Once Upon a Noob

Hi all, this is Gigi, the game store wife. I thought I would try my hand at the blog and share my gaming experience, because the store has been non-stop busy since the holidays and Jerod has yet to find time to write a new one of his own.

I’m fairly new to the gaming scene. For most the nearly 15 years Jerod and I have been together, my gaming role consisted of making food for hungry role players in various college dorms, apartments and now in our home. I’d greet them at the door, show them to the basement, make sure the cats stayed out of their hair and stock the kitchen with cold beverages and lots of bags of chips. I’ve always been a workaholic, so when I would get home, I never wanted to play complex games that required a lot of strategic thinking.

Unlike Jerod, I didn’t play games in high school or college, except for a few card games and some video and computer games. The year before we opened Critical Hit Games, he began introducing me to some of the “alternative” board games that we sell now. They became instant favorites: Carcassonne the Castle and Ticket to Ride.

They weren’t so different or weird; I just had never seen them before. And playing them reminded me of playing Monopoly with my family when I was a kid. It was fun just to sit around a table and talk to everybody about something other than chores and problems. We laughed a lot back then and that’s what I do at CHG now.

Now I have even more gaming buddies to play with. I’ve really become spoiled with great opponents with excellent humor. I find myself wanting to play electronic games less and less because it feels a little cold. I expect and enjoy the face time I get by playing games with real people.

I can sympathize with the people who come into CHG for the first time, look at our board game selection and become a little wide-eyed. It can be a little overwhelming taking the jump into the world of board games without the words “Milton Bradley” on the side. But there are a lot of great games out there worth trying that are simple, easy-to-learn and fun to play. So put down the controller and join us sometime for a fun time at CHG.

Flick, flick, flick!

At home, we have a light switch in our bathroom that refuses to turn off. Light turns on, light stays on. You hear a person flick, flick, flick until the hallway once again becomes enshrouded by darkness.

I never really thought about something constantly running. The amount of energy it takes to just stay ON. Flick. Every day you get up, eat something and launch into your day.

Flick. Lunch time hits.

Flick. Back to work and talk to possibly the world’s dumbest person (Come on, we all can’t be talking the same person!). Finally, you’re done with your day. Flick, flick, flick. Wait, gotta make dinner.

Stupid light!

Ever since Gigi & I opened this store we’ve wanted to provide a relaxing atmosphere for gaming folks. We strive to find new alt music to play and have volunteers running games weekly. So come on in. Turn OFF.

Come for the games. Stay for the community. Play better.

(BTW I’m listening the heck out of Sea Wolf…)
If you have any suggestions on how we can make CHG a better experience let us know! E-mail us at critcalhitz@yahoo.com

CHG's first blog!

I was talking to someone the other day about finding more people to play games with. I asked if the person tossed dice with his wife or co-workers.

“Ahhh, no. And no way.”

The stigma attached to games is disappearing. With the advent of X-Box-this and Sony-that it’s not uncommon to hear folks grokking about underclocked hardware. But, unplugged games are still taboo? You’ve got to be kidding.

Everyone is a gamer. They just haven’t found the right game yet. (You may have heard me say this at the store once or a billion times!)

The idea is to create a comfortable atmosphere (no black lights with red dripping candles!) for social interaction. Because games are going more mainstream (Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne are on X-Box Live!) it’s important to treat them no differently than plugging into a computer. Do you have house parties? Dinner parties? Hang out parties? All of these occasions can be enhanced by a good game.

Here are list of games for said occasions…
House Party: Cash & Guns, Redneck Life, Martinis & Men
Dinner Party: Ticket to Ride, Blokus, High School Drama!, Qwelf
Hanging Out: Bang!, Tsuro, Killer Bunnies

My brother (doctor), his wife (teacher), my mom (teacher) and my dad (school principal) are all traditional gamers. We played Monopoly and Crazy 8s when I was a kid.

I introduced them all (they were my guinea pigs, really) one night at my house to Ticket to Ride. Everyone played along and let me show them how to play. I had to strong arm them slightly to try it. The next thing you know its 4 a.m. and we’re on our fifth or sixth game of the night. I called it quits before the last game started among my family members.

A door had been opened for them. They had no idea board games had come this far (or gotten this good!). If you are still unsure about introducing someone to games bring them by the store Oct. 10th. We’re trying a ‘Girls Night Out’. We’re running High School Drama! and Martinis & Men. If they don’t like these…there are more games out there!