MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
As our Indie Retail Month continues, we turn our attention to some of the most inventive indies on the scene that aim to bring consumers something a little different from the rest. First up is Game On.
Owner Emma Mills tells MCV how Magic the Gathering card events have done well for the Cheltenham-based indie.
Alongside figurines, DVDs, toys and repair stations, trading cards are fast becoming a regular sight in indie stores.
Game On in Cheltenham has taken to holding a series of popular events to get customers through the door.
We stock retro games, figures, memorabilia and trading card games and our biggest trading card game is Magic the Gathering,” says owner Emma Mills.
With Magic we hold pre-release events every quarter, game days and casual play every weekend. Our biggest event is Friday Night Magic. This is a weekly event where we host different tournaments. In the 18 months that we have been holding these tournaments, our numbers have grown with every event. Our last pre-release tournament saw over 100 players in one weekend.”
Alongside boosting the sales of the Magic cards, Mills has found that these tournaments have helped the video game side of the business.
Given the small margin in video games it is vital to have other options open to us, adds Mills.
Since stocking Magic, we have seen a cross over with the Magic players now purchasing video games.”
The competitions have helped the store continue to grow after a difficult start to the business.
We first opened Game On in December 2007 and we originally traded in a busy shopping centre but as the recession gripped more and more units became empty around us,” adds Mills.
So after five years we decided to move onto the high street in order to continue developing our business. Since moving premises our customer base has grown and continues to do so.”
