Playing in New York City’s gamer paradise

Morningside Heights is limited in the number of hot spots in which gamers can congregate, trade, and talk about games, but the East Village is definitely chock full of places for gamers to explore and meet other gamers. The two big locales in the East Village are Spectator favorite Video Games New York on 202 E. Sixth St. and fast-growing video game powerhouse Play N Trade Video Games on 137 E. 13th St. On top of that, the East Village’s proximity to Chinatown offers an even greater variety of gamer-friendly hangouts in the area, including J&L Game Trading and Elizabeth Center.

Video Games New York (videogamesnewyork.com) has pretty much anything you could ask for—popular games, games from before you were born, wacky games from overseas, and everything else. They usually get stuff in early, their stock is huge, and they restock quickly. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and suitably nerdy for a video-gaming hot spot. Visitors can tell that the clerk behind the counter can tell the difference between classic Street Fighter and King of Fighters, and, providing the clerk is having a bad day and he or she can’t, surely someone else in the store can. Frequently hosted tournaments and launch events attract the gaming illuminati from around the city, and its noteworthiness has made it a veritable mecca for traveling gamers. The store is also looking to further integrate itself in the gaming community by promoting the development and distribution of indie games, a movement that has many gamers excited

Video Games New York is not the only gaming epicenter in the East Village, though: Play N Trade Video Games (getreadytogame.com) offers almost everything Video Games New York offers often at lower prices, and, comparatively, they offer very fair trade-in values for used games. Like some of the other stores in the area, they also do console repairs (and other hardware “augmentation”) right on premises and with great turnaround times. They’re also great for private parties and they sometimes host gaming leagues. Like the competition they host, Play N Trade is a fierce competitor that is gaining notoriety for its great catalog of games.

Located closer to Chinatown are J&L Game Trading at 28 Elizabeth St. and the Elizabeth Center across the street—they’re both remarkable for their enormous selections, though prices can be pretty steep.

No gamer can really go wrong with any of these stores—thinking about them makes me wish one would relocate to Morningside Heights. But, since Columbians do enjoy not being kicked out, it’s probably for the best that there’s some distance between the two neighborhoods.