Gamerz Den Amps Up the Competition for Local Gamers

By Luke Little and Connor Clancy
Hottytoddy.com interns
lblittle@go.olemiss.edu; cmclanc2@go.olemiss.edu

Ever felt like Friday nights in Oxford were lacking in medieval battles and magic spells? Gamerz Den gives locals the opportunity to come together and celebrate their love of card and board gaming, without the threat of actual dragons.

Since its opening on 303 Heritage Drive across from the Hampton Inn. in 2018, Gamerz Den has become the home of Oxford’s most passionate local gamers, with manager Jason Umberger at the helm of the operation. From Magic the Gathering to Monopoly, no gamer is turned away.

Manager Jason Umberger displays some of the playing cards at Gamerz Den. Photo by Connor Clancy.

“We started Gamerz Den as a result of what we felt was a lack of gaming stores in Oxford,” Umberger said. “We aren’t trying to compete with the big-ticket stores, but rather create a central hub for Oxford’s gaming community.”

Umberger said he has seen an influx of interest in the area, with card gaming fans coming out of the depths to join together and celebrate their hobby.

“We have started to get a lot of local high school kids come through the store,” he said. “It’s nice to have a mix of younger kids with the 30 and 40-year-olds.”

Gamerz Den hosts a number of events throughout the year, featuring an array of gaming areas. While card and board gaming are the store’s primary areas of expertise, painting and art competitions are also prevalent and increasing in popularity.

At the end of each week, Umberger can be found hosting “Friday Night Magic,” a weekly Magic the Gathering tournament open to gamers of all ages and skill levels.

Photo by Connor Clancy.

“Me and my friends started coming to Friday Night Magic to just check out the scene,” said local gamer Will Schulte. “The store has become pretty much my second home; we are all just in there enjoying ourselves.”

The store is set up with a series of tables for matches and tournaments, with a front desk on the left sidewall. They sell a plethora of games and gaming accessories, such as board games, card decks, dice, and more. Miniature figurines and customizable paints are also a popular product, allowing gamers to add a personal flair to their play.

Gamerz Den is also known to periodically carry extremely valuable collectible cards and figurines which, when they are in stock, can fetch prices of up to $400. Umberger says these types of gems only last a matter of days, and in some cases, hours.

With so many different elements, one must wonder where to begin in the wide world of board gaming. According to Umberger, it really isn’t as complicated as you would think.

“We have all kinds of starter decks for games such as Magic the Gathering and Warhammer 40,000, but I would recommend getting started playing board strategy games such as Risk. That way you can learn the basics fundamentals of card and board games, as they are all very similar.”

With tournaments and events happening every week, Gamerz Den hopes to become a new home for many local Oxfordians.