Photo courtesy Game Together MKE
Gaming lounge at Game Together MKE
Gaming lounge at Game Together MKE
Like many of his generation, Steven Barron, now 40 years old, has a fond memory of receiving a Nintendo Entertainment System as a Christmas gift in the mid-1980s. He became an avid gamer, his favorites being The Legend of Zelda and the Super Metroid.
“I like to sit down and play through those two games every year,” Barron says. He also has fond memories of college, hosting all night gaming parties, fueled by soda and junk food. There are now generations of people like him, looking for the favorite games of their youth, from Atari to Nintendo GameCube.
Barron has channeled that love into his own store, Game Together MKE, which he recently opened in Greenfield. An EBay seller, Barron stockpiled inventory for the last five years. In addition to selling classic games from Nintendo, Sony, and Sega, the store sells vintage computers, action figures, T-shirts, and other memorabilia.
Photo courtesy Game Together MKE
Video games at Game Together MKE
Video games at Game Together MKE
But the heart of the business are the gaming lounges. Here, gamers can play everything from Donkey Kong to new hits like Rocket League, the latter one of the games available to play in a room filled with custom made PCs. “I have a 14-year-old son, he’s probably going to live back there,” Barron laughs.
All of the games in the lounges are free to play. Barron buys used games from all systems, so the lounges provide something sellers can do while their games are being evaluated—prices vary depending on what shape the games are, if they have the original packaging, and how rare they are.
More importantly, Barron says, the gaming lounges provide a place where people can play and try out games together, like he and his friends used to do.
Photo courtesy Game Together MKE
Game Together MKE
Steven Barron with customers at Game Together MKE
“A big thing missing in the gaming community is there’s no place to go and game together,” Barron says. “Just being together in person and having that camaraderie, it’s more fun than sitting online with a headset. We’re trying to build that here.”
Game Together MKE is located at 4635 S. 108th St. in Greenfield. Hours and more info can be found at gametogethermke.com.
