Jupiter Games

This place has been going downhill since it moved out of Vestal. Used to be a game store, now it’s a MTG store that also has some other games. The atmosphere for magic is garbage now, it’s either tons of kids running around, or the same group of smarmy grown up jerks who spend the whole game looking down on you for not playing whatever form of delver is popular this month. There’s no in between for people that just want to relax and have fun.
And I don’t know if the vents are screwed up or what but it’s freezing downstairs in the winter, and boiling hot in the summer.
Also the parking is terrible. You can either go out back in this creepy alley, or park at the meters on the street.

Most other local stores have closed, so I’ve been going here for a couple years now. They have an impressive selection that is usually very well-​maintained on the shelves and the staff is always willing to answer questions, but there’s a degree of disdain present for any who aren’t there for MTG tournaments or other gaming events. It works, but I wish Family Hobbies and Crafts hadn’t closed.

This is my new favorite gaming store. It has a huge selection of war-​games, miniatures and accessories… but I don’t really play those. The also have a descent selection of role playing books… but since everything I play is generally out of print, that’s not very exciting either (Although I admit they have or can get a surprising amount of out of print games). What is really awesome about this place is all the boardgames and card games (particularly the non-​collectible kinds). I’ve always loved the boardgames you’ve probably never heard of… and they have so many that I have never heard of!!! It’s great! They also have a large selection of Cheapass games… which for me is a defining characteristic of a good game shop.
The other good thing is, not only to they have lots of games, they let you play them! Every Friday night, they have a boardgame night where you can come down with friends or just alone and play their large collection of house owned games. Every Saturday, I believe they have MTG tournaments, and every Sunday they have Warhammer et al tourneys. As if that were not enough, you can just show up and use their tables for any sort of gaming related activity. No charge! I have a small group of fiends that show up every other weekend to play D&D. Its great! Did I say that already? Ya, but it really is.

I’ve lived in Binghamton for about four years, and was always shocked that the community didn’t support a good solid board game store. Well, now we’ve got one.
In mid August, Jupiter Games opened on the Vestal Parkway (in the Plaza with Rite Aid, across the parking lot from Olums and Staples). This is a great game store. Personally, I’m a big fan of many of the «Euro-​style» board games such as those produces by Rio Grande games. Most game stores tend to lean towards only carrying trading card games, or Miniature driven games such as Warhammer. Jupiter has a good selection of those games, but also carries a huge variety of card games, jigsaw puzzles, family games, strategic titles, and the Euro-​games that I love.
I make it a habit to visit gaming stores whenever I travel (God I’m a geek!) – and I’d stack this one up against anything that I’ve seen when I’ve traveled. They will be sponsoring tournaments, offer free wi-​fi in store, and will be holding periodic Friday night game nights. We now have an excellent resource for gamers in the area – let’s support it to keep it successful!