My history of video game shops – Reader’s Feature
Maybe it’s an age thing. but there was a time when video games shops seemed like magical kingdoms, the kind of fantastical emporium you would find in Diagon Alley and be whisked away to a fantastical land.
The first video game ‘shop’ I can recall was simply a market stall tucked away at the back of the concrete monstrosity that is the Chelmsford multi-storey car park.
As I only had an Atari 2600 and my mate had a 4K Spectrum, the choice was either the outrageously priced console cartridges or the much more pocket money-friendly cassette tapes to choose from.
There was a bewildering amount of cheap games on the Spectrum, and often the games that we gambled on where rubbish, nonetheless it was a Saturday tradition to visit the stall and that tradition continued when Software Plus moved into the high street.
The shelves where lined with huge boxes (containing small discs) adorning elaborate artwork and the tease of amazing graphics (in full colour no less) that looked almost arcade perfect on computers I knew I would never own (at least for several years).
How I ached to play Operation Wolf and Double Dragon on the Amiga, but had to make do with the ‘lesser’ versions.
It was also the first time I got to hold a Sega Mater System game box, which had some of the worst artwork of all time, but still, OutRun, Space Harrier, I just needed to have them.
And it was always cool to pick up one of the giant PC game boxes with a 15-rating and marvel at the pixelated blood on the back of the box, thinking this must be a really scary game.
I then remember visiting a new video game shop in Romford, which actually went to the effort of designing the store to look like a ship from Alien, and loads of playable games to have a go on. The store was a little known shop called GAME that I think went on to have some moderate success.
At the time even Boots and the Co-op where selling games consoles, which seems weird now. But Boots the chemist actually had a Nintendo R.O.B. in their store window and inside it was the first time I actually got to play Mario Bros.
The Co-op had a full, working Game Boy display, and I would often go in after school just to play Tetris. Debenhams also had fully playable NES with Duck Hunt being a particular favourite.
In fact, I could play a lot of games by going store to store.
I recall playing New Zealand Story and Batman for hours in a local Comet, once much to the chagrin of the staff.
The coolest game shop for me was a local video rental shop, that had one wall full of adult movies and the other full of American and Japanese SNES and Mega Drive imports.
It was called Video Screen, because it had giant, well, video screen inside, often showcasing the latest imports.
It was important you stood on the right side so as not been seen as one of the sleazy chaps hurriedly renting a blue movie under their breath.
At the time video stores where not allowed to rent games, so to get around this, they sold the games and then you could trade them back for slightly less money. A business idea that would surely never catch on.
I paid a lot of money for import versions of Street Fighter II and Star Fox but they where worth every penny. (I really don’t know how I funded my games collection with paper round wages.)
Unfortunately the shop closed, but then other video stores started to rent games out. It always seemed the best games were never available (remember when you knew if something was available to rent by having a bit of blue card in it?), so I seemed to end up renting Troddlers more times than I really cared for.
The last great video game store to open locally was one of the few physical Special Reserve shop, right on my doorstep. A wonderful store, with great staff, game functions, toys and memorabilia, and the first time I played a Dreamcast.
I really missed that place when it also closed down, and it’s a real shame game shops don’t seem to offer that cultural vibe anymore.
Oh well, back to CEX to see if I can grab some Spectrum cassette priced bargains.
Hard to believe Atari 2600 games used to cost the same as current gen games. Nobody should complain about the price of games these days, that’s for sure.
By reader Relaxedchimp (PSN ID)
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