Where in NYC should my 15 year old online gamer visit?
September 19, 2014 1:35 AM Subscribe
I have to bring my 15 year old son to New York City with me over the Columbus Day weekend and am looking for ideas for entertaining him. He's a hard core online gamer (WoW, TF2, Smite and most other Steam games) and has little other interests right now. Is there any place in NYC– preferably Manhattan– that might be of interest to him? Are there any local hangouts where such gamers converge, maybe a shop that sells things that gamers love, or just anything, really, that a teenager gamer might find interesting?
Is he interested in board games at all? The Compleat Strategist is a great board game store, and the Uncommons is a great place to get together and play board games with friends. (Uncommons has a ton of board games you can borrow to play while you're there, or you can bring your own.)
You might also keep an eye on the NYU Game Center events calendar. They frequently have interesting talks and lectures from industry figures about video games. (I don't see anything on the schedule for Columbus Day, but maybe something will pop up.)
posted by aparrish at 5:33 AM on September 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
You might also keep an eye on the NYU Game Center events calendar. They frequently have interesting talks and lectures from industry figures about video games. (I don't see anything on the schedule for Columbus Day, but maybe something will pop up.)
posted by aparrish at 5:33 AM on September 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
There is a Dave & Busters in Times Square. Every gamer loves that place.
There is also a great classic arcade in Chinatown.
posted by Flood at 5:37 AM on September 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
There is also a great classic arcade in Chinatown.
posted by Flood at 5:37 AM on September 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
Does he like Comics? Several really great comic book stores downtown, particularly St. Mark's Comics, which is also in St. Mark's place, a wild block full of punk thrift stores, skate shops, and other stuff teens are into (so I hear)...
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:01 AM on September 19, 2014
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:01 AM on September 19, 2014
FWIW, as a self-identified gamer, I wouldn't enjoy Dave & Busters (doesn't feel like a 'true' arcade to me, and besides, there's probably one near you if you're in America) as much as the Chinatown Fair, and even still, given the types of games that your son likes, I'm not sure that the Chinatown Fair is even going to be particularly interesting to him.
I'll pile on and agree that St. Marks would likely be really cool.
posted by jangie at 6:04 AM on September 19, 2014
I'll pile on and agree that St. Marks would likely be really cool.
posted by jangie at 6:04 AM on September 19, 2014
Response by poster: No clear online gamer ideas so far, but thanks for the nibbles.
@Grither Thanks for the VGNY idea. That might be a good one. While my son did love Nintendo when he was younger, he jilted Super Mario years ago and never looked back. Nintendo holds no fascination for him anymore.
@aparrish Like Nintendo, my son left board games behind when he hit his teen years and hasn't shown any interest in them since. Thanks for the calendar suggestion. I'll check it out.
@Flood Arcades aren't his interest, sadly. We have a D&B near us and, while a nice distraction, it's always felt like Chuck E. Cheese for adults to me. I can't get enough of real arcades, however, and will check out the Chinatown Fair myself. My son, though, would probably be over in the corner on his iPad while I do.
@Potomac No, he's not the least bit interested in comics. The rare gamer who isn't. The neighborhood, however, sounds very promising. Thanks!
posted by Jamesonian at 7:09 AM on September 19, 2014
@Grither Thanks for the VGNY idea. That might be a good one. While my son did love Nintendo when he was younger, he jilted Super Mario years ago and never looked back. Nintendo holds no fascination for him anymore.
@aparrish Like Nintendo, my son left board games behind when he hit his teen years and hasn't shown any interest in them since. Thanks for the calendar suggestion. I'll check it out.
@Flood Arcades aren't his interest, sadly. We have a D&B near us and, while a nice distraction, it's always felt like Chuck E. Cheese for adults to me. I can't get enough of real arcades, however, and will check out the Chinatown Fair myself. My son, though, would probably be over in the corner on his iPad while I do.
@Potomac No, he's not the least bit interested in comics. The rare gamer who isn't. The neighborhood, however, sounds very promising. Thanks!
posted by Jamesonian at 7:09 AM on September 19, 2014
The Avengers exhibition in Times Square has some cool stuff to look at and ends with some pretty cool (though short) games to play that use motion capture. It's pricey but there are coupons online if you search a bit.
posted by Mchelly at 7:37 AM on September 19, 2014
posted by Mchelly at 7:37 AM on September 19, 2014
For a possible evening diversion, he might like Fuerza Bruta Wayra. The audience stands (and is occasionally moved around the floor) while most of the action takes place overhead. Lots of loud music, strobes, and a theme of futility, like Waiting for Godot on steroids, that my 15-year old self would have liked.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 9:47 AM on September 19, 2014
posted by Short Attention Sp at 9:47 AM on September 19, 2014
Oct 11 and 12 will be the semi-finals of League of Legends world championships. (That's a game like Smite, only bigger, with a serious pro scene.) I'd love to watch it live with a crowd of other gamers. Unfortunately I don't know how to do that in New York. The games are being played in Korea so are at awkward times for New York, and also Riot's official site for viewing parties shows nothing right now. But almost no one uses Riot's site.
If your son is at all interested in LoL, give him the task of finding a place in New York to watch. There may be a party for a rebroadcast around 1pm in New York. Reddit would be one place to start looking.
posted by Nelson at 10:27 AM on September 19, 2014
If your son is at all interested in LoL, give him the task of finding a place in New York to watch. There may be a party for a rebroadcast around 1pm in New York. Reddit would be one place to start looking.
posted by Nelson at 10:27 AM on September 19, 2014
There's a big DotA 2 (like Smite and League of Legends) live tournament on October 8 and 9 @ Madison Square Garden. If the schedule works, I think this kind of thing can be really fun, even if he hasn't had experience with that particular game.
Tournament Info.
posted by Wulfhere at 12:50 PM on September 19, 2014
Tournament Info.
posted by Wulfhere at 12:50 PM on September 19, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Grither at 3:43 AM on September 19, 2014