Gamer's Paradise ↑ Matt Mahoney (center) challenges a convention-goer
From midnight releases to local gaming conventions, (614) Magazine’s Matt “Man About Town” Mahoney explores the Columbus video game culture— its misconceptions, pitfalls and pleasures—and its undeniable sense of community By Matt Mahoney / Photos by Alissa Ohashi Story Design by Atlas Biro
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t’s around 11 p.m. as I cruise down High Street in Beechwold. Outside of a few bars, there isn’t much open at the hour. While a drink sounds lovely, my business this evening is at Play It! Games, Movies and Music. Tonight marks the release of two blockbuster games this year for video game industry heavyweights Sony and Nintendo with the releases of Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Wonder respectively. Midnight game releases have largely fallen out of style with the advent of digital delivery, and yet occasionally you can still find institutions who honor the tradition of opening up at midnight so over-eager gamers can get their hands on the latest releases and play them until the sun comes up. As I walk in, a few smiling faces greet me, and the conversation very quickly gets very real: including topics like false nostalgia, console exclusivity, superhero fatigue, and protracted release cycles. →
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DECEMBER 2023 (614) MAGAZINE
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