The video game industry is riding the wave of change, and the days of solitary button-pushing are over. According to Eugene store owners, the future of gaming is community, and the game stores are pushing the envelope to build those communities — both locally and globally.
Big City Gamin’ owner Justin Field said he opened his store with group game play in mind. The East 13th Avenue and Willamette Street location is equipped with four plush couches surrounding four 53-inch, high definition televisions — up to 16 people can play simultaneously. Customers can try out games before they buy them or pay an hourly fee to play different titles in the store’s “futuristic arcade.”
“We tried to implement technology into the storefront,” Field said. “It’s the ultimate dream living room.”
The “dream living room” is jam-packed with every type of video game imaginable — from vintage Nintendo to the latest Xbox releases. The store buys, sells, rents (only $1 per day) and trades console games, game systems and DVDs.
“We try to do everything under one roof here,” manager Tyler Mack said.
Big City Gamin’ is also wired to the latest online technology, with high speed Internet connections for its PlayStation 2 systems. Both Mack and Field said the new online technology will provide a good avenue for players to make connections with one another. The PlayStation 2 is already online and Xbox will be connected Nov. 5.
“The online stuff is definitely the future of gaming,” Mack said. “It’s so fun being able to play with someone from another state or country.”
The store hosts online games every week, with “SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals” on Tuesdays and “Halo” on Thursdays.
Big City Gamin’ also offers birthday parties and game tournaments.
According to Field, competitive tournaments have been hugely popular.
“I think there are going to be professional video game leagues within 10 years,” he said.
Field opened the Eugene shop in December and a second store in Corvallis in September. The Corvallis location is even better-equipped for tournament play, boasting an eight-screen, 22-seat game “stadium.”
“We’re trying to lead the industry into competitive gaming,” Field said. “The truth of the matter is that kids are playing games now more than ever. … They might as well have a place to showcase that skill.”
You won’t find fancy seating or tournaments at Gek’s Game Grotto on Olive Street. However, owners Tim and Eva Jordan are also striving to be an integral part of Eugene’s gaming community.
The bright colored, concrete-walled shop deals mostly in PC games, but also sells console games. Tim Jordan said the store also carries a few used systems and occasionally stocks new ones.
Jordan’s involvement with customers is up-close and personal,
given that he and his wife are the store’s only employees.
“We think of ourselves as a local general store that deals in games,” he said.
The Grotto also helps customers locate hard-to-find games, and the Jordans offer free game hints and assistance to players.
“If someone is stuck in a game, we will gladly help them out,”
Jordan said.
They provide resources, such as Internet addresses, to players needing “cheats” or help passing certain levels.
The shop also has a referral system, where customers and the friends they refer receive a $2 store credit.
Though Gek’s Game Grotto and Big City Gamin’ operate differently, both dealers say the most popular game on the horizon is “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.”
“That will probably be the highest-selling game of all time,” Mack said.
Mack and Field also listed “Tony Hawk’s Proskater 4,” “Hitman 2: Silent Assassin” and “Lord of the Rings” as releases that will likely sell out quickly. Jordan said “Neverwinter Nights” is his fastest-selling PC game.
New technology and additions to game libraries may be transforming the game world in drastic ways, but Field said people still play for a single, good old-fashioned reason.
“Simply put, it’s fun,” he said.