Game shop recommendations

I came across many great game shops this autumn

Today on November the 25th., I just finished my internship at Affecture as a Games User Researcher, and one of the tasks was to make their community panel grow by getting game enthusiasts to sign up. I conducted desk research, made cold calls and paid a visit to different stores and cafes, and the result made the tester panel expand its signups. More details on my methods are explained on this portfolio pagehttps://www.thehappyuxgeneralist.com/approach-to-gain-testers. Since so many places have welcomed me with open arms, I want to share some great shops and cafes that are perhaps not known to all gamers living in the region of Zealand.

Limitations

In September and October, I handed out flyers and posters to 30 places, and I will not mention them all, but my top 5 favourites. Some facilities were universities, and some were well-known chain stores such as Farao Cigarer. I thank them, but in this blog post, I want to focus on the less known places that deserve more recognition.

Hidden gems and where to find them

1. Skakshoppen

The first one I want to mention is Skakshopper, a chess store near Norreport. When I called the store, Anne picked up, and I could hear her smile on the phone. While she did not call all the shots and could not promise that it would be allowed to hang a poster, she said enthusiast, “Yes, let’s give it a try!”. When I arrived, I saw a very wide-spaced store in which to roam around. It was white, clean, and aesthetically pleasing, and the chess boards were of different varieties.

Address: Sølvgade 15, 1307 Copenhagen K.

Website: https://skakshoppen.dk/

A chess store named Skakshoppen near Nørreport in Copenhagen

2. Slice N Dice

A store in a tiny mall in Ballerup. Nope, not Ballerup Center, but Grantoftecentret. While the mall is less commercial, I find it to be charming. It seems like a place for the locals to meet and chat, hidden from most of Ballerup. Inside, there is a game board store, where there is a long table for customers and visitors to play. It is run by Søren, who not only removed an old poster advertising Shrek the Musical for me to have space to hang a poster about Affecture, but he also mentioned that the store has a game night where he can give some flyers.

Address: Grantoftestræde 11, 2750 Ballerup

Website: https://slicendice.one/

A boradgame shop with events in Ballerup

3. ZZ Games & Vintage Games

Here, I mention two stores next to each other in a basement in an industry area a few bus stops away from City 2 in Taastrup.

I talked with Bettina beforehand, and she said “Yes” to flyers by the disk but not “No” to posters hanging on the walls. This is understandable since that store is packed with games on bookcases covering each wall.

Next to ZZ Games, there is Vintage Games, where I received a great first impression of Daniel only by speaking with him over the phone. He wanted to meet me before he went on a vacation to Japan for a month. This was to hear more about who we are at Affecture and that it is what is so great about working within a niche field. There is that common interest and passion for a subject area. Unfortunately, I did not get to meet him, but I hope he had a great adventure abroad.

Both stores have huge, spacious rooms where customers can browse, sit down, and play. Refreshments include sodas and snacks.

Address: Rugvænget 44 Kld. 2630 Taastrup

Website: https://www.zzgames.dk/

Website: https://vintagegames.dk/

Figurine painting event in a game shop in Taastrup

4. Game Knight

A store and cafe in Roskilde for card playing and figuring painting fans owned by Francesco.

The place was packed with people sitting by tables playing cards and board games. By the counter, as I waited my turn to talk to the owner, two customers were discussing the Magna of a card and how it would affect their outcome in the game. The owner also participated in the discussion, and I could tell they were all very passionate about the subject matter, which I admire. When Francesco noticed me, he stepped away to give me attention and was very welcoming and helpful. He has a great store that I commend paying a visit to.

Address: Ringstedgade 46B, Roskilde 4000

Website: https://gameknight.dk/

The Fall of Kingdoms gaming event in Roskilde

5. Spil entusiasten

Spil entusiasten is an online shop for board, computer and reusable games for decent prices. I talked with Benjamin, who does not have a physical store. I did, however, have a pleasant talk with him, especially since he has experience as a gameplay tester, so he understood the purpose of my call. Overall, Benjamin was very engaged in the conversation and very open-minded about ideas regarding link building. Now that my internship is done, I thought, why wait till Affecture and the webshop exchange link references? I’ll do it now here on mywebsite.

Website: https://spilentusiasten.dk/