Gateway Games & Hobby
Location: 235 E. Washington St., Sequim
Phone: 683-8534
Hours: Daily, noon-8 p.m.
Since first playing Dungeons & Dragons when he was a grade-schooler in the early 1970s, Chris Francis has been hooked on games.
Over the next three decades, as the gaming world expanded, do did his expertise. Now at 43 and the owner of Gateway Games & Hobby in Sequim, Francis’ enthusiasm for table top games is only exceeded by his knowledge, right down to quoting play descriptions of several games, chapter and verse.
Francis moved to Sequim from San Diego, Calif., about a year ago and frequented two of the game/hobby stores in Port Angeles but his style was different.
“I’m more into miniature table top war gaming as a hobby that has three parts: collecting/treasure hunting, artistic and the social aspect,” he said.
Francis explained that war games can be sci-fi fantasy or historically based, like the Beaches at Normandy, and each game comes with its own unassembled characters — some with up to 20 pieces per figure — that gamers put together as 3-D models and paint by hand. Once battle ready, the pieces are played on themed flat topographic scenario mats and follow the game’s rules.
Gateway Games also carries hobby supplies such as paint, brushes and tools and provides advice and space for miniature war game crafters.
“Essentially, it’s a complicated version of chess — each character has different abilities and can do different things. The nice thing about it even though they’re war games, is the players aren’t violent because they understand the difference between fantasy and reality. Unlike online videos, they have to ‘play nice’ with each other,” Francis said. “It’s fun to watch their enthusiasm for it, the playing interaction and that they’re helping each other learn. There are a lot of rules in games — some are easy and some games are for gamers.”
Francis said he prefers table top games over online video games because “once you own it, you own it and you can play it any way you want to.”
He noted there are tens of thousands of board games that have been created worldwide, some 60-70 years old — and they all have something in common — they’re good for your brain at any age.
“It’s human interaction — I want to bring board games back because gaming helps keep your brain thinking. It’s so easy to get shut down today in our society. Even just a little bit of strategy in a game forces you to use your brain … it’s a critical thinking exercise,” Francis said.
For families and groups of friends, the store sells board games, card games, “Monopolyesque” games, resource management games, storytelling games, role playing games and ones that employ numbers, words and trivia.
“Wits and Wagers is a board game like the ‘Price Is Right’ disguised as an educational tool,” Francis said. “One game, Forbidden Island, received an award from Mensa — some of them are very in depth. There also are bluffing games — how good is your poker face?”
And yes, Francis chuckled, there are adult-only games where players “have to have a warped sense of humor.”
Obviously, Francis wants to sell merchandise since the store opened on Halloween but he also wants to provide a service.
“There’s not much open at night in Sequim so part of my plan is to have leagues and tournaments going on with some games to give people something to look forward to during the week,” Francis explained.
“I have some open copies of games for people to learn games and a family game night. You can bring in your own games and play, too. I’m trying to get this place to be a place to go that’s clean and safe, where you wouldn’t be afraid to have your kids here.”
Francis shared more of his philosophy on the benefits of playing board games.
“The thing with gaming here is when it’s dark and cold, it gives you something to do when you’re hibernating at home. You sit around a table with friends and family and it brings people back talking with each other,” he said.
“As kids, we have incredible imaginations and as we grow up, school tightens our imagination and then with jobs or the military, our imagination is diminished more. By playing games and having hobbies, that allows you permission to keep that imagination going — that sense of fun comes back and you allow yourself to be silly.”
Games calendar
Gateway Games & Hobby, at 235 E. Washington St., is open from noon-8 p.m. daily.
Mondays — Dread Ball, family game night and learn to play night
Tuesdays — Watercolor classes from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 6-8:30 p.m. by Myrna Martin
Wednesdays — 6-8 p.m. miniature war game Malifaux
Thursdays — Hobby night for painting models
Fridays — An acrylics class from 9:30 a.m.-noon by B.Z. Zamora; board game Magic: The Gathering
Saturdays — 1-4 p.m. Dungeons & Dragons; 4-8 p.m. WarMachine
Sundays — noon-4 p.m. Star Wars and War Hammer.
