The joys of discovering a comic shop in the mall. Where geek culture thrives, and new adventures await. Or at least, that's what we thought. What we actually found was a frustrating barrier to entry, not just into the store's event, but into the hobby itself.
Let's talk about the Gundam TCG beta event. You'd think being physically present, cash in hand, eager to participate would be enough. Nope. The real gatekeeper? A smartphone. No phone, no game. It doesn't matter if you're a dedicated player or a teen excited to get into the hobby--if you don't have the app, you're out. And let's not forget, to even use the app, you have to hand over your personal data and jump through digital hoops.
When I called ahead to confirm, I was given a workaround: "Just emulate the app on a computer." Sounds simple, right? Except, if you actually read the terms of service, that's a violation of the rules. So, the store's solution? Encourage rule-breaking just to participate in an event they're hosting. Yikes.
This is exactly how you alienate an audience. Five eager teens, $70 per player, all turned away because they didn't meet a completely unnecessary tech requirement. And that's just us. We have a group of dads and teens always wanting to dabble in new games to see if they hold their weight. There were plenty of other potential players in the same boat. Imagine the revenue lost. Imagine the enthusiasm squashed. All because we agree smart phones dont belong in our teens hands. Now we got this store trying to tell us our kids need smart phones.
This store, like its now-closed predecessor in the Mills, seems to have forgotten a key business principle: know your customer. Not every hobbyist is glued to a smartphone, and forcing a tech barrier on a physical card game is absurd. We play these games because we would rather play these than sit on a phone. The whole situation is ironic.
1/10--because at the end of the day, a comic shop should bring people into the hobby, not shut them out.
Good luck--you're going to need it. read more
