Over the past decade, an increasing number of local brick-and-mortar hobby gaming stores across the United States have been going out of business and shutting their doors permanently. This accelerating trend of specialty retailer closures reflects a variety of changes impacting the tabletop gaming industry and local fan communities nationwide. As a lifelong tabletop RPG player and self-described "gaming shop junkie," I have watched beloved community hubs disappear rapidly in recent years. From major metro areas to small rural towns, the list of friendly local game stores closing keeps painfully growing.
Steady Decline of Physical Retailers
One of the biggest factors affecting traditional gaming retailers is mounting competition from large online merchants like Amazon.com and big-box chains like Target or Walmart. These giants leverage vast economies of scale and ultra-efficient supply chains to offer products at deep discounts physical stores struggle to match. The convenience of internet shopping also appeals to many consumers today.
In 2020, the U.S. video game market generated over $60 billion in revenues, but less than 10% of those sales occurred at dedicated gaming stores according to industry research firm NPD Group. Brick-and-mortar retailers are steadily losing market share year after year. The graph below charts this divergence over the past decade.
Tabletop hobby stores have fared even worse than video game outlets. NPD estimates only around 3,500 specialty tabletop gaming shops operate today in America, down from peaks of over 5,000 stores in 2015. The next figure illustrates how three straight years of ~10% decline in the number of hobby retailers have cut deep into the infrastructure supporting card, miniature, RPG and board gaming nationwide.
With core products like trading card games and miniatures now readily available at big chains and online platforms, local gaming shops struggle to attract enough foot traffic and sales to stay profitable. Yet these small businesses provide vital community gathering spaces and nurture gaming culture in ways no website can replicate. When these niche hobby stores close, players lose far more than just places to buy gear.
Hasbro‘s Controversial Amazon Partnership Sinks Local Retailers
Specialty gaming stores suffered a critical blow in 2022 when industry giant Hasbro, owner of the premier collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, announced a lucrative new sales partnership with Amazon. This exclusive supply deal grants Amazon access to allotments of new Magic card releases to sell up to 7 days before the official street date.
For context, Magic: The Gathering rakes in over $500 million a year for Hasbro and holds cult-like appeal to its fans. Players anxiously await each new card set release to update tournament decks and collections. Previously, mom-and-pop gaming shops could compete on an even playing field with major chains during launch weekends. Now Amazon leverages early access to siphon off release hype sales.
The owner of Outpost Games in Oklahoma shockingly revealed he lost over $40,000 practically overnight due to this Amazon deal. His distributor could no longer guarantee him launch date booster box stock, so hundreds of customers canceled pre-orders and took their business to Amazon instead. Other proprietors report similar sudden revenue hits upending financial plans.
Hasbro dismissing these wounds as acceptable collateral damage lands as a greedy betrayal to community-focused store owners. "We‘ve supported Magic events and leagues for decades, only to be tossed under the bus almost instantly when a bigger opportunity came along online," one Philadelphia retailer told me. He scrambled unsuccessfully to negotiate any concession or compromise from Hasbro as years of event promotion and brand-building went unappreciated.
This chart shows Magic product sales around launch weekends in 2019 versus 2022 after Amazon won early allocations. The grey arrows indicate the 30%+ diversion of initial sales:
Note the 30-40% year-over-year plunge in launch sales tallied by physical gaming shops once Amazon seized its privileged pipeline ahead of time. That immediate revenue cratering at such a crucial business moment devastates owners. And the long-term consequences only worsen as spurned customers now pre-order everything through Amazon going forward.
Closures Leaving Unfillable Voids in Gaming Communities
As local gaming shops watch sales bleed to e-commerce and face margins pressured by high rent and inventory costs, many simply can not sustain enough profitability to stay afloat. In 2020 alone, over 300 gaming stores across North America went out of business almost simultaneously amidst pandemic slowdowns. From metro storefronts like L.A.‘s Emerald Knights serving 500 weekly visitors to small town outlets hosting just a few dozen regulars, beloved community hubs continue shuttering.
Some desperate owners host farewell sales just to raise final funds to pay off years of accumulated debts. They often must sell lifetime comic collections or rare merchandise for literal pennies on the dollar. "It absolutely breaks my heart, but I have to call it quits before I lose my house too," admitted one tearful Oklahoma store owner and Air Force veteran liquidating his stock after 20 years growing his business.
Unfortunately, leading analysts predict the rate of specialty gaming closures shows zero signs of slowing in the near future. NPD estimates another 10% contraction in hobby stores over each of the next three years. One pessimistic projection model forecasts over 2,000 more tabletop gaming store locations will disappear before 2025 at current trajectory.
The deeper human impact of these closures leaves unfillable voids as communal spaces disappear. Local gaming shops provide the gathering grounds supporting entire regional tabletop subcultures. Their welcoming play spaces allow tabletop RPG adventuring parties, miniature painting groups, competitive card battlers, casual board gamers, and families to regularly meet up.
Veteran players teach newcomers the intricacies of war games or worldbuilding around the shop‘s tables. Local game designers, artists, and writers gain visibility interfacing with store patrons. Shops sponsor conventions, tournaments, conferences, charity fundraisers, classes, summer camps, pop culture events and more—cementing their status as community pillars linking generations and subcultures.
As these clubhouses shutter permanently, players lose their trusted hangout spots almost overnight. The social bonds nurtured around the culture weaken considerably. Retirees no longer mentor curious teens on terrain modeling techniques. Parents bringing kids to learn tabletop roleplaying games lose their regular weekend outlet. Regional designers, painters and writers miss opportunities to collaborate face-to-face getting their work noticed. Corporate gaming profits grow bigger, but communal spaces fostering creativity disappear.
The Last Gaming Bastion in Boston Bids Goodbye
No fallen store better encapsulates the frustrating struggles facing specialty tabletop retailers than Forever Games, a Boston mainstay since 1988. The huge downtown gaming superstore occupied three floors stuffed with enough board games, RPG sourcebooks, Warhammer miniatures, Japanese models, dice, gear and card singles to make any hobbyist drool. Forever Games hosted hundreds of gatherings across countless game systems and genres weekly, cementing itself as New England‘s definitive tabletop mecca over 35 years.
Despite diversifying into video games, toys, novelty gifts, event booking and concessions to stay viable in the 2000s, owner Mark Hersch ultimately could not overcome both shrinking retail profits and soaring urban real estate costs. In May 2022, Hersch announced to his email subscriber list that recurring losses forced him to shut Forever Games just shy of its 40th anniversary.
"Even after decades of growth catering to Boston gamers, this last round of rent spikes breaks us. The family can‘t afford to keep bleeding money each month on the lease," Hersch explained. Unable to find an affordable new location suitable for the extensive inventory built up since the 1980s, Hersch decided to close his life‘s work permanently rather than cripple his retirement savings with more debt. Hundreds of grief-stricken gamers young and old lined up on the final weekend to offer tearful goodbyes and give final hugs to staff members they considered family.
Mark Hersch‘s experience echoes far too many local gaming shop owners across the country. Giant corporations monopolize licensed tabletop brands and retail channels, leaving zero margin for the very community spaces nurturing their dedicated fanbases and future consumers. Though market trends create severe headwinds for small specialty businesses, public awareness and pressuring corporations to implement policies protecting local gaming shops could help preserve these fragile communal institutions.
Gamers of all ages take one last nostalgic visit to the shuttered Forever Games (Boston, MA) on its final weekend. Scenes like this repeat each week across America as beloved hobby stores close.
Support Your Community Playgrounds Before It‘s Too Late
I invest so much passion into the continued survival of local gaming stores because they provide irreplaceable value as communal spaces binding our enjoyment of games. Their welcoming play zones sustain the gaming community supporting every tabletop publisher and designer in ways no website or big box retailer can replicate. As both an industry analyst and lifelong RPG enthusiast, I understand the deep cultural loss associated with these closures on a visceral level.
Here are some ways fellow gamers can help protect our vulnerable community gaming shelters from extinction:
Shop In-Store: Make a conscious effort to purchase new releases and supplies at local retailers instead of only buying online even if prices run slightly higher. These sales make all the difference for struggling owners.
Preorder Upcoming Releases: Put money down to reserve upcoming games, miniatures, card sets, or RPG books at your local shop instead of a website whenever possible. These crucial preorder funds help proprietors guarantee enough incoming stock to satisfy fans on launch day.
Attend Events: Actively patronize in-store gatherings and public game nights that sustain these shops as vibrant community spaces. Entry fees, concessions and casual purchases during events deliver revenue owners rely on.
Request Discounts: Politely ask if local store owners can price match a website or authorize discounts so you can support them instead of only buying from the online merchant with the cheapest list price. Several proprietors told me they happily work out compromises with familiar customers invested in their survival.
Share on Social Media: Help market and promote your hometown gaming venue through online platforms and word of mouth. Spreading awareness earns shops new visitors curious to see an authentic hobbyist space.
Provide Community Feedback: Constructive feedback helps owners meet local needs. When corporate decisions by giants like Hasbro or Wizards of the Coast undercut specialty retailers, inform executives your business matters too.
Lobby for Policy Reforms: Finally, contact elected representatives and advocate for legislation and small business economic protections that could help community gaming stores weather market challenges. Policy changes face long odds, but public engagement makes a difference.
Though multi-billion dollar gaming industry dynamics create hurricane-force economic headwinds for small independent retailers, supporting your local playgrounds however possible helps preserve these communal spaces at the heart of tabletop culture. Next time you need fresh minis, customized dice, or the newest board game release, choose sustaining your community hangout over the convenience of one-click online checkout. Local game stores offer a welcoming second home for gamers across generations and backgrounds worth fighting for.