LAKEPORT — The words ‘nerd’ and ‘games’ when put together might conjure up a visual of geeky teens sitting in front of a flat screen, their fingers working a gaming console at lightening speed, all day and all night, destroying some bad guys on screen. Right?
At Kingdom Games in Lakeport, which recently merged with Nerd Cave, that visual couldn’t be further from the entire picture.
Located at North Main Street, Kingdom Games is an unassuming looking place, but upon entering, a whole new world opens up. Cases and stands are filled with video games, which also line the walls, along with toys, action figures, comic books, card games, board games, and tabletop games. Video games require electricity, board and tabletop games do not. They also have a multitude of console systems such as Atari, Playstation, Xbox and the newest, Switch. In the center of the store is a 20-foot table with chairs on opposite sides where people play board games
The merge took place in at the beginning of this year, when the owner of Kingdom Games, Brandon Costner, 28, single-father of three, and Nerd Cave owners Jeremy LaMar, 32 and Tony Pearce, 24, decided that together, under the one roof, they could expand with one brand: Kingdom Games. “The main goal of combining our forces was so that together we can open a store in Ukiah,” said Costner, “and be taken seriously by distributors and get new releases in a timely manner.”
Costner explained why people should go to Kingdom Games rather than buy games online. He said, “That’s the whole reason we’re here. People can go online and try and buy these things but there’s no one behind the counter to assist you with finding something or telling you what the newest, greatest game is. We pride ourselves in helping our customers and even geeking out with them, while they try out a game before buying it.”
Pearce concurred, “The social interaction here is a big deal, being able to meet and talk with new people who have a common interest. There’s been a lot of medical studies that have proven playing video games helps fight dementia, it helps with hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills, so it’s good for young people to keep up on their skills and also good for the elderly to keep them sharp.”
“We don’t treat customers differently based on their age”, said Pearce. “We might simplify terms for young kids, but we treat everyone pretty much the same. We help the people who need help. We’ll nerd out with them and talk about their favorite game. We’ll help them find things that interest them. Age doesn’t make a huge difference in our interactions because at the end of the day they are all just people, they’re just here looking for something to do.” Passionately, Pearce continued, “Board games are great for people who don’t like video games. Some people have an aversion to getting into electronics and board games still have that very personal touch of everyone sitting at a table face-to-face.”
Kingdom Games also carries hard-to-find Nintendo Amiibos, which, according to Nintendo are ‘game extras’, such as a Mario figure, or Donkey Kong figures; toys-to-life that can be connected to a game via wireless communications. Costner said they have the best selection in all of California.
The busiest times are Friday and Saturday said, Costner, “when we have card game and video game tournaments. Card games are on the tables and the backroom is where we host all the video tournaments.” The store boasts of 10 flat screens so that people can play in group or individually.
Wednesday nights is the Dungeons and Dragons tournament – a tabletop, role-playing game, using pens and paper and a rule book. From 6:30 to 8 P.M.
Friday night is tournament night for Magic: The Gathering, one of the most popular strategy collectible card games. It was designed by Dr. Richard Garfield, a doctoral candidate of combinatorial mathematics at University of Pennsylvania in 1993. As confusing as it may seem, Pearce says lessons are freely given at Kingdom and it only takes approximately 20-minutes to get the knack of the game.
Tournaments are $10 per person, with the proceeds awarded to first-place winners and if enough people play, to second and third-place winners.
Currently the store owners are not set up for Esports, the form of competition using video games, but are exploring it for the future.
The three owners were very candid about how they got into gaming. Having had trouble focusing in school, or having discipline problems, their parents used video games as an incentive for them to correct their behavior, get good grades and learn to stay focused. This is an incentive that they are now passing to their student customers who get store credit for every ‘A’ on their report cards. They also limit students’ use when they see one getting too caught up in the gaming. Outdoor games are important to them as well; they sponsor a softball team of preteens in Lakeport.
“We are big on interacting with the community,” said Pearce. “Our goal is to have an event every day of the week. We want to be the go-to social hub for games.”
