I was in a local comic book/table top gaming store a couple weeks ago talking to the owner about providing tickets as a prize for a Magic: The Gathering tournament. While we were chatting, a kid comes in and says it is his first time in the store. As he looks around admiring the things on sale and talking about what he would like to acquire, he mentions he just moved into town and is living at the shelter.
The first thing that popped into my mind was that if he is living at the shelter, he should be focusing on using his money for something else besides buying more Pokemon cards (his preferred game.)
A couple moments later, the 2010 Haitian earthquake came to mind. Back then one of the things that struck me was that amid all the devastation and loss people experienced, people came together and started singing. The singing didn’t help to feed anyone or clear the rubble, but it did provide a sense of community and security for people who lost so much.
In the five years since that earthquake, I often think back to that incident when people talk about how irresponsible it is to spend money on the arts and culture rather than on things like medical supplies and equipment.
But it is just as important to provide people with the opportunity to have a communal experience with others as it is to heal their bodies.
Despite all the merchandise he was admiring, the kid in the store wasn’t opening his wallet to buy anything new. He was primarily there to find a place where like minded individuals met. While buying cards may not be free, the opportunity to sit at a table and play with other people using whatever he has is free.
A lot of times what arts organizations have to offer isn’t free, some times it is. Regardless, it is important to remember that often what you are providing people goes beyond what you think you are specifically offering at that moment.
“While buying cards may not be free, the opportunity to sit at a table and play with other people using whatever he has is free.”
Most of the gaming stores around here charge for table time. In fact, the biggest one left started as primarily a table-time business and added game sales gradually.
Not the one here. I have been in there about a dozen times in the last month and the owner frequently mentions his open table periods for different games. Only the tourneys have fees. It may be because just opened in August and is building a following and isn’t too short on space on a weekly basis. (Though it is getting there.)