Ahh, the video game store. Things have changed over the years. Today, you can get your games from the predictable big box chains, stop at the one and only video game store chain left, or if you're very lucky, hit up your local independent video game shop. But in the before time, the old days, back in the Ferg, there was a video game store chain that landed somewhere in-between the typical corporate retail and local game shop experience. That chain was FuncoLand, and while one could argue that their particular brand of fun couldn't exist in today's climate, they're still pretty sorely missed.

My first job was selling benches. It was absurdly boring. However, that job didn't last long, because the store manager of my local FuncoLand saw fit to lie about my age and hire me at the ripe young age of 15, because I loved being in his store that much. I was never unhappy to be there. Even when dealing with the worst customers imaginable, all I had to do was turn around and look at the giant wall of NES games behind me and I would be at peace. I saw so many amazing games come in and out of that place. It's where I was fortunate enough to buy the bulk of my Sega Saturn collection, including games like Burning Rangers, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and Shining Force III for *gasp* reasonable prices! I picked up Bubble Bobble Part 2 with the manual for a couple of bucks. My friends bought me nearly 100 copies of Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt and around 40 Zapper guns for my birthday one year as a gag-gift because they all sold for 10 cents a piece. Of course, I also passed on buying dozens of complete copies of EarthBound, Suikoden, and other rarities citing that I would "buy it later." You can't win them all.

The Dreamcast launch at FuncoLand is still by far the most fun console launch I've ever experienced.

Most importantly though, FuncoLand rests in my memory as the prime example of the brilliantly interesting time in video games before the internet. Buying new games hasn't changed all that much, aside from the constant nagging about preorders, but the used game amrket was very different. This was before eBay was a thing, so video game prices hadn't spiraled out of control yet because the collectors market was just that; a market for collectors. There weren't people buying up lots with the sole purpose of flipping them on high auctions. Games like Little Samson were slightly more expensive than others for no reason other than that there were fewer of them out there. Actual rarity meant something, and price gouging was not yet a thing. I remember being completely up front with our customers about their trade-in values, not just because it was what I thought was the right thing to do, but because that was the corporate policy. "Friendliness and honesty are what we strive to perfect" was the company motto. No lie, there was a little plastic trophy-looking thing behind the counter that had that written on it in every store. And it was because of that motto that customers loved coming back. We were commissioned salesmen, but we never benefited by selling the wrong thing to people. We made money off of cleaning kits and Fun Club memberships, both of which were great things to have. The sales goals and expectations were never crushing. It was almost always a pleasant place to be.

Once a month, the new FuncoLand price sheets would arrive. Those were the best of times.

Not too long after I climbed the ladder to become Store Manager, another company bought FuncoLand, and things went downhill fast. It very quickly became apparent just how replaceable everyone was, and how much more important hitting goals was than actual customer satisfaction. Said parent company bought out nearly every other video game store chain out there as well, and now we have the ecosystem we have today. Don't get me wrong, I still like to take a walk in these stores when I pass them, but I honestly can't remember the last time I saw a truly happy person inside one, in front of or behind the register.

So, the good old days may be behind us, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of good times still to be had. Local game shops that focus on retro games have been finding success all over the country, and have been doing an excellent job of filling the void left by FuncoLand's unfortunate demise. Because of this, it's oh-so important to support your local game shops. If you look around, I'm sure they're there. They may not have super-cool newspaper price guides like the Funco of old, but I suppose nobody's perfect.