The coronavirus epidemic is forcing local and local governments to order so-called “non-essential” businesses to close. The economic cost of this closure is felt by everyone, from bars, restaurants, and malls and employees. That includes independent tabletop game stores.
The health impulse of today's tablet industry is a large network of local gaming shops and communities that they help integrate. Role groups use it to search for new members, and organized gaming events such as those sponsored by Paizo & # 39; s Pathfinder Society. Interactive card games like Magic: Gathering and Pok Pokoni Card Game both have well-researched calendars filled with shopping events. So making headlines from Fantasy Flight, like Star Wars: X-Wing Miniature Game and Star Wars: Celebration. Almost all of these jobs have been halted, and the loss of income from local traders is a problem.
One way consumers can help, says John Stacy, executive director of Game Developer Association (GAME), it's about continuing to shop at your local sporting goods store if they can, and it is respected to do so in dividing society
In a phone interview with Polygon on Thursday, he said the continued operation of the independent gaming stores is "very important" to the tabletop industry as a whole. While GAMA counts more than 600 stores within its membership, it estimates that there are between 3,000 and 4,000 local sports stores nationwide. On Thursday, he estimates that at least three-quarters of them will close the doors.
"It's a very difficult time for them right now," Stacy said. “Like any small business, they try to figure out how to take care of their employees, how to keep their customers happy, how to keep the doors open so that once we get into this situation everything is open again. There is a lot of uncertainty right now in the industry. ”
This problem has caused GAMA to shift its focus. Recently you have spent time and effort working against the Trump administration's tariffs on Chinese imports. Now all hands are in place to provide support and services to small business owners. That includes a long list of resources stores that will be used during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Several major publishers have launched their own programs to help support local game shops selling their products. Perhaps the highest profile is the Wizards of the Coast. Magic: Gathering
Most of the smaller publishers are also desperately trying to support independent retailers, Stacy said. GAMA tracks those steps online through a Google document entitled "Publish Publishing Steps, ”For retailers and consumers alike. It details the efforts of companies such as Atlas Games, where the publication sent out instructions that retailers often found in-store directly to their customers instead. Other publishers, including HABA (Rhino Hero) and Iello (Mountains of madness), they show sellers when customers simply add a note to an online order saying where they usually go to buy their games. At the time, Modiphius (Vampire: The Masquerade, Great Greek Scrolls: Call Weapons
Stacy said, where they could, some independent retailers also did a curbside pick-up. Also, some prefer local delivery – including the new Chicago Board Game Cafe. The best solution, Stacy said, is to quickly move businesses online. That's the strategy used by my local friendly store, Gift of Sport, which has expanded its online presence using Lightspeed.
Stacy said all parts of the tabletop ecosystem – publishers, distributors, retailers and customers alike – will need to rely on the sense of community that has brought them together at the table from the start.
“We have to get together,” Stacy said. "If we don't have a front row of stores, if we don't have happy publishers, it will be distributed (next) and all the crows will fall if we don't support one another."
If you do not know where your nearest game dealer is located, GAMA works quickly to find the location available in the store and is active on its website. Other options include search Wizard Store Finder, the same receivers are maintained by such printers NO and Stonemaier Games, and Google Maps.