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A few weeks ago, we drove our son to the game shop for his regular Saturday gaming session, like we had done most every Saturday for many months before. This Saturday, though, the store was dark, the cases in the window were empty, and a few people were milling around outside. With no advance warning, the store had been closed for good.
When we finally managed to get more of the story, we learned that the owner of the Game Store had sold the business to the owner of the Sandwich Shop next door. Apparently, the whole purpose for buying the Game Store wasn't to run a game store; it was to close it down to make more room for the sandwich shop.
Before the closing of this Game Store, you could count the number of game stores in this town on the fingers of one hand. Currently, I count no less than 60 sandwich shops of similar genre. I've seen sandwich shops of this kind start up and go out of business in less than a few months.
However, it's not just that the game store closed. It's how it was closed that is such an affront. You see, it's not just a place to buy games and supplies. It was a place to gather and play those games. Some of the games that were played there were "official" tournaments, sponsored and supported by the companies that produced them. These official venues have to be set up and approved by the companies so that prize support can be tracked and accounted for. Getting approved takes time. The people running these kinds of tournaments had no warning that they were going to need to find a new venue.
Players who were dropped off by family members found themselves suddenly without a place to be that day. Plans had to be changed all over the place. A National Qualifying Tournament that was scheduled to take place this month (March) won't happen in Tucson because the people that run it weren't given time to get a new venue set up. The players who would have liked to have taken part in the National Qualifier will either have to miss it completely, or drive over 100 miles to participate at the next nearest approved venue.
Oh well. It's just a bunch of silly kids, some of which should be old enough to have something better to do. Business is, after all, business, and expanding the sandwich shop is an important business decision. Just because some of those silly gamers had spent money in that sandwich shop, helping it to stay in business, doesn't mean that they might deserve the courtesy of a little notice that changes are coming, does it?
Gaming is a safe and legal activity, one which no parent should need to feel concern or hesitation about letting their kids take part in. A game store is a great neutral location for such things, and beneficial to both the gamer and the businessperson. When in the store, you're more likely to purchase supplies for your game. The inclination is to support the business that supports your hobby. The gamers win, the businessman wins, and the community wins when our kids have safe and healthy places to go.
Many thanks to Mama's Pizza in Tucson, Arizona, for allowing the gamers to play at their tables one of the recent Saturdays. They didn't have to allow a bunch of gamers to sit for hours, even with the group ordering some pizza. I guess they could have been invited to sit in the Sandwich shop instead, or allowed to use the same game room (which appears to still be vacant awaiting remodeling), but that wasn't the case. If you're ever hungry in Tucson and driving down Speedway Blvd, I recommend opting for Pizza.
No sense in thanking someone with our dollars for slapping us in the face. Spend those dollars somewhere that shows us some consideration instead.
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