The Game Manufacturers Association has announced Game Store Day. This new event by the influential trade organization is part of a new initiative to support retail stores within the FLGS community and help promote the social aspects of the board game hobby.
The Game Store Day Event Announcement
According to a recent report, the Game Manufacturers Association has announced the new Game Store Day annual event will begin November 1, 2025. Retailers can register for this event on GAMA's website, which will include marketing and promotional materials as well prizes. Among those prizes are Origins Family Passes, which are good for four full badges to Origins Game Fair.
The choice to have Game Store Day close to November was a strategic one. According to the official Game Store Day website, GAMA was inspired by similar events like Independent Bookstore Day, Record Store Day, and the American Library Association's International Gaes Month.
“Game Store Day was created to spotlight and support our retail game store members while establishing a day for the industry to celebrate the joy of playing games," said GAMA Executive Director John Stacy about the event. "Timed with the American Library Association’s International Games Month and the start of the holiday shopping season, it’s a meaningful way to bring communities together and champion local game stores as cultural hubs.”
This elevation of the tabletop hobby and of FLGS communities is an extension of GAMA code of conduct. The non-profit organization has helped enrich marginalized tabletop creatives through their GAMA Horizons Fellowship program, curating their community by suspending bad actors like alt-right grifter Jon Del Arroz, and fighting for the health of the tabletop industry by filing lawsuits against unlawful tariffs.
At time of writing, it is unclear how structured the Game Store Day annual event will be. Given that most hobby stores tend to accommodate to either Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, or Warhammer 40,000, there's a chance one of those games can serve as a tentpole. Either way, the attempt to highlight the joy of playing in-person at a table is an admirable one.
