Organized Play: Has Gaming Come to Knoxville?

Organized Play 131 S. Central, Old City, Knoxville, 2012

I've not been big on games since the days of the distant past when I would convince my younger brother he should sell me all his property when we played Monopoly. In the years since I've mostly played the occasional late-night domino game with my father and a pretty steady stream of chess online and, in recent years, with Urban Son-in-Law. I predate most of the computer game era, so that doesn't hold a great attraction for me.

Attractive displays in Organized Play, Knoxville

I first noticed and took a quick walk through Organized Play when it was located at 221Cumberland Avenue just east of Gay Street in, what I'm told, was previously the space inhabited by Deka Bakari Gallery. It wasn't so much my sort of thing. I haven't collected comics in many years and computer games and Dungeons and Dragons never caught my interest.

















Once I began writing this blog I've tried to think in larger terms than my own narrow interests and I've taken a second look at things that didn't so much interest me before. Organized Play took its comic books, graphic novels, computer and board games and moved to the Old City where you will find them at 131 S. Central Street with expanded hours from their previous incarnation.

Morgan Hardy, Organized Play, Old City, Knoxville

Owner Morgan Hardy will likely greet you at the door and offer to help you find what you are looking for. He tells me the the Old City is a good fit for his business which seems to attract a younger audience. It includes the aforementioned items and games such as Warhammer, which seems to be quite the thing and many other games both new and traditional. Wednesday appears to be release day for new comics, so you can get them while they are hot.

Games new and traditional

It's not unusual to walk by late in an evening and see a group gathered around a table playing an elaborate board game, faces intense and concentration obvious. There are worse things we could all do than play games with friends new and old around a table. Of course, Preservation Pub also hosts trivia games and Rita's on the square has board games often in use. Maybe we've become a gaming town. Go by and meet Morgan and buy yourself a game for these long winter nights.

This weekend there are four events built around the pre-release of Dark Ascension. I do not have any idea what that means, but if you do, there is probably an event for you this weekend. I'll just take a little pleasure in knowing that on a cold snowy night if I get the jones for a good game of monopoly, I know where I can buy the game right here in our little city.