LIMA — It's a world full of dragons, magical spells, cunning strategies, and epic battles.
And it's all on Elida Road.
Deck Factory Game Center, which opened in 2016, has become a hub for enthusiasts of trading card games like Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon. For owner Justin Hertel, 1420 Elida Road in Lima is the ideal location for the business.
“There's a lot of gamers around here,” he said. “Many people don't realize or don't know that Magic: The Gathering has a Pro Tour Circuit and that the Lima area, Fort Wayne, and Columbus are the major Pro Circuit belts. For years. A lot of the previous pros come from these fields, so they're a huge presence in the trading card world.”
Deck Factory sells everything from card sets to dice to rulebooks to model figures and more, meeting the needs of this niche market as well as serving as a physical hub for enthusiasts to gather to share gameplay. To do. Hertel said trading his cards, his game in general, and his business in particular provides a much-needed outlet for fans who might not otherwise have access to the game.
“A lot of people come here who don't want contact,” he says. “This may be their only interaction with society. We have a lot of men with social anxiety. We have a lot of veterans here who don't like people. They tell us, 'I don't want anyone but you guys. I hate all of them.'' We are a refuge from the madness that is life. Outside you are an adult and have responsibilities. Here you become a child again. You are free to be yourself and get along with everyone else. You are free to be as geeky as you like. ”
The in-store gaming area can accommodate more than 60 people, and games can be played in-person or streamed online.
While Hertel remains happy to serve customers already immersed in the world of trading card games, it is also committed to keeping those outside of its community informed of what Deck Factory can offer through social media, especially Facebook. I'm here.
“We’re also seeing more people trying new things that are already here,” he said. “People are coming to play Warhammer and maybe finding a new hobby. And there are tournaments scheduled in the next three months.