Families, couples and students were joined by old employees and the Game Preserve’s original manager to celebrate the local role-playing, board game and puzzle store.
The event lasted from noon until 5 p.m. and included face painting, a speed-painting contest, a costume contest, a magician and a performance by hoop dancing group, Hudsucker Posse.
There were also multiple game tournaments, free grab bags for the first 100 people, a live podcast and 20 percent discount on all merchandise during the event.
Though the store is celebrating 20 years of business on the Courthouse Square, Manager Wendi Ketchem said the event is about more than just the Game Preserve.
“It’s a celebration of local business, just celebrating being on the square, being downtown, being local (and) trying to promote just local downtown shopping,” Ketchem said.
The Game Preserve hosts gaming events six days out of the week and offers gaming rooms to those who want to bring in their own games.
“I come for the free plays,” Michael Duttlinger, IU graduate student said. “Game rooms are just open so anybody can come and play.”
Game Preserve employee Auston Sehrougham still enjoys games after having worked at the Game Preserve for two years.
“Working here, it’s hard to stay away from all the popular games and stuff when you’re around them everyday,” Sehrougham said.
For IU alumnus Chris Wiesler, being able to meet new people through games such as Magic the Gathering is a big part of what drew him to the gaming community, he said.
“For me, it’s a very social thing,” Wiesler said. “It’s a thing I can do with these fine folks and plenty of others. It’s a very, very common game, so you can always find people who want to play.”
Pokemon fan Katie Calvert said after playing for four years, she met her best friends who share the same interests.
“It’s weird to think that I’ve only been playing for four years, and these are my best friends in life, the people I would go through for anything,” Calvert said.
Junior Callie Dowrey said it isn’t uncommon to be one of the few girls in a game.
“I’ve been the only girl in the club, other than, like, one other girl, for a while but finally there’s some other girls that showed up, which makes me happy,” Dowrey said.
The Game Preserve has built a loyal and regular customer base.
“Game Preserve is really nice in treating its customers so we always come back here,” Duttlinger said.
Ketchem said the event was a success for the store.
“I was surprised to see the outpouring of support from the community and how happy they were that we were in Bloomington,” she said.
