Gamertell

I recently learned that GameJunkie, perhaps the last independent videogame store in the Cincinnati, OH (USA), area, is closing for good on June 29, 2008.

Damn recession. Damn retail chains. Damn through-the-mail game services. You are all crushing the life out of privately owned, independent videogame shops.

GameJunkie, which opened five years ago, took a refreshingly intimate approach to videogames and game sales, putting together tournaments that could be attended by both kids and adults and making the store a gathering place for teens and singles on weekend nights. They had hoped the tourneys would make them unique - which it did - but it didn’t quite bring in the big bucks.

Owner Matt Matson established a store that was fun, unique and accessible to gamers of all types. He set up kick-ass kiosks where anyone could play on pretty much any game system for hours and created a cozy couch area for more intimate gatherings. The store even scored a few midnight launches, a feat typically reserved for big-budget chains. Where else could you find a game store owner who would willingly - and gladly - dress like Mario Claus for the holidays?

(Note the tiki hut in the background set up specifically to play Donkey Konga). Besides the usual games and game systems, the store took trade-ins, carried action figures and even Japanese imports that chains are typically afraid to carry. They also sold plenty of Bawls, at one point having the highest single-store sales number for the perky beverage in the world (averaging 21.55 bottles a day in 2006).

The store also hosted an annual Decathalon tourney with the “Running of the Controllers” and a funny video starring staffers who passed a wad of tangles controllers to each other, dressed in silly game character costumes (I still encourage Matt to put the videos online for the world to enjoy). I was invited to one of those Decathalons where I witnessed a pre-teen gamer explain to her father the intricacies of a videogame tournament, how to play Super Smash Bros. and her strategy for beating her next opponent.

I remember when the DS was first released, a few employees and I ran all over the parking lot and between stores in the strip mall testing the wireless limits. Good times, indeed. When I had my local newspaper column, they even helped put together a list of weekly releases.

The best part of this store’s closing is that it’s not doing a, “Feel bad for us. Buy stuff,“ campaign. Instead, they are serving cake and having a 3-day “Grand Closing” part-ay. Here’s the email/post about the closing from the store’s owner, Matt:

People ask me, “Why a GRAND CLOSING EVENT? People celebrate Grand Openings not closings.“ EXACTLY! We don’t do what other people do. We never have. We never will. I’m not going out with my head down and tail between my legs. We have all done so much together and amazing times. That is worth CELEBRATING! Celebrating 5 years of a crazy GJ roller Coaster ride, and what an incredible ride it has been. We won’t only be celebrating what GJ has been for the past 5 years, but what it’s going to become in the next 20 years. So the time to celebrate is NOW!

If you are in the area, you shoudl definitely stop by during the three-day event (June 13-15, 2008). Although the store is closing for good on June 29, 2008, Matt has promised that the GameJunkie name will not go away, returning in the form of “reunions, conventions and the like,“ as well as maintaining the forum and podcasts.

Even so, I’m sad to see the store go.

Thank you, Matt.

Site [GameJunkie] Read [Pulse-Journal]

(NOTE: Images from old GameJunkie emails. Photo of Matt and kiosks possibly from CiN Weekly.)

Keep up with the latest Gaming news! - Subscribe to our feed →