|
A few years ago the only game we carried was Dutch Blitz. We carried a lot of copies, and sold a lot of copies, but we weren't scoring any points in the variety department.
Now we have more games than we know what to do with. Literally. Joseph (our game-purchasing vizier, though not nearly as frugal as his Old Testament namesake) is probably the only one of us who knows every title we carry, and that's doubtful.
And for those cynics out there who are already rolling their eyes and wondering who in their right mind would buy games from an educational bookstore, we actually carry very few "educational games." There's time enough to learn during school. All work and no play makes Jon a dull boy, after all. (Not that playtime is much of an improvement, but at least he has to follow the rules like everyone else.)
Joseph would like me to say at this point that we're not gaming geeks, we're just game hobbyists who like to keep our options open. I'm not going to say that. Caleb is arguably the only non-geek currently employed at Exodus Books, and Joseph's geekdom very plainly lies within the realm of Gaming Geekery.
Not that that's altogether a bad thing. All you out there who simply like to settle down some evenings to a nice (or brutal, depending on your disposition) game of Dominion or Settlers of Catan or Texas Hold'em now have Options due to his tireless efforts to inundate us with new game titles.
If it's strategy games you like, we've got 'em. Or maybe abstract games are more up your alley? We've got those, too (and let me tell you, Zach is becoming quite the formidable opponent in chess). Card games? Check. Children's games? Check. OK, we don't have video games, but we've got classic games, motorskills games, theme-based games, etc. etc. etc.
This is the youngest section of our store. We'll go ahead and offer a disclaimer: If the game you want isn't on our shelves or in our system, it's because we haven't had time to add it (or it's unavailable); in other words, please be patient. At the same time, we've been building this section so fast that such a disclaimer won't likely be necessary in a month or two.
We're not trying to brag. It's not like Exodus is a "game store." We haven't abandoned our educational orientation; we aren't selling out to America's entertainment culture; and while we carry a couple games of chance (like Yahtzee), we don't and won't sell lottery tickets.
But we will defend to the death our view that families and friends ought to have a good time with each other every now and then. Games are a great way to do this because they include everybody and don't generally take (at the most) more than an hour or two. With the holidays coming up we thought we'd spotlight our games section, and let all you frivolous spenders out there blow some cash on something that's just plain fun.
S T A F F F A V O R I T E S
|