Spreading the Joy: Local Game Stores Bolster the Community
Kyle Sweeny is surrounded by colorful boxes, meticulously arranged on the shelves of his very own board game store. Kyle’s store is The Loaded Die, located in the vibrant Rust Belt Market of Ferndale Michigan. Ferndale is a Metro-Detroit community that has warmly embraced board gaming, with the help of passionate people like Kyle.
The board gamers of Ferndale have reciprocated, helping to strengthen the community with a plethora of regular events at local restaurants. Groups such as the Ferndale Board Gamers have sprung up, attracting hundreds of members in only a few months. These groups have not only helped to spread board gaming as a hobby, but have given back to the community with their patronage.
Kyle created The Loaded Die in October 2014 because he believes in the positive influence of board gaming on the community. He sees board games as a great way to build lasting friendships and create fulfilling shared experiences. Beginning with “gateway games” such as Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan, Kyle found that he could quickly teach these games to friends for hours of entertainment. He decided that he wanted to do his part to bring more games to the mainstream, stating “Its about bringing our hobby, which is such a niche hobby, to the community.”
The board games carried by The Loaded Die are selected for their replayability and their ability to weave a unique narrative each time they are played. Gamers of all experience levels are seeking the creative outlet that only tabletop games can provide, as well as an opportunity to interact on a deeper, more intellectual, level. While many of these games stocked by The Loaded Die encourage competition between players, oftentimes the competition is indirect, leading to a more engaging experience where there are not “winners and losers”. Fully cooperative board games are also on the rise, whereby the entire party works toward a common objective. This type of game is particularly rewarding due to the encouragement of teamwork, and helps players to form stronger bonds. It is not surprising that the care put into selecting games to introduce to new gamers has resulted in grabbing their attention, and not letting it go.
The Loaded Die has an event board prominently displayed in the storefront, highlighting the level of community involvement that online retailers just cannot match. Every Monday, Kyle and his crew bring demo games to a local establishment to show players what they have been missing. Attendees are also encouraged to bring their own board games to the event, to share their enthusiasm with the greater community. Once per month, The Loaded Die hosts a Ferndale Game Night with even more games, where they play all afternoon and into the night. People of all ages have been attending these events, demonstrating the renewed interest of the community in tabletop gaming.
A wonderful aspect of these events is that players are no longer confined to their homes to enjoy games. With such a robust community embracing tabletop gaming, it is no longer a choice to have a game night or go out for food and drinks. Players can have their cake and eat it too, all the while encountering new games and new opponents at these sponsored events. Kyle has really gone above and beyond to work with local businesses and create a welcoming environment for new and seasoned gamers alike.
But of this effort would be wasted without the active groups of enthusiastic gamers like the Ferndale Board Gamers. The Ferndale Board Gamers began as an innocuous idea by Samm Wunderlich to create a Facebook group as a resource for people already interested in board gaming to connect and get together. Samm had seen independent, ad-hoc groups playing games in bars and restaurants in her neighborhood and wanted to provide a way to inform and connect community members.
Since the group began in January of this year, it has taken on a life of its own. Now sitting at about 250 members, the message board is filled with countless invitations to different gaming events. The group has been warmly received by the local community, as local establishments, including The Loaded Die, leverage the group to advertise their own board gaming nights. At least two local restaurants, in addition to The Loaded Die, now host weekly events catering to board gamers. The quickly established mutually-beneficial relationship between the group and the Ferndale community is inspiring.
The Ferndale Board Gamers page now hosts information on regular weekly events as well as events created by members. The group is warm and welcoming, catering to both experienced and inexperienced gamers alike. Many gamers are looking for to play casual board games, which others look for more strategically-intensive games. The free and open nature of local gaming groups allows to players to choose their own adventure.
Local game stores and enthusiast-created groups are contributing to the vibrancy of communities like Ferndale. By supporting local game stores, gamers allow them to maintain strong ties with the community and create quality events that bring people together in ways that passive activities simply cannot. In less than a year, Ferndale has become a board gaming town, thanks to the dedication of enthusiastic gamers like Kyle, Samm and all of the group members. These gamers are helping to create a positive environment for everyone to enjoy all that the community has to offer. Speaking to Kyle and Samm, the influence of gaming in Metro-Detroit is only expected grow from here. The Loaded Die will be expanding later this month, and membership of the Ferndale Board Gamers group continues to climb. The community has seen the positive influence that these groups can provide, and has embraced tabletop gaming.
This is a call to action. Go out there and get involved. See what your local community has to offer to the gaming hobbyist. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, take a page from Kyle or Samm and make it happen! Support your local gaming stores and patronize your locally-owned businesses, use gaming to bring people together. It is an enriching experience that you surely won’t regret.
