Game Alot Hobby Games

This is more of a goodbye, remembrance from an honest point of view.

Game Alot was my first real gaming experience when I was 7, in 1980. Back then it was up on Mission St. I learned many hard lessons (never leave your backpack unattended - don't stab people in the head with your mountain lion tooth - don't sink all you build points into plasma cannons for all your Titans, ect) and went on many mind bending adventures with the people I grew up around.

From Mission St to the Cooper House in the Pacific Garden Mall, and later to the Galleria a block from where that historic building once stood; in 30 years of change there was always one constant, the Owner.
If it wasn't for his kindness, straightforward advice, genuine love of gaming, wit, tolerance and patience, well I am sure that many young people would not be who they are today.

I am not surprised the store has closed, nor am I surprised by many of the low ratings it received during its final years. The shop had always attracted the elitist gamer types, and many of them worked there and have been a part of that community since we were all children. All of course except the owner, who was a man to be looked up to.

In the open gaming room, you either grew a thicker skin or left crying. It was the kind of gaming atmosphere that you don't just walk into and expect everyone to be your new friend. The tables were a place where you had to prove yourself on the fields of battle. This wasn't always the case, and as far as I know games were always open registration unless otherwise noted for long term campaigns. I played many tabletop RPG games there with pick up groups and had a great time.

I am happy to see that it has left its mark on the hearts of so many people, and is considered by all of us who were a part of it to be as integral to the culture of Santa Cruz as the Boardwalk.

31 years is pretty damn good.

Game Alot is a piece of Santa Cruz history. The store has been in continuous operation since the mid 1980's

The shop is well stocked and laid out. Staff is professional and quite helpful when needed; and unobtrusive when not.

The items on sale are not heavily discounted; compteting internet "retailers" have no overhead, no rent, no staff, and so should not be compared with a real game store. A board game is your best entertainment value one way or the other.

I love having a local games store, but this one gets only 3 stars because the selection is somewhat limited and the prices are so darn expensive, like on the order of $20+ over other game stores (mostly online)!

I only go here when I've dropped the ball and failed to leave myself enough time to shop wisely for presents.

The owner and staff are really friendly -- and the store also hosts games days for interested folks -- but I wince at the prices whenever I go in....

As to be expected (I'm sure it's too costly to maintain a huge inventory), their selection is also somewhat limited, although they do carry some of the more interesting "heavy" strategy games and award winners (Alhambra, Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan, etc.) as well as Cheapass games and outta-the-mainstream card games like Fluxx and Chez Geek....To be sure, their games selection is way more interesting than Toys R Us.

I hope the store survives, but I sure wish their prices were more competitive...and their selection a bit more broad!

This place has a lot of charm. They were very friendly and gave me a great recommendation.

During the holidays they were offering gift wrapping.

I'm a long-time resident of Santa Cruz and I do support local shops whenever possible, but I find it difficult to recommend Game Alot to the general game consumer.

When you walk into Game Alot, possibly on the recommendation of the locals, you need to understand that the shop is no longer what it was several years ago. While boardgaming as a hobby has become less niche, this shop now caters to an increasingly niche group of customers.

Why would a shop go in this direction? Mainly due to the radical shift in the game retail market caused by online shops that now offer games at extremely low profit margins (they can afford larger volumes of stock with smaller overhead). Brick & mortar game shops like Game Alot stay competitive and somewhat afloat by offering services that online shops cannot: CCG tournaments, preview events, D&D events, WH40K events, YuGiOh singles, etc. The problem is that this method of remaining profitable has eclipsed the service they used to provide to people besides the hardcore CCG/RPG/Strategy nerds.

If you fall in the niche that attends these events or routinely plays the games they showcase, your experience and perspective of the shop will be pretty positive (see Julian b's 10/17/2010 review). However, a shortcoming of the shop is that everyone *else* seems to leave the place feeling under-served. I'm one of these people, in case you haven't guessed.

If you're more of an adult boardgamer, or you don't happen to geek out to D&D, CCGs, or miniatures wargames, your experience in the shop will be a somewhat frustrating trip into bizarro world where no one has heard of the game you're looking for and no one really seems to want your business.

The first thing you'll notice is that their inventory has been mostly reduced to collectible cards, party games, miniatures, or strategy wargames (other reviews have mentioned this). Fair enough; that's their market, I guess. The problem is when they don't carry your game, they often drop the ball and expect you to pick it up, which from the standpoint of the customer feels really... weird: I want to give them my money, but they make it impossible at times.

For example I've walked into the shop just after the release of a high-profile game, only to be directed to their distributor catalog to find the game myself since they'd never heard of it. It was like google, only with paper. They wrote the pre-order on a scratch pad, took my number, and told me to expect it in a week... So far so good, right? Except they never called me back.

I checked in awhile later and they said it wasn't ordered (again, fairly popular new game so it should have been in stock regardless), so I tried to give them my $30 again and let them place the order, and of course never got another call. I eventually gave up and had the game shipped to me by an online retailer. On subsequent visits I've walked in looking for something as basic as Pandemic or Race for the Galaxy and come out with nothing; and I don't bother with the "we'll order it for you" option any more for obvious reasons.

A friend of mine, wanting to get Dominion: Prosperity for my kid was, of course, unable to find the game in-store. To make matters worse, when she placed the order she was given an unsolicited review of Dominion as being "just not fun." I guess it's no Magic the Gathering, but come now, Comic Bookstore Guy, let's get real here. Dominion is the most successful and popular deck-building game currently on the market, and Prosperity is it's most popular expansion, bar none. Get a couple of copies, maybe?

At least my friend ended up getting the game from them, which was more that I could say for myself.

On the flip side, if you're *super* casual and walk into the store like you're a deer in headlights and just need a party game as a quick birthday gift, they'll hand you the latest (probably some Wits & Wagers) and you'll walk away happy.

Just don't go in there as a semi-informed board gamer expecting to support your "friendly local game shop" despite the slightly higher retail prices. Chances are, you won't get what you want and they won't make a concerted effort to keep your business... because, honestly, you *aren't* their business; those teenagers talking over you with the cashier about the latest CCG tournament are.

Nice store, but they need game space.

If you build it (or rebuild it in your case) they will come! Cant play games in such a small space. Maybe move the store around?

A great little game shop.

Although they don't always have the largest selection, they have a very friendly staff. The owner is amazing, always willing to talk with you about the style of gamer you are (or who you are buying the gift for) and help you choose the best possible game.

Can't recommend enough!

I agree with the other reviewers who have had bad experiences with the customer service here -- I've had the same experience with the employees. However I have always had a great experience with the owner, who I just talked to on the phone this morning regarding buying some games for Christmas. Not only did he have thoughts and anecdotes about each one, he offered to put them aside for me without even asking. That kind of attention is exactly why I pay more to shop local instead of going online.

Bottom line: If you go, and you should, deal with the head guy. Don't bother with the rest.

Game Alot is a SC institution. Yes, their stock is somewhat limited now compared to when they had more floor space in the past, and yes, their market is a little nichey. That said, everyone here games and can get into the nuts and bolts if a game with you. What they don't have, they'll order. It's challenging for a mom and pop to hold its own against the likes of Amazon. Frank and Stephanie, the owners, have never been anything but kind to my family.

I only go here for Warhammer stuff, and I like the punchcard reward/ discount system. The staff is nice, my only complaint is that when they have kids gaming in the store, and the nerdings get out of hand or exited, the guy running the game seems to be less mature than the little ones that he is looking after, I have to say it is a bit distracting, and if I cought someone talking to my kid like that, I would knock him out.

other than that, nice place