By Ben Rodgers
Editor
DE PERE – Want to spend an afternoon as a railroad tycoon? Maybe you’d rather battle in Hogwarts. Perhaps you want to stop Cthulhu from reclaiming the universe.
Game Capital in De Pere can make these dreams come true as long as it involves a game board, dice and/or cards and a friend.
With its newly opened location on Main Avenue in De Pere, Game Capital is the newest one-stop shop for all things gaming.
“Everyone is looking for different things, and we want to be able to expand to our local community and provide a safe place for kids and adults as well,” said Jeff Wiza, who owns the store with his wife, Hilary. “There’s definitely worse things kids could be doing.”
It’s not just board games. Game Capital has an expansive inventory of collectible card games like Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Weiss Schwarz, to name a few.
Instead of opening a box and setting up the game, collectible card games require the player to build a deck and then challenge others to see who prevails.
“We mainly specialize in Pokemon,” said Jeff. “If players need singles, we have the decks and everything. We have the staff expertise to help them improve them or build from scratch as well.”
He said Game Capital is about more than getting players the tools they need to have fun by connecting them with experts and competition.
Those seeking advice on Pokemon can come to the Game Capital to chat with Cody Walinski, who took second place in the 2016 Pokemon World Championships.
There are also about a dozen experts on everything from Argent Saga, Beyblade, and anything else when a person can win.
“Our staff is pretty knowledgeable in gaming aspects,” Hilary said. “We tried to get an expert in each of our areas. So if people have questions, we can hopefully answer them.”
Building the decks is half the battle, and the other is finding opponents.
The Game Capital currently has some sort of gaming going on each day of the week.
There’s also tournaments on a regular basis, too. The store can easily accommodate more than 50 gamers.
Those who want to join a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, but lack other interested parties, can call the Game Capital and give their name to the Dungeon Master, who has a waiting list and is accepting new players. Currently he is running four campaigns.
Those whose level of enthusiasm is not as intense as for Pokemon and Dungeons and Dragons can also find fun at Game Capital.
“I myself am not into the trading cards, so I try to focus on the more muggle-friendly products in the store,” said Hilary, a self-described Ravenclaw.
Harry Potter games and other titles like Settlers of Catan, Azul and Pandemic can all be found in stock.
Plus, some can be tried before you buy with the demo program.
“We have everything from adult games like Cards Against Humanity and Choking Hazard, but now we’re trying to aim more towards younger kids and families,” Hilary said. “Games like Here Fishy Fishy and My Very First Orchard have demos out right now. Kids can interact here and parents can see. We’re hoping to hit every age group. That is our goal.”
All board game players are welcome on Sundays to try before they buy, and if they do, they receive up to 10 percent off the purchase of a new game.
The new space also allows Game Capital to showcase one of the largest collections of Funko Pops in Wisconsin. On the store’s Instagram, one is given out every Friday.
There are also party rooms available for rent.
The store will hold its grand opening Jan. 24-26.
One of the main things being unveiled with the grand opening is a membership pass that will grant holders exclusive deals throughout the upcoming year.
With nearly 1,000 new board games coming out each year, a membership pass will help keep players in the loop with new releases and special offers.
“There’s a lot more than Monopoly, Clue and Risk,” Jeff said.
For more information, visit thegamecapital.com, or find them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.