There are people who love poker and all the various ways it can be played, and that’s fine for those who lack imagination and a sense of whimsy.
Now, if you want to show what you’re really made of, pick up a deck or 20 of Magic: The Gathering cards and play one of its many iterations. Mike Becze and Sean Carey have the place for you in Mythic Monster, their game room and collectibles store.
Lifelong friends, Carey and Becze, originally from Griffith, got into gaming when they were kids and never stopped. When another friend of theirs opened up a gaming/collectibles store in Lafayette, the two – who in real life work as a social worker and restaurant server, respectively – found their dream job and wanted to bring the experience to Northwest Indiana.
They opened the last week of November, and because of their store’s popularity, they went from a beginner-level in the Magic: The Gathering sales world to the second-highest level in just five months. With that kind of cred, they’ll be able to host national events much quicker than they thought, Becze, 30, said.
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So far, they’ve had groups of 50 people come in to play such games as Legends of the Five Rings, and soon, they’ll even start a Pokemon trading card course for younger gamers.
But gaming is not just for the nerdy kids who like to wear robes and play Dungeons and Dragons. In fact, Becze bristles at the thought that anyone would relegate games to such a basic stereotype.
“We get people in here from 15 to 50, dads and sons, boyfriends and girlfriends, kids,” Becze said while playing a less-formal variant of Magic: The Gathering with John Harris and John Sandona. “One of the strong points of the store is that we’re inclusive, so we try to make it so everyone feels comfortable.”
If a little passionate; Tuesday nights, for example, are “N00b Nights” at the store, and they’re not for the faint of heart.
“Those are some pretty intense games,” Becze said as Harris and Sandona nodded.
Playing these games can be a costly endeavor, which is why Becze and Carey carry common and uncommon cards at all price points, from 15 cents to $175 for those who really want to feed their jones. People can purchase game sets, too.
That might sound like a frivolous expense, but Becze can think of worse things one which to drop your cash.
“It’s an investment, sure, but I look at it this way: You can go to the bar and drop $60 on your tab and have absolutely nothing to show for it, or you can drop $80 on a card and be able to play with it forever,” he said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance writer.
Mythic Monster Gaming
9501 Indianapolis Blvd., Highland
Noon to 10 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday; noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Monday
Free admission, but cost varies for tournaments, classes
219-595-2231 or mythicmonstergaming.com facebook.com/mythicmonster