Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Coreyartus" data-source="post: 7719945" data-attributes="member: 5399">If gaming stores can't rely upon product to keep them afloat, then what is it that they do have that can't be replaced?&nbsp; Community.&nbsp; Over and over again, I see gamers complain that they don't have the space to play the games they want.&nbsp; It seems the natural evolution of gaming stores isn't going to be in the response to whatever game du jour is hot at the moment but at the one things all gamers enjoy and need regardless of what they're playing: space.Most of the successful gaming stores that I know of have one thing in common:&nbsp; a very large common gaming room that engenders community by providing a place to play.&nbsp; Some stores (like At Ease in San Diego, CA) have taken that to the extreme by annexing a bar space next door.&nbsp; But it seems to me that if gaming stores aren't able to survive by selling stuff, the one thing they can do is what has been alluded to above: sell the experience.&nbsp; Copying/binding/map-printing/3D-modeling-on-demand services, wifi access and digital gaming surfaces and projection tables with easy PC hookups, spacious and comfortable gaming facilities, food/drink vending, equipment rental, Painting/Modeling workshop spaces and tools, etc--these are the kinds of spaces gamers can't get at Amazon.&nbsp; As we gamers age, we're going to be looking for the &quot;Lion's Club/Elk's Lodge&quot; types of spaces that are more about community than product, where we don't have to sacrifice an entire room in our homes to play a game.&nbsp; I suspect gamers will pay for moderate membership fee (like a gym) for a rental space that provides everything they need that they simply can't afford to purchase/set up on their own.&nbsp; These, I suspect, will be the new gaming spaces of the future as gaming stores continue to lose the sales battle to on-line vendors and turn to other mechanisms to draw people into their spaces.&nbsp; I can easily see the quality of the play environment and the community it engenders turning some facilities into permanent &quot;mini-cons&quot;.&nbsp; Entrepreneurs may need to add hosting, booking, and property management skills to their encyclopedic gaming knowledge.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Coreyartus, post: 7719945, member: 5399"] If gaming stores can't rely upon product to keep them afloat, then what is it that they [I]do[/I] have that can't be replaced? Community. Over and over again, I see gamers complain that they don't have the space to play the games they want. It seems the natural evolution of gaming stores isn't going to be in the response to whatever game du jour is hot at the moment but at the one things all gamers enjoy and need regardless of what they're playing: space. Most of the successful gaming stores that I know of have one thing in common: a very large common gaming room that engenders community by providing a place to play. Some stores (like At Ease in San Diego, CA) have taken that to the extreme by annexing a bar space next door. But it seems to me that if gaming stores aren't able to survive by selling stuff, the one thing they can do is what has been alluded to above: sell the experience. Copying/binding/map-printing/3D-modeling-on-demand services, wifi access and digital gaming surfaces and projection tables with easy PC hookups, spacious and comfortable gaming facilities, food/drink vending, equipment rental, Painting/Modeling workshop spaces and tools, etc--these are the kinds of spaces gamers can't get at Amazon. As we gamers age, we're going to be looking for the "Lion's Club/Elk's Lodge" types of spaces that are more about community than product, where we don't have to sacrifice an entire room in our homes to play a game. I suspect gamers will pay for moderate membership fee (like a gym) for a rental space that provides everything they need that they simply can't afford to purchase/set up on their own. These, I suspect, will be the new gaming spaces of the future as gaming stores continue to lose the sales battle to on-line vendors and turn to other mechanisms to draw people into their spaces. I can easily see the quality of the play environment and the community it engenders turning some facilities into permanent "mini-cons". Entrepreneurs may need to add hosting, booking, and property management skills to their encyclopedic gaming knowledge. [/QUOTE]

Verification