Author: Angel

School’s almost out, the summer is upon us, and GeekLife has some sizzling fun planned for the coolest summer ever!

First up, Mom & Dad have the chance to kick off Memorial Day Weekend with a night out while the kids play D&D. Join us for our first ever Parents’ Night Out.

Ages 7-12 are welcome to join us for this stand-alone adventure, including an overview of how to play. No experience or supplies necessary, we’ll have plenty dice and pencils to share for the evening, just show up ready to have fun (and pizza!) while Mom & Dad enjoy one of the area’s amazing new restaurants.

Coming June 1, young adventures are also called to join us for a stand-alone game. Starting at 10am, this game is ideal for 7-12 year olds and will also include an overview of how to play.

But D&D is fun for all ages, so we’re thrilled to announce our new stand-alone, drop-in game for 16+ on June 1 at 1pm. This game is great for beginners or long-lapsed players. Character sheets will be provided and a brief overview of how to play will kick off the session.

Make your reservation today and be sure to check our site often for additional dates as we confirm them.

When we started doing conventions seven years ago, our passion was fueled by seeing how board and table top games brought people together like nothing else. Over the past years, as we’ve grown to opening the brick and mortar store, we’ve also been thrilled to see the industry grow as well. It really is an exciting time to be a part of the industry.

The greater Houston area has around 6 million residents and until recently extremely few game stores to meet their needs, especially given how spread out our city is. Now, with twenty game stores in the immediate Houston area and around one hundred in the greater Houston metropolitan area, gamers have more choices in finding a store that is a good fit for them. Similarly, with all of these choices it’s easier than ever for someone just getting started to come across the game that makes their heart sing and sets them off on their very own tabletop game journey.

As of this past Tuesday, we now even have TWO game cafes. We were lucky enough to be invited to a preview event at Tea & Victory last weekend and I’m here to tell you that it’s definitely one of the new gems in Northwest Houston. The atmosphere is inviting and relaxing, and the staff are equally friendly and welcoming. They offer a variety of delicious food that nails a pub food-high tea fusion while also offering familiar American comfort foods. The tea is impeccable and they have a delightful selection of beer and wine. All of this and you have your choice of hundreds of games to rent from their diverse game library.

We haven’t made it over to Coral Sword yet, but it’s definitely on the list. Little known fact: the inspiration for GeekLife came while on a road trip listening to SModcast, which regularly features co-owner Ming Chen. Plus, we are still flattered that co-owner Hunter Pence snapped a selfie at our store, so while it would never be the same coming from us, we feel it only right to return the favor.

It’s also exciting to see how gaming culture is gaining momentum as a featured topic in mainstream media like NBC, Forbes, The Atlantic, NPR, the Washington Post, Vice, the Guardian even has an column in their Lifestyle section dedicated to board games and our own Houston Matters (41:10) is running a segment this week. Additionally, once niche sites like Geek & Sundry, Shut Up and Sit Down, and others are becoming household names and sparking conversations around the water cooler.

Part of the driving force behind this momentum is the shift in focus of many stores to being more inviting spaces and working hard to alter the stereotype of our industry. That is part of what sets GeekLife apart. We have been at the forefront of moving beyond welcoming diverse clientele, to including everyone we interact with. Inclusion is at the heart of what we do and we believe it is the way to authentically build community. It’s also a lot of fun.

Diversity and inclusion are so key to who we are, that we have taken what we learned and now teach others how to nurture their diverse communities. Last month, I was a part of SXSW Gaming where I shared best practices, tips and insight on Nurturing Diverse Communities in Gaming. I’m looking forward to sharing similar insights at Compicalooza in May and at GenCon in August. If your company or organization is interested in diversity and inclusion, please feel free to reach out, I love helping others create more inclusive spaces.

Join mom of two and owner of GeekLife, Angel Smith, for a special GeekLife story time!

For this young reader adventure, we’ll start with T is for TARDIS for the younger set

 and then we’ll read Biggest Little Hero (part 1 of 3) which is geared toward 6-8 year olds.

And be sure to stick around after story time because we’ll have craft stations set up to make and decorate Valentine’s Day mailboxes. 

The outpouring of support for Houston and surrounding areas is incredibly heartwarming. It is so wonderful to see our community pulling together to help each other out in so many different ways, large and small.

Many stores have organized supply donation drives and volunteer efforts of varying ways and GeekLife has been working on how we can contribute in our own way.

Supplies and volunteers will be crucial resources for those displaced from their homes for an indeterminate amount of time and we applaud everyone doing their part to assist those who have lost so much.

The outpouring of support has been so monumental that the large shelters have stopped accepting donations (and volunteers at some places as well). The smaller shelters throughout the region are still accepting donations, so please considering supporting them. There are many resources popping up to attempt to streamline matching the needs and resources. Here are a couple of links that you may find helpful if you are looking to get donations into the hands of those that need them.

With the necessities being so abundantly covered, we have been hesitant to organize a supply drive of our own.

I was heartbroken to learn that one of our community lost everything. The good news is that they are safe. But when trying to figure out what we could do to help, it occurred to me that that while clothing and hygiene supplies are pouring in, creature comforts will be the lowest of priority. But, these small comforts can bring some small solace in these extremely stressful times.

To that end, GeekLife will be accepting donations so that we can replace games, books and comics lost in the floods from Harvey. Payments sent via PayPal to store@shopgeeklife.com will be used to buy replacements. In the interest of transparency, anyone who donates will be given access to a drop box with screen shots of balances collected (personally-identifying info redacted) and invoices from vendors (reflecting payments made).

Anyone whose games, books or comics were destroyed, can contact us through this form.

Replacement orders will be made periodically. Do not worry about not having a place to take new items. We will put your order in once we know that you have a place to enjoy them once they arrive. We will not be able to ship replacement items, but may be able to coordinate alternate pick up if you are unable to reach the store.

The entire region has a long road to recovery ahead, but we will persevere. HoUSton Strong.

 

We will be open Wednesday, normal hours, from Noon-10pm, weather permitting.

We know cabin fever is setting in, so if it’s safe for you to join us, we look forward to seeing you! Come play and let us know how you’re doing.

Wednesday is our usual, very busy D&D night, but we will have space to play other games as well.

Friday Night Magic is on, stay tuned for details. 

We are thinking of all of our wonderful friends in the GeekLife community and hope the best for each of you. We are working on how best we can support our friends and neighbors moving forward and will keep you posted as we finalize plans. 
Today we were able to get to the store and thankfully/luckily everything is well there and in the immediate area for now.
We do not plan to open the store Tuesday and will make a determination about Wednesday soon.
Stay safe. #HoustonStrong

Due to widespread flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey, the store is closed today, Sunday, August 27.

We hope all of our friends are safe and dry and remain so.