New Faces

This week, the toy store held a bunch of unfamiliar faces. I typically go on Friday’s or Saturday’s, but this week I decided to go on a Wednesday. There were some of the people who were regulars on the weekend, such as Star Lord, Rocket, Van Winkle, and of course Mr. Piccolo; the rest were people I did not know. There were 6 people sitting at the tables that either Star Lord, Rocket, or I knew. Mr. Piccolo and Van Winkle seemed to know them, but that probably is because they were playing with them. The unfamiliar group consisted of guys who appeared to be in their late teens. I assume that most of them were seniors in high school or were in college. The 6 guys, Mr. Piccolo, and Van Winkle were all playing Dungeons and Dragons, while Star Lord, Rocket, and I sat on the opposite store.

The new group of guys, or Group B as I am calling them in my head, are very loud and different from the regular group that I am use to. None of the guys from Group B talked to Star Lord, Rocket, or I. They were too wrapped up in their game to really notice us. The difference in age between the two groups could account for how well each of the groups knew how to play games. The group I am regularly with have been playing games since they were teenagers. A majority of them are now in their thirties. Group B seems to have barely started to play games.

As the night goes on, people begin to leave the toy store. Rocket and Van Winkle each leave for different reasons. Some members of Group B also begin to leave. Soon, it is only Star Lord, Mr. Piccolo, a few people from Group B, and I that are left in the toy store. Star Lord wants to play some hero clix because that is one of the main reasons he came to the toy store. The guys from Group B do not know what hero clix, and they seem interested in it once Star Lord explained what it was. Group B bought some boosters to learn how to play. Star Lord and Mr. Piccolo would be the ones to teach Group B how to play while I would just observe.

The way Star Lord and Mr. Piccolo decided to teach Group B was to build them a simple team, and they would not use any of the special powers on the dial. Group B seemed to understand it pretty well, but the game they were playing was very simple and nothing compared to what I have witnessed from the other good players at the toy store. After the game was over, Star Lord explained that strategy is involved in this game. He used different teams he has built as examples of what you can do in this game. Hearing this explanation shows that people are capable of learning critical thinking skills through these kinds of games. The people who come to this toy store are not wasting their time by playing silly games. They are working their brain muscles while having fun with their friends and making new friends.