This article comes from WeChat public account “Touch Music” (ID: chuappgame), which is released by Ai Faner with authorization .
“You must not have seen this, you can only find photos online.” Brian Marks smiled proudly while waving the latest gadget in his hand.
Max is the owner of Game Repair, a Las Vegas individual game store, and he just got a 56k modem for a Nintendo GameCube. No one at Max or his customers needs it, after all, they all use broadband Internet. There are only 3 GC-connected games in the world, and their official servers shut down in 2007.
But when an employee Nick offered to buy that modem from Max, he refused. In Mark’s view, finding such an extremely rare “treasure” that records the history of the gaming industry always brings great satisfaction.
It is not an easy job to run a physical game store, and Max is still repaying the loan that he used to open another store, even though that store has long since closed.
▲ Brian Max’s Game Repair game store
Past and present life of the physical game store
In 1990, Max partnered with John Balboa to open the Game Repair game store-at the time Balboa was the owner of a video rental store and often sold him second-hand games.
Few game stores have been able to operate for so many years like Game Repair, but Game Repair’s survival is not easy. At the beginning of the century, Game Repair had two stores in Las Vegas. Max’s business is doing well, even the United StatesThe TV show “Pawn Stars” on the National History Channel has all been introduced. He had planned to continue to open branches, but as the mortgage market was in trouble, he had to abandon the plan and close another store that had been in operation for many years.
At the same time, GameStop is expanding rapidly in the local area, and today there are as many as 27 in Las Vegas, compared with only 10 non-GameStop branded game stores. Game Repair is one of them.
Max is about to pay off his loan 10 years ago, but the future of the physical gaming industry is not optimistic. Over the past period, GameStop’s dominance has also begun to falter. They had previously announced that they would close approximately 200 stores by the end of 2019, and more would be closed in the coming years. However, when the news was announced, GameStop still had approximately 5,700 physical stores worldwide. “GameStop is doing the right thing. They really should shut down and do the same.” Max said.
▲ Repair workbench in Game Repair shop
GameStop’s history is quite tortuous. Like many large companies, it has undergone a series of commercial mergers and acquisitions and restructurings. GameStop’s predecessor was a software retail store called Babbage ’s, and its founders convinced Ross Perot, an entrepreneur who had run for the U.S. president, to invest $ 3 million and grew rapidly in the 1980s. Early this century, Babbage ’s started using the GameStop brand after merging with another company, Funco.
David Pomije is the founder of Funco-after two failed startups, he came up with the idea of selling second-hand games via email, and bought advertising space on the monthly magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly to list the price of the game. It didn’t take long for Funco to open a Funcoland retail store, publish its own gaming magazine, and by 1993 it had become the largest used game seller in the United States.
Now times have changed. In 2019, Sony announced that digital downloads accounted for more than 50% of total PS game sales. Although used games are still one of GameStop’s important revenue sources, their sales of used games have continued to decline since 2011, which should have become an irreversible trend.
“Special Services”
Used games are even more important for indie game stores. Jon Sakura, owner of Gamers Anonymous, a game store in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said that selling new games is no longer a stable source of income. “We will also buy new games, but we will not sell them in large quantities, and generally do not sell more than 10 copies.”
According to him, Gamers Anonymous ordered 5 PS4 remakes from a distributor, and even if they were sold, the total profit would be only $ 7. “As long as we don’t lose money, we will continue to treat it as an additional service, but it will not be a major source of income.”
▲ Gamers Anonymous Game Store
Sakura used to be a manager at a GameStop store and knew the company’s sales efficiency-that’s part of the reason GameStop’s success across the United States. However, in his opinion, GameStop’s unified sales strategy for efficiency also has limitations, that is, it will cause the store to fail to truly connect with local consumers.
“The biggest benefit of working at Gamers Anonymous is that you can talk directly to customers.” He explainedExplains, “GameStop headquarters may tell you, ‘What do we need to do to promote this game?’-They call it ‘Jump’, and you ask: ‘How high do you want to jump?’ Here, we can deal with customers every day and develop more specific and personalized marketing strategies for them. I think this is the most important reason to help the company grow.
▲ Jon Sakura, owner of Gamers Anonymous
If you plan to run a game store, you may also consider offering services that are not available in national chain stores.
Max acknowledges that if Game Repair sells only games, the revenue is simply not enough to support long-term operations. In this store, 75% of the revenue comes from one service: repair of game consoles. “If it’s just a video game retail store, I’m afraid I can only find a place to be a waiter.”
Max says Game Repair always treats its customers fairly. Many people have visited other repair shops to find out the price, but found that his price is more fair. He said that if you go to a nearby store to repair the PS4 bald head, it will cost 120 US dollars (this is the original text, changing the bald head in China will cost about 300 to 400 yuan-Editor’s Note).
“I only charge $ 79! I think the price is reasonable, and $ 79 can repair a $ 300 part.”
In the United States, many individual game stores are not limited to selling games. For example, in downtown North Dakota, if you take the elevator to the basement of a historic trading building, you’ll find Replay Games, a gaming retail store that has been in business since 2018-for $ 5 or $ 15. Walk around here for a day and play any game you buy from players. Replay Games does not sell only one game in the store (unless the store buys another copy), this rule makes it look like a game museum.
“It’s nice to see someone interested in these retro games.” Boss Cassidy Schnase) Said, “A lot of children knew the old game” Adventure “in the movie” Number One Player “and thought it was very interesting, so they came to our store to see what it looks like and how to play.”
Schnars founded Replay Games to meet this demand of players.
▲ Replay Games is the game experience
“I’ve always wanted to open such a store. Since no one wants to eat crabs first, I’ll come. I want to open a store that doesn’t focus on selling games, avoiding GameStop or other retail stores Direct competition, but more to let people share the joy of playing games. “
However, persuading banks to fund this idea is another matter entirely. Schnass ran five banks back and forth before finally getting a business loan. “The first bank was ridiculing my thoughts at the time, and felt that this would definitely not work, so after 18 months, I was very happy to open this store.”
At present, Schnass’s income is not enough to pay himself, but Replay Games is popular. This store has held birthday parties, campus parties at the end of the year, and even some corporate events. Schners told me that it also helps bridge the generation gap, allowing parents to show their children the games they played in childhood.
“The interaction scenes are really cool, especially when the father is going to show the children how great the N64 game” 007: Golden Eye “is. The gameplay of that game is still interesting, but the picture is not beautiful “Some children may not be interested in it at first, but after a while they will sit down and play for an hour,” Schners said.
As the owner of Game Repair, Brian Max also said that old games can enhance the relationship between parents and children.
“A lot of children watch their parents play games and want to try it themselves. To my delight, there are still children who like to play those classic old games, such as” The Legend of Zelda “,” Contra ” Hold on. “
Schners hopes that Replay Games will give players a sense of sociality. “This is not my store, it’s usStore. He even wrote the amount of the business loan arrears on a blackboard in the store, allowing customers to help him raise money. In addition, Replay Games also hosted the Game Done Quick event and donated money to the gaming charity Extra Life.
▲ Honest goals
Community awareness
“Replay Games is a store supported by the player community, so if this doesn’t benefit players, we won’t do it. We are still working to expand our influence and want more players to learn about Replay Games and understand us Business philosophy. I tried to convey a message: “Unlike GameStop, this is a social-based store.”
This sense of community seems to be the core spirit of many individual game stores. Similar to Replay, Sakura also hopes Gamers Anonymous will bring people who love games together. “For us, increasing sales is not the most important thing. If you treat customers well and provide valuable products, then someone will naturally buy. You need to let customers know that there are good products in the store and they can enter the store to experience . “
Gamers Anonymous even has a “community day” event that allows customers to sell anything they hand-made in the store. “We give customers the opportunity to come to our store and use the place to sell for free. If you are an artist, you can sell your own artwork; if you are a baker, you can also sell bread here.”
Gamer Anonymous also participates in the “Cats in the City” program of the local animal protection organization, and always keeps a cat for adoption by customers.
Maggie and Lucas Point are a couple who co-operate in Los Angeles-based game store Game Realms. The couple also believes that a sense of community is an important element for individual game stores to attract customers. In March 2016, Game Realms started trial operations, but there was almost no business. But on the official opening day in May, the couple hostedAn opening event also featured actress Jennifer Hall, who voiced Commander Shepard in Mass Effect, as a special guest.
“She helped us attract a lot of customers.” Maggie recalled, “The sales in the store were also good that day.”
▲ Cassidy Schnase, owner of Replay Games (pictured right)
Maggie was born in Hong Kong, China, lived in Sydney for a while, and moved to Los Angeles after marrying Lucas. Maggie has loved gaming since she was a child and has often dealt with independent game retailers. She, Lucas, and another business partner, Will Delaney, worked at another game store in Los Angeles and later co-founded Game Realms.
“We have accumulated some experience and hope to open a store by ourselves and share our love for retro and modern games.”
It is interesting that in Los Angeles, the owners of individual game stores have developed a strong sense of community, get along well with each other, and even often introduce customers to other stores to buy games. “I would rather have players buy games at another store than leave them empty-handed,” said Lucas. “Of course, other stores are also willing to recommend our store to customers.”
Like many other game retail stores, Game Realms derives most of its profits from vintage games. Lucas told me that if a store only sells new games, it’s impossible to survive. He believes that selling vintage games has always been an advantage for individual game stores compared to large chain stores.
“One year after the PS4 was released, GameStop had no incentive to keep PS3 games, but it also meant that their business was heavily dependent on the console market. Once the console market is in a doldrums, they will encounter difficulties … and be independent Most of the products in the game store cannot be sold out, so after a few years, they can still meet the needs of some players.
▲ Black cat in Gamers Anonymous shop
To attract customers, Game Realms often organizes various events, such as autograph sessions, game competitions, and “retro game exchange” parties. According to word of mouth of players, the customer base of this merchant continues to grow.
Draenei also said that making money is not the primary goal of Game Realms-“We want to improve people’s experience more than increasing sales.” Maggie added: “In this way, customers may Will visit all stores. If customers are looking for some classic games or rare games, then we will recommend them to look at other stores.
Game Realms even offers a dedicated games room for customers to try out before deciding whether to buy a game. For many young players, the games room is particularly attractive. “A lot of children hang out in our store after school. In the summer, some parents will also send their children here, it seems to use our store as a nursery.” Draenei said with a smile, “This is fun, but children can indeed Play games safely with friends here. “
For many stores, second-hand game sales remain the main source of revenue. As digital game downloads become more and more popular, these stores will also feel the pressure GameStop is facing … but almost all interviewed bosses said that because digital games may not always exist, physical games will always have their value .
Sakura believes that Gamers Anonymous will always be welcomed by players due to its close connection with the player community and the willingness to retain classic and old games.
▲ Game Realms game store
“In addition to modern second-hand games, we also have old games released 40 years ago in our store. At various game exhibitions, many players are more interested in us because
▲ Repair workbench in Game Repair shop
GameStop’s history is quite tortuous. Like many large companies, it has undergone a series of commercial mergers and acquisitions and restructurings. GameStop’s predecessor was a software retail store called Babbage ’s, and its founders convinced Ross Perot, an entrepreneur who had run for the U.S. president, to invest $ 3 million and grew rapidly in the 1980s. Early this century, Babbage ’s started using the GameStop brand after merging with another company, Funco.
David Pomije is the founder of Funco-after two failed startups, he came up with the idea of selling second-hand games via email, and bought advertising space on the monthly magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly to list the price of the game. It didn’t take long for Funco to open a Funcoland retail store, publish its own gaming magazine, and by 1993 it had become the largest used game seller in the United States.
Now times have changed. In 2019, Sony announced that digital downloads accounted for more than 50% of total PS game sales. Although used games are still one of GameStop’s important revenue sources, their sales of used games have continued to decline since 2011, which should have become an irreversible trend.
“Special Services”
Used games are even more important for indie game stores. Jon Sakura, owner of Gamers Anonymous, a game store in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said that selling new games is no longer a stable source of income. “We will also buy new games, but we will not sell them in large quantities, and generally do not sell more than 10 copies.”
According to him, Gamers Anonymous ordered 5 PS4 remakes from a distributor, and even if they were sold, the total profit would be only $ 7. “As long as we don’t lose money, we will continue to treat it as an additional service, but it will not be a major source of income.”
▲ Gamers Anonymous Game Store
Sakura used to be a manager at a GameStop store and knew the company’s sales efficiency-that’s part of the reason GameStop’s success across the United States. However, in his opinion, GameStop’s unified sales strategy for efficiency also has limitations, that is, it will cause the store to fail to truly connect with local consumers.
“The biggest benefit of working at Gamers Anonymous is that you can talk directly to customers.” He explainedExplains, “GameStop headquarters may tell you, ‘What do we need to do to promote this game?’-They call it ‘Jump’, and you ask: ‘How high do you want to jump?’ Here, we can deal with customers every day and develop more specific and personalized marketing strategies for them. I think this is the most important reason to help the company grow.
▲ Jon Sakura, owner of Gamers Anonymous
If you plan to run a game store, you may also consider offering services that are not available in national chain stores.
Max acknowledges that if Game Repair sells only games, the revenue is simply not enough to support long-term operations. In this store, 75% of the revenue comes from one service: repair of game consoles. “If it’s just a video game retail store, I’m afraid I can only find a place to be a waiter.”
Max says Game Repair always treats its customers fairly. Many people have visited other repair shops to find out the price, but found that his price is more fair. He said that if you go to a nearby store to repair the PS4 bald head, it will cost 120 US dollars (this is the original text, changing the bald head in China will cost about 300 to 400 yuan-Editor’s Note).
“I only charge $ 79! I think the price is reasonable, and $ 79 can repair a $ 300 part.”
In the United States, many individual game stores are not limited to selling games. For example, in downtown North Dakota, if you take the elevator to the basement of a historic trading building, you’ll find Replay Games, a gaming retail store that has been in business since 2018-for $ 5 or $ 15. Walk around here for a day and play any game you buy from players. Replay Games does not sell only one game in the store (unless the store buys another copy), this rule makes it look like a game museum.
“It’s nice to see someone interested in these retro games.” Boss Cassidy Schnase) Said, “A lot of children knew the old game” Adventure “in the movie” Number One Player “and thought it was very interesting, so they came to our store to see what it looks like and how to play.”
Schnars founded Replay Games to meet this demand of players.
▲ Replay Games is the game experience
“I’ve always wanted to open such a store. Since no one wants to eat crabs first, I’ll come. I want to open a store that doesn’t focus on selling games, avoiding GameStop or other retail stores Direct competition, but more to let people share the joy of playing games. “
However, persuading banks to fund this idea is another matter entirely. Schnass ran five banks back and forth before finally getting a business loan. “The first bank was ridiculing my thoughts at the time, and felt that this would definitely not work, so after 18 months, I was very happy to open this store.”
At present, Schnass’s income is not enough to pay himself, but Replay Games is popular. This store has held birthday parties, campus parties at the end of the year, and even some corporate events. Schners told me that it also helps bridge the generation gap, allowing parents to show their children the games they played in childhood.
“The interaction scenes are really cool, especially when the father is going to show the children how great the N64 game” 007: Golden Eye “is. The gameplay of that game is still interesting, but the picture is not beautiful “Some children may not be interested in it at first, but after a while they will sit down and play for an hour,” Schners said.
As the owner of Game Repair, Brian Max also said that old games can enhance the relationship between parents and children.
“A lot of children watch their parents play games and want to try it themselves. To my delight, there are still children who like to play those classic old games, such as” The Legend of Zelda “,” Contra ” Hold on. “
Schners hopes that Replay Games will give players a sense of sociality. “This is not my store, it’s usStore. He even wrote the amount of the business loan arrears on a blackboard in the store, allowing customers to help him raise money. In addition, Replay Games also hosted the Game Done Quick event and donated money to the gaming charity Extra Life.
▲ Honest goals
Community awareness
“Replay Games is a store supported by the player community, so if this doesn’t benefit players, we won’t do it. We are still working to expand our influence and want more players to learn about Replay Games and understand us Business philosophy. I tried to convey a message: “Unlike GameStop, this is a social-based store.”
This sense of community seems to be the core spirit of many individual game stores. Similar to Replay, Sakura also hopes Gamers Anonymous will bring people who love games together. “For us, increasing sales is not the most important thing. If you treat customers well and provide valuable products, then someone will naturally buy. You need to let customers know that there are good products in the store and they can enter the store to experience . “
Gamers Anonymous even has a “community day” event that allows customers to sell anything they hand-made in the store. “We give customers the opportunity to come to our store and use the place to sell for free. If you are an artist, you can sell your own artwork; if you are a baker, you can also sell bread here.”
Gamer Anonymous also participates in the “Cats in the City” program of the local animal protection organization, and always keeps a cat for adoption by customers.
Maggie and Lucas Point are a couple who co-operate in Los Angeles-based game store Game Realms. The couple also believes that a sense of community is an important element for individual game stores to attract customers. In March 2016, Game Realms started trial operations, but there was almost no business. But on the official opening day in May, the couple hostedAn opening event also featured actress Jennifer Hall, who voiced Commander Shepard in Mass Effect, as a special guest.
“She helped us attract a lot of customers.” Maggie recalled, “The sales in the store were also good that day.”
▲ Cassidy Schnase, owner of Replay Games (pictured right)
Maggie was born in Hong Kong, China, lived in Sydney for a while, and moved to Los Angeles after marrying Lucas. Maggie has loved gaming since she was a child and has often dealt with independent game retailers. She, Lucas, and another business partner, Will Delaney, worked at another game store in Los Angeles and later co-founded Game Realms.
“We have accumulated some experience and hope to open a store by ourselves and share our love for retro and modern games.”
It is interesting that in Los Angeles, the owners of individual game stores have developed a strong sense of community, get along well with each other, and even often introduce customers to other stores to buy games. “I would rather have players buy games at another store than leave them empty-handed,” said Lucas. “Of course, other stores are also willing to recommend our store to customers.”
Like many other game retail stores, Game Realms derives most of its profits from vintage games. Lucas told me that if a store only sells new games, it’s impossible to survive. He believes that selling vintage games has always been an advantage for individual game stores compared to large chain stores.
“One year after the PS4 was released, GameStop had no incentive to keep PS3 games, but it also meant that their business was heavily dependent on the console market. Once the console market is in a doldrums, they will encounter difficulties … and be independent Most of the products in the game store cannot be sold out, so after a few years, they can still meet the needs of some players.
▲ Black cat in Gamers Anonymous shop
To attract customers, Game Realms often organizes various events, such as autograph sessions, game competitions, and “retro game exchange” parties. According to word of mouth of players, the customer base of this merchant continues to grow.
Draenei also said that making money is not the primary goal of Game Realms-“We want to improve people’s experience more than increasing sales.” Maggie added: “In this way, customers may Will visit all stores. If customers are looking for some classic games or rare games, then we will recommend them to look at other stores.
Game Realms even offers a dedicated games room for customers to try out before deciding whether to buy a game. For many young players, the games room is particularly attractive. “A lot of children hang out in our store after school. In the summer, some parents will also send their children here, it seems to use our store as a nursery.” Draenei said with a smile, “This is fun, but children can indeed Play games safely with friends here. “
For many stores, second-hand game sales remain the main source of revenue. As digital game downloads become more and more popular, these stores will also feel the pressure GameStop is facing … but almost all interviewed bosses said that because digital games may not always exist, physical games will always have their value .
Sakura believes that Gamers Anonymous will always be welcomed by players due to its close connection with the player community and the willingness to retain classic and old games.
▲ Game Realms game store
“In addition to modern second-hand games, we also have old games released 40 years ago in our store. At various game exhibitions, many players are more interested in us because
▲ Gamers Anonymous Game Store
Sakura used to be a manager at a GameStop store and knew the company’s sales efficiency-that’s part of the reason GameStop’s success across the United States. However, in his opinion, GameStop’s unified sales strategy for efficiency also has limitations, that is, it will cause the store to fail to truly connect with local consumers.
“The biggest benefit of working at Gamers Anonymous is that you can talk directly to customers.” He explainedExplains, “GameStop headquarters may tell you, ‘What do we need to do to promote this game?’-They call it ‘Jump’, and you ask: ‘How high do you want to jump?’ Here, we can deal with customers every day and develop more specific and personalized marketing strategies for them. I think this is the most important reason to help the company grow.
▲ Jon Sakura, owner of Gamers Anonymous
If you plan to run a game store, you may also consider offering services that are not available in national chain stores.
Max acknowledges that if Game Repair sells only games, the revenue is simply not enough to support long-term operations. In this store, 75% of the revenue comes from one service: repair of game consoles. “If it’s just a video game retail store, I’m afraid I can only find a place to be a waiter.”
Max says Game Repair always treats its customers fairly. Many people have visited other repair shops to find out the price, but found that his price is more fair. He said that if you go to a nearby store to repair the PS4 bald head, it will cost 120 US dollars (this is the original text, changing the bald head in China will cost about 300 to 400 yuan-Editor’s Note).
“I only charge $ 79! I think the price is reasonable, and $ 79 can repair a $ 300 part.”
In the United States, many individual game stores are not limited to selling games. For example, in downtown North Dakota, if you take the elevator to the basement of a historic trading building, you’ll find Replay Games, a gaming retail store that has been in business since 2018-for $ 5 or $ 15. Walk around here for a day and play any game you buy from players. Replay Games does not sell only one game in the store (unless the store buys another copy), this rule makes it look like a game museum.
“It’s nice to see someone interested in these retro games.” Boss Cassidy Schnase) Said, “A lot of children knew the old game” Adventure “in the movie” Number One Player “and thought it was very interesting, so they came to our store to see what it looks like and how to play.”
Schnars founded Replay Games to meet this demand of players.
▲ Replay Games is the game experience
“I’ve always wanted to open such a store. Since no one wants to eat crabs first, I’ll come. I want to open a store that doesn’t focus on selling games, avoiding GameStop or other retail stores Direct competition, but more to let people share the joy of playing games. “
However, persuading banks to fund this idea is another matter entirely. Schnass ran five banks back and forth before finally getting a business loan. “The first bank was ridiculing my thoughts at the time, and felt that this would definitely not work, so after 18 months, I was very happy to open this store.”
At present, Schnass’s income is not enough to pay himself, but Replay Games is popular. This store has held birthday parties, campus parties at the end of the year, and even some corporate events. Schners told me that it also helps bridge the generation gap, allowing parents to show their children the games they played in childhood.
“The interaction scenes are really cool, especially when the father is going to show the children how great the N64 game” 007: Golden Eye “is. The gameplay of that game is still interesting, but the picture is not beautiful “Some children may not be interested in it at first, but after a while they will sit down and play for an hour,” Schners said.
As the owner of Game Repair, Brian Max also said that old games can enhance the relationship between parents and children.
“A lot of children watch their parents play games and want to try it themselves. To my delight, there are still children who like to play those classic old games, such as” The Legend of Zelda “,” Contra ” Hold on. “
Schners hopes that Replay Games will give players a sense of sociality. “This is not my store, it’s usStore. He even wrote the amount of the business loan arrears on a blackboard in the store, allowing customers to help him raise money. In addition, Replay Games also hosted the Game Done Quick event and donated money to the gaming charity Extra Life.
▲ Honest goals
Community awareness
“Replay Games is a store supported by the player community, so if this doesn’t benefit players, we won’t do it. We are still working to expand our influence and want more players to learn about Replay Games and understand us Business philosophy. I tried to convey a message: “Unlike GameStop, this is a social-based store.”
This sense of community seems to be the core spirit of many individual game stores. Similar to Replay, Sakura also hopes Gamers Anonymous will bring people who love games together. “For us, increasing sales is not the most important thing. If you treat customers well and provide valuable products, then someone will naturally buy. You need to let customers know that there are good products in the store and they can enter the store to experience . “
Gamers Anonymous even has a “community day” event that allows customers to sell anything they hand-made in the store. “We give customers the opportunity to come to our store and use the place to sell for free. If you are an artist, you can sell your own artwork; if you are a baker, you can also sell bread here.”
Gamer Anonymous also participates in the “Cats in the City” program of the local animal protection organization, and always keeps a cat for adoption by customers.
Maggie and Lucas Point are a couple who co-operate in Los Angeles-based game store Game Realms. The couple also believes that a sense of community is an important element for individual game stores to attract customers. In March 2016, Game Realms started trial operations, but there was almost no business. But on the official opening day in May, the couple hostedAn opening event also featured actress Jennifer Hall, who voiced Commander Shepard in Mass Effect, as a special guest.
“She helped us attract a lot of customers.” Maggie recalled, “The sales in the store were also good that day.”
▲ Cassidy Schnase, owner of Replay Games (pictured right)
Maggie was born in Hong Kong, China, lived in Sydney for a while, and moved to Los Angeles after marrying Lucas. Maggie has loved gaming since she was a child and has often dealt with independent game retailers. She, Lucas, and another business partner, Will Delaney, worked at another game store in Los Angeles and later co-founded Game Realms.
“We have accumulated some experience and hope to open a store by ourselves and share our love for retro and modern games.”
It is interesting that in Los Angeles, the owners of individual game stores have developed a strong sense of community, get along well with each other, and even often introduce customers to other stores to buy games. “I would rather have players buy games at another store than leave them empty-handed,” said Lucas. “Of course, other stores are also willing to recommend our store to customers.”
Like many other game retail stores, Game Realms derives most of its profits from vintage games. Lucas told me that if a store only sells new games, it’s impossible to survive. He believes that selling vintage games has always been an advantage for individual game stores compared to large chain stores.
“One year after the PS4 was released, GameStop had no incentive to keep PS3 games, but it also meant that their business was heavily dependent on the console market. Once the console market is in a doldrums, they will encounter difficulties … and be independent Most of the products in the game store cannot be sold out, so after a few years, they can still meet the needs of some players.
▲ Black cat in Gamers Anonymous shop
To attract customers, Game Realms often organizes various events, such as autograph sessions, game competitions, and “retro game exchange” parties. According to word of mouth of players, the customer base of this merchant continues to grow.
Draenei also said that making money is not the primary goal of Game Realms-“We want to improve people’s experience more than increasing sales.” Maggie added: “In this way, customers may Will visit all stores. If customers are looking for some classic games or rare games, then we will recommend them to look at other stores.
Game Realms even offers a dedicated games room for customers to try out before deciding whether to buy a game. For many young players, the games room is particularly attractive. “A lot of children hang out in our store after school. In the summer, some parents will also send their children here, it seems to use our store as a nursery.” Draenei said with a smile, “This is fun, but children can indeed Play games safely with friends here. “
For many stores, second-hand game sales remain the main source of revenue. As digital game downloads become more and more popular, these stores will also feel the pressure GameStop is facing … but almost all interviewed bosses said that because digital games may not always exist, physical games will always have their value .
Sakura believes that Gamers Anonymous will always be welcomed by players due to its close connection with the player community and the willingness to retain classic and old games.
▲ Game Realms game store
“In addition to modern second-hand games, we also have old games released 40 years ago in our store. At various game exhibitions, many players are more interested in us because
▲ Cassidy Schnase, owner of Replay Games (pictured right)
Maggie was born in Hong Kong, China, lived in Sydney for a while, and moved to Los Angeles after marrying Lucas. Maggie has loved gaming since she was a child and has often dealt with independent game retailers. She, Lucas, and another business partner, Will Delaney, worked at another game store in Los Angeles and later co-founded Game Realms.
“We have accumulated some experience and hope to open a store by ourselves and share our love for retro and modern games.”
It is interesting that in Los Angeles, the owners of individual game stores have developed a strong sense of community, get along well with each other, and even often introduce customers to other stores to buy games. “I would rather have players buy games at another store than leave them empty-handed,” said Lucas. “Of course, other stores are also willing to recommend our store to customers.”
Like many other game retail stores, Game Realms derives most of its profits from vintage games. Lucas told me that if a store only sells new games, it’s impossible to survive. He believes that selling vintage games has always been an advantage for individual game stores compared to large chain stores.
“One year after the PS4 was released, GameStop had no incentive to keep PS3 games, but it also meant that their business was heavily dependent on the console market. Once the console market is in a doldrums, they will encounter difficulties … and be independent Most of the products in the game store cannot be sold out, so after a few years, they can still meet the needs of some players.
▲ Black cat in Gamers Anonymous shop
To attract customers, Game Realms often organizes various events, such as autograph sessions, game competitions, and “retro game exchange” parties. According to word of mouth of players, the customer base of this merchant continues to grow.
Draenei also said that making money is not the primary goal of Game Realms-“We want to improve people’s experience more than increasing sales.” Maggie added: “In this way, customers may Will visit all stores. If customers are looking for some classic games or rare games, then we will recommend them to look at other stores.
Game Realms even offers a dedicated games room for customers to try out before deciding whether to buy a game. For many young players, the games room is particularly attractive. “A lot of children hang out in our store after school. In the summer, some parents will also send their children here, it seems to use our store as a nursery.” Draenei said with a smile, “This is fun, but children can indeed Play games safely with friends here. “
For many stores, second-hand game sales remain the main source of revenue. As digital game downloads become more and more popular, these stores will also feel the pressure GameStop is facing … but almost all interviewed bosses said that because digital games may not always exist, physical games will always have their value .
Sakura believes that Gamers Anonymous will always be welcomed by players due to its close connection with the player community and the willingness to retain classic and old games.
▲ Game Realms game store
“In addition to modern second-hand games, we also have old games released 40 years ago in our store. At various game exhibitions, many players are more interested in us because