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Role-playing games have their day at west Toledo game shop

Game enthusiasts and comic fans got together at the Toledo Game Room on Sylvania Ave. on Saturday for a day of fun and comradery.

TOLEDO, Ohio — Saturday was Board Game Demo Day at the Toledo Game Room in west Toledo.

Game enthusiasts filled up the store playing games they've never seen before, met some new friends, and supported a local business all at the same time.

The store’s goal is to get the community out and about – and one thing everyone agrees on: this event brings the gaming community closer together.

“Today is our 8th-ish annual board game demo day because we had to skip because of COVID,” said KC Horner, manager at the store. “We have companies, we have people from all around the community that come in, showing people how to play games that they enjoy. We also have comic book people here doing signings. The entire store is full of people.”

One of those comic book artists is Kelci Crawford.

Crawford creates all-ages stories with LGBTQ protagonists for Fantasyville Productions.

She says there is a strong connection between comic books and role-playing games.

“I was like, "Why not showcase at Board Game Demo Day?' It only makes sense. You get to support local artists and local game developers, so that alone is pretty neat,” said Crawford. “But it's also a really nice way to build a sense of community because you can get together with other game players and game creators, and not only do you get to talk shop, but you can also be like, 'Oh, you play that game too? Sweet, how about we play a session together.’”

Horner says Board Game Demo Day is a great way for people to get out of the house and meet up with like-minded people after the pandemic kept people homebound.

“You know, it got really easy to just sit at home and play games with your friends, sit on the computer and things like that. This helps get the community back together. It gives them a chance to get outside, play some new games and meet some new people as opposed to being stuck at home all the time,” said Horner.

The Toledo Game Room is located at 3001 W. Sylvania Ave.

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