No one needs to navigate a wall of PlayStation controllers hanging on a hook.
Retro gaming stores are the visible side of the renaissance in old arcade, computer, and console games. Yet they invariably look like a bomb has just gone off.
Carts and discs strewn in glass cabinets (alongside the inevitable but unnecessary Star Wars figures and Zoids), plastic boxes full of games (if you’re lucky, alphabetically sorted), and the odd USB-powered modern console revival chucked high-up on a shelf.
What a bloody mess.
Of course, this isn’t all retro stores. Some of them make the effort to look good. But most of them don’t.
Untidy disorganized, and unattractive
Lighting is also often a problem in these retro gaming stores, but the main problem really is the lack of thought that has gone into layout. Signs highlighting what platforms can be found where would help; a little map near the entrance could help, too.
But the sheer volume of old games these stores hold is the problem. The storage space is the shelf.
With this in mind, the lack of organization is explained, but it doesn’t stop it from being unsightly.
I recently popped into a relatively well-known retro gaming store “that”(one I have mentioned previously) and was astonished at how it had somehow become less tidy than in my last visit. (The relative lack of GameCube titles was also a problem, but I digress.)
Hanging controllers on a wall, cables strewn, looks awful. Stacked plastic boxes of carts and discs, terrible. Decor dingy, the counter a mess of boxes and bags, and no one really knows what is where.
The end result is a place where you don’t necessary want to go, but feel you have to in order to find what you’relooking for.
High fidelity in the wrong places
It all reminds me of the movie adaptation of Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity. A very British book that effortlessly translated to Hollywood, it centers around a record store. Potential customers are put off either by the music, the organization, or Jack Black’s character, an optinionated now-all.
These guys have been around in retro gaming communities for years (and most other “fandoms”) and they’re sadly starting to make a bit of a noise in the stores.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Let’s make retro gaming stores welcoming
I’m not saying retro gaming stores should be like a branch of Currys or Next, but some thought needs to go into it. HMV might be a good template, staffed by people with a love of the formats, arranged by platform on well-lit, accessible shelves, and no clutter.
Oh, and one other thing: make the places a bit more appealing to women and girls. They don’t have to have a mannequin sporting the latest retro summerwear, but these places are often cluttered with women standing by the doorway waiting for their husbands. Wives don’t want to go into these places, husbands don’t want their wives waiting around… it’s not a good scenario really.
So, come on retro gaming stores! Sort the layout, make the shelves brighter, don’t duplicate titles on display, use a bit of air freshener, drop the unboxed toys, and start looking like a business.
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.