I have seen two game stores in my city run by catpissmen (now closed down), but have seen more that are not run by catpissmen and yet allow catpissmen to be regular customers that hang out there because they spend money. I think that having a catpissman customer friendly environment is more damaging to the gaming community than not.

When I was in college, there was a game store that I used to frequent that had a huge table for miniatures battles.  Not just 40k stuff, but the Napoleonic tin soldier battles.  On Saturdays, there would be men in their 50s playing those miniatures battles, and every so often they'd yell at a kid who happened to come within five feet of the table to see what was going on.  Now, it's one thing if a kid was screwing around or the table was flimsy, but the thing was built like a tank; the owners would walk on top of it to change the fluorescent lights that hung above it.  And kids became scared to death of those guys, and stopped going to the store.

The place was located near a movie theater as well as a major highway, so you'd think that there wouldn't be much of a problem with traffic, but by the time I left college the place was empty save for the greybeards.  I heard the place closed down in the mid-90s, and I wasn't surprised.

As for catpiss men, I had no direct contact with any at a game store, but I knew of some women who wouldn't go to certain game stores because the clientele and clerks would spend time talking to their chests instead of themselves.  The game stores I go to these days don't have those issues, or at least any that I hear of.

Where I've seen idiotic behavior in the past was at the gaming table, especially back in college, when I was first exposed to the misogynist/creepy/assholish gamer.

Quote from: jeff37923;661994I have seen two game stores in my city run by catpissmen (now closed down), but have seen more that are not run by catpissmen and yet allow catpissmen to be regular customers that hang out there because they spend money. I think that having a catpissman customer friendly environment is more damaging to the gaming community than not.

Agreed.  People who don't order online will see the catpissmen at these places and say "THESE are the people who play these games?  Why the fuck would I want to be associated with THESE assholes?"

I have seen stores like the one you describe but also been to plenty that were great. I think the owner really sets the tone. Game stores are popular hangouts for gamers in high school and their early 20s, and if the store owner lets them run wild (whether they are patrons or employees) they will. This is true of any establishment that hires lots of young people. A few bad experiences like your has led my wife to be very cautious of game and comic stores. We still go. Her biggest problem are the gawkers, who in most cases I think don't realize what they are doing but it makes her uncomfortable. The bottom line is every store has its own atmosphere and you should find one that feels right for you.

However, if an employee is discussing his penis size and gets louder and closer when you indicate your discomfort, you ought to complain to the owner. He or she may not be aware and that sort of behavior is unacceptable in any business. The person should be fired.

Quote from: jeff37923;661994I have seen two game stores in my city run by catpissmen (now closed down), but have seen more that are not run by catpissmen and yet allow catpissmen to be regular customers that hang out there because they spend money. I think that having a catpissman customer friendly environment is more damaging to the gaming community than not.

This is most definitely true. Even at the store I prefer where the owner is a great guy there are just enough cat piss men or loud and obnoxious teens to be off putting to someone who might just walk in off the street. I understand that with a market that small one can't be too picky with who they let spend their money, but I often wonder how many people CPM and the like drive away. Besides my wife I have several friends that would game at my place but have no desire to be anywhere near a game store.

I just don't understand why people put up with that kind of thing, I have asked people not to come back to my table several times for reasons ranging from behavior to this fucker refuses to shower. I think the gaming community would be better in some respects if we were a bit less tolerant and a bit more confrontational.

A question for those who were around in the early days, are CPM and weirdos a thing in the gaming community at the time? If so how prevalent? I am sure like now it depended on the area, but I am curious as I took my step father to a FLGS once and he remarked that the scene was a lot different than it was 30 years ago when he was in college.

Quote from: Killfuck Soulshitter;661867Strange how we run into catpissmen in real life, but no forum regulars ever fit into that category.

I'm allergic to cats, so it's not me.

Quote from: Black Vulmea;662024I'm allergic to cats, so it's not me.

Yeah, I don't like cats or the smells they produce, plus my wife is allergic, so no cats here either.

Quote from: Arkansan;662020A question for those who were around in the early days, are CPM and weirdos a thing in the gaming community at the time? If so how prevalent? I am sure like now it depended on the area, but I am curious as I took my step father to a FLGS once and he remarked that the scene was a lot different than it was 30 years ago when he was in college.

Back in the day, the "catpissmen" I came across were typically other students living in the dorms, who didn't pay any attention to hygiene.  They hardly ever went to class and spent most of their time doing things like:

- playing video games all day
- playing chess all day
- playing D&D all day
- hanging out at the arcade all the time
- heavily drinking every day
- etc ...

(I didn't really go to gaming stores at the time).

Quote from: danbuter;661857I've been to one good gamestore (in King of Prussia). Every other game store has had at least a few bad apples (or just general cluelessness, like the store playing hardcore punk with swearing every other word).

Sounds like my kind of store.

I haven't been in a gaming store in about fifteen years. Can't say as I miss them.

Quote from: Zak S;661891Tell me the name of this store, this is where me and the girls wanna shop from now on.

Nothing wrong with hardcore punk, but expecting all your customers to like it? Thats social retard behavior.

Quote from: Fiasco;662060Nothing wrong with hardcore punk, but expecting all your customers to like it? Thats social retard behavior.

Or it's saying you're not their customer.

Quote from: Arkansan;662020A question for those who were around in the early days, are CPM and weirdos a thing in the gaming community at the time? If so how prevalent? I am sure like now it depended on the area, but I am curious as I took my step father to a FLGS once and he remarked that the scene was a lot different than it was 30 years ago when he was in college.

To varying degrees, yes. The best stocked shop here in Orange County in the early 80s was Bob's Comics. The only person greasier, smellier and creepier than the owner was his wife, who make people nausesous to look at (seriously). It's long gone now, of course. The best run game store then and now is Brookhurst Hobbies, who have never had roleplaying stuff as the majority of their inventory (they've always been big on scale models, and despite a very large retail shop, do most of their business by mail order, or so I'm told). Very professional.

We did have a guy at Cal State Fullerton who nearly got us kicked out when he decided he couldn't drink water out of a water fountain like a human being, and started splashing it in to his mouth with his hand. He would leave, literally, several gallons of water on the floor. Stopped coming by shortly after that, when he realized nobody would allow him in a game. The most disturbing thing was that somebody spotted him in a local pizza place - as an employee. (Several years later, I was in Game Castle, talking to a friend about him. Neither of us mentioned his name. A complete stranger, that neither of us had ever seen before, come up and asked "Are you talking about a guy named XXXXX?" He was famous.)

Quote from: ggroy;662053Back in the day, the "catpissmen" I came across were typically other students living in the dorms, who didn't pay any attention to hygiene.  They hardly ever went to class and spent most of their time doing things like:

The only time it was really bad was at local gaming cons, and that only the 2nd or 3rd day. Mostly, it was kids too broke (or cheap) to get a room, and too obsessed with the games to go home at night. They'd play for 24+ hours straight, then sleep in their car (or under a table in the open gaming room) for a few hours.

Quote from: Fiasco;662060Nothing wrong with hardcore punk, but expecting all your customers to like it? Thats social retard behavior.

There's no music that doesn't annoy somebody. And no music annoys people, too, except they're not really sure why.