Why Do we Need Our Local Game Stores?

In the digital age, many of us have replaced traditional day-to-day actions with the digital equivalent. Chatting with friends, sending out invitations, research and transactions, all take place with the click of a button. It’s all so convenient. The benefits that many of these transactions reward us with are not only the financial benefits of shopping online for cheaper prices, but also the time saving that we get from this type of behaviour. Netflix replacing video stores, the convenience of online banking and never needing to hire a detective to do a background check – these all seem to be steps in the right direction. So is it a natural progression that we should all switch to always buying our games online, or is there something intangible that comes from visiting retail stores that we take for granted?

Online retail has blossomed in South Africa in the last 10 Years. From the days of Take2 rebranding to Takealot and recently absorbing Kalahari.com, we have seen a boom in sales and the trust earned by these South African “giants” as well as emerging players like Raru and Loot. These online retailers offer something new to the South African market; convenience of shopping from home, reliable and quick shipping with no charge in many cases, wider assortment of stock than you can find in any brick-and-mortar store and often cheaper prices. For many people, they tick all the boxes of the modern shopping experience, so why should gamers shop anywhere else? Why do we need local board game stores when Takealot provides the product 15% cheaper and will ship it to my office?

From a superficial economic point of view, the answer is simple. We don’t. Specific board game hobby stores in many cases need to sell games at close to recommended retail price in order to keep their doors open. In a niche market they are unable to make profit off certain items (and losses off others to balance) and many cannot afford the time or the expense of offering free shipping. Game stores offer us a different type of value proposition that many neglect to identify as it isn’t recognised as the core service; those of service, location and development.

Board Game Store events, like this one from Timeless Games are a great way to meet new gamers or have a fun family day!

Our communities are small and have previously (and possibly still thanks to herd mentality) been viewed as social pariahs without achieving societal “success” metrics. Our perceived basement dwelling personas mean that there have not been many spaces for hobbyists to gather and meet other people passionate about meeples, dice, cardboard and VPs. I have met amazing people at evenings organised by game stores, and had many enjoyable discussions and follow-up sessions with gamers I connected with inside stores. These have birthed online communities in the form of Facebook groups, connections for gaming groups and Whatsapp groups that flood my inbox daily with discussions. This at little to no cost and championed by stores that want to grow our hobby and bring us together.

All the online research, let’s play videos and Board Game Geek ratings cannot make me fall in love in the same way I do when I meet a gorgeous game on a table, and get to know them and have their secrets revealed through our to and fro interactions. The next morning I dream of them and think about the ways they made me feel and make me long to have them at my table again. My FLGS (friendly local gaming store) lets me try their collections, with no obligation and will explain to me how the game likes to be played, what will get me in its good graces and the many ways I should love it. I love browsing and selecting from all the games on the shelves, all bidding for my attention.

Great staff members at gaming stores can give you trusted information about what games you may or may not like, and tailor conversations that will assist you in finding the right game for you, that you can have that instant. Getting recommendations from someone who is knowledgeable and can assist with making a suitable purchase is invaluable. While many reading this blog read about games at least 2 hours of every day, think of the ways that stores can help by helping brand new board gamers to have their best first gaming experience. It’s a space that has all the colourful cardboard that invites passers-by to wander in and find out more about hobby gaming. A full shop of smiling, cheering players often gets “muggles” peering through the windows and wandering inside to see what all the fuss is about.

Wizards has held tournaments called “decathlons” in the past where gamers could gather to duel it out in stores for prizes!

Bringing in new gamers grows the hobby. Niche stores will carry niche games, while mass market stores (both online and offline) will simply stock the games that churn the profit. At this time, I cannot find a copy of Abyss from CNA or mass market online retailers, but I know my game store may have stock, or can order it for me. They help me uncover the hidden gems, the lessor known great games and assist to expand the variety of board games we are able to add to our collections.

This is not a platform from which I want to chant “Shame”, nor do I feel that you should forego every great online special that appears in your inbox on a Thursday morning, nor that you pay more for every board game related purchase you make. I’m not claiming you owe anyone anything, and how you spend your money truly is your own choice. What I’d like, is for gamers to think about how these gaming institutions have improved your gaming experiences. How you’ve met new gaming friends, how you and your friends first discovered gaming, the fun you’ve had interacting in these spaces and how they have helped you discover am aspect of hobby gaming you never knew of. Think of some of the support they have given you. Think of the difference you are saving between buying your game discounted from mass market stores and buying at your local gaming store, and possibly whether the differences equates in any way to what they do for board gaming in South Africa. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to invest in the future and growing of our hobby by helping them introduce more people to the joy I get every week playing games.