Gaming across the US

[exile]

So, I'm job shopping, and gaming is an important factor in where I settle. Some of the areas I am looking at are Somerset, KY; Jackson, MI; Lake Havasu City, AZ; The pacific Northwest (small towns near Portland); and the greater Chicago area. Can anyone speak as to the presence of our hobby in any of these locations?

Chad

 

[Piratecat]

There's a huge collection of EN Worlders in and around Chicago.

 

[Rhun]

I'm in Salt Lake City, and I don't know that many people that game here. Unfortunately.

 

[Davelozzi]

...The pacific Northwest (small towns near Portland)... Can anyone speak as to the presence of our hobby in any of these locations?

There's tons of gaming to be had in the Northwest. I can't speak specifically about Portland, but as you might expect, Seattle is a gaming hotbed.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Anyone know of any good game shops in Reno. I visited one just outside of Reno, in a suburb area called Sparks, but I wasn't greatly impressed by it.

 

[Whimsical]

To find games and gamers...

First, check the Gamers Seeking Gamers forum on this message board.

Check out accessdenied.net. It's a gamer registry and it can show you who is registered at each city and state. After that check out the other gamer registries listed in here.

Also, check out rpga.com. There is a gameday/convention calendar that shows you what RPGA activities are going on in each state for the month. RPGA is a great way to connect with local gamers and to check them out casually before entering a campaign with them.

 

[cjyoung1]

Just say no to Jackson.
I worked there this summer (live in Ann Arbor). Jackson is not the most gamer friendly town in Michigan. It is a bit closed minded about anything that is not main stream. It also does not have the best school system, but there is a federal prison there!!!

 

[buzz]

There's a huge collection of EN Worlders in and around Chicago.

And if you move here, you can come to Chicago Gameday. Not to mention, you'll be near Games Plus. And, while you're there, you might run into Floyd!

How many more reasons do you need?

 

[grimwell]

STAY AWAY FROM MICHIGAN.

I love this state. It is beautiful. There are lakes and forests and all kinds of things to do outside of your house all year round. The mix of urban and rural living is wonderful. The people are hard working blue collar folks who put this country on the road. If you can drink a beer and grill a brat you are going to fit in fine.

Thing is, our economy is in the crapper, and the state government is in the crapper too. Not a great economic environment to be moving into.

Chicago is an amazing city. The gaming community is solid, there are some good stores, you are close to a nostalgic trip to Lake Geneva, and MANY cons are within driving range (I consider Gen Con within driving range to give you an idea). I lived there for 7 years, and if it weren't for the job that's taking me to San Diego, I'd probably be moving back from Michigan to Chicago just for the environment.

Plus Da Bears are in Chicago.

 

[kenobi65]

Chicago is an amazing city. The gaming community is solid, there are some good stores, you are close to a nostalgic trip to Lake Geneva, and MANY cons are within driving range (I consider Gen Con within driving range to give you an idea).

Been in "exile" (sorry for the pun) in Chicago for 17 years now, from my home state of Wisconsin (because the jobs are here).

Gaming here is pretty darn good. I'm in 2 great home games, and there's a big community of RPGAers with whom I play Living Greyhawk semi-regularly. Games Plus is a great, great gaming store, with a great staff.

While there aren't a lot of gaming conventions in the Chicago area proper (a few smallish ones, but no big ones), Indy is only about 3 hours away for GenCon, and Columbus is a driveable 6 hours, for Origins.