I used to live in Colorado (the Denver-metro area specifically) up until a few years ago, however I still go back frequently both for work and to visit family. It totally blows me away how much changes between visits (roughly every 3-4 months), but the thing that always gets to me the most is when old game stores, arcades, or just places that have to do with gaming in general go under. I just found out one of the best game stores in the Denver area, Game Force Boulder, is shutting their doors permanently early next year. This store was pivotal in my journey as a collector, especially in the earlier years. It also helped that when i first started collecting, Game Force was only a 10 minute drive away. Over the years I've continued to go back off and on and buy things here and there, but I definitely did the bulk of my shopping there between 2010 and probably 2015.
It saddens me to no end to see another excellent game store go out of business. With them gone, there's one chain of indie game stores left that has leaned more into table top and CCG to remain viable, and there is one other Game Force store located closer to Denver that is owned by someone else. That's pretty much it for the area. There are a few shitty stores here and there, but I honestly wouldn't bat an eye if I heard they were going under. There used to be so many game stores, in that area, including way more Gamestops, but now there are barely any. It really makes me wonder what the video game retail landscape will look like in 10-years, hell, maybe even 5. I know many factors are at play here; the death of physical media, inflation, low/no wage growth, gen z not buying console games as much as older gens, but I hate seeing what is happening to brick and mortar game stores. Yes, even Gamestop.
But anyhow, I'll be stopping my Game Force Boulder one last time before they go out of business and hopefully buying something from them that is less of a spot to fill in my collection, and more something that will serve as a momento for me to remember them by. What an absolutely shame...