was the place you could talk about custom encounter charts, random chance modifiers and fields of fire for hours without someone raising an eyebrow at you. I wasted many days of my youth in the local gaming store without spending a dime, but it was fun. My apologies to those store owners.
So what makes a great gaming store? Is it product knowledge, great inventory, award-winning service, great deals or that firm handshake and smile when a deal is made? Sure all these things are great, but not necessarily the makings of a great gaming store. Don’t get me wrong, I like all of those things and get a little pissy when some of those things are missing, but none of these things compare to a sense of community.
Lets face it we play these game for the social interaction, if not we would all be behind our keyboards playing a MMORPG or an Online RTS. Granted some of us do, but any gamer worth his or her salt loves the intense interaction of an RRG session or a Tabletop Tourney. It is that connection to our community that makes the games alive for us.
Which leads me to believe that community is the key to a great gaming store. Sure it’s nice to have all the great merchandise, product knowledge and such, but nothing beats having a place where you belong. However I believe most successful gaming stores do a great job of supporting the community, but for the community to survive we need to do our part.
In today’s environment when all the stuff that had to be special ordered before, can now be purchased with a click of the mouse. No driving, no searching, no waiting, no interaction, and no community. Sure it’s great to be able to get stuff so readily and in some cases the only way, but we need to be careful or we could all be playing in that freezing garage again.
So before you order that thing online, take a moment pick-up the phone and call the local game store. Sure it might take a little longer for you to get the item and you most likely will pay a little more for it, but that’s the price for community. I for one don’t want to be all bundled up, sitting next to the family station wagon again. It kind of takes the fun out of a natural 20, not really.. woo
