Chaos Games: A North Dakota Game Store

Joseph Hurt began playing Magic: The Gathering in 2001 with the set Odyssey. Although he had a break from the game that lasted about 12 years, he picked it back up in 2013/2014. Before becoming the owner of his own store, he worked in a game store specializing in video games. However, in 2015, he would start his journey selling cards as a “backpack warrior.” As Joe puts it, he experimented with buying collections and online selling, where he was seeing 10-20% margins. After accumulating enough capital, Chaos Games opened in mid-May of 2017 in Minot, North Dakota, near an Air Force base. Joe says his initial $27,000 in capital “has grown massively.” Moreover, it’s one of only two stores in Minot, according to Wizards of the Coast Store & Events Locator.

Before Chaos Games existed, Joe says he was mostly a kitchen table Magic player. That said, while operating at a previous game store, Gorilla Games, is where the competitive gaming bug hit him. For Joe, the Magic format, Legacy, was and is a big interest of his. In his words, the format is “the pinnacle [of] efficiency [in] Magic”, and he likes the way the format operates.

Chaos Games Opens As “Backpack Warrior Days Conclude”

Chaos Games started a block east of its current location. However, they do see a rotating player base every six months to a year. Moreover, he had the opportunity to purchase the building one road over from his current location. That said, Joe owns the current building of his store, and he says it’s a benefit. Upon opening Chaos Games, he worked full-time six days a week, 12-16 hours a day. He said this would last the first 2 to 2.5 years, and he did everything at the store. These days, he has three full-timers to help alleviate some of the workload. With help in hand, Joe’s primary responsibilities involve managing inventory, payroll, large trade-ins, and the overall “big picture” processes. When considering the financial details, he’ll oversee $40,000 in retail and $20,000 in payouts.

Although Joe enjoys playing Magic: The Gathering, he wants to be efficient as the owner of a game store. What did that ultimately mean for Joe? He could no longer be a Magic player with customers piling up to check out at the register.

That said, Joe enjoys running his shop. He says, “If it becomes a job, you’re probably failing even if you don’t realize you’re failing.” To ensure smooth day-to-day operations, Joe creates a plan each week that enables his employees to run the store. Therefore, he focuses on the online store and the second Bismarck location.

A Second Location Emerges From Previous Connections

The formation of the Bismarck location is something that has been in Joe’s plans for a while. In fact, he says it dates back to his days as a “backpack warrior.” Furthermore, Joe has been in contact with customers in the area and building relationships with Legacy and Warhammer 40,000 players.

From the singles collections acquired, Joe has spent $75,000 to $100,000. Despite the cost, revenue from online sales by itself pays for his employees. He notes it will also cover the monthly rent for the Bismarck store. Joe credits his experience working at the previous game store for providing the fundamentals. However, it lacked lessons regarding payroll and accounting. Still, regarding the staff, he has to know how to do everything at Chaos Games in case an employee leaves.

The Positives, The Opportunities, and The Future

As a business, one of the things Joe feels Chaos Games does well is community engagement. Furthermore, he says it’s important to know what’s selling versus what isn’t. He says categorizing is very important from a point-of-sales perspective. In fact, Joe feels that they have a monopoly in Minot regarding gaming. On the contrary, he would like to improve their inventory management, which he says will require more employees to assist. Ideally, Joe says he would like four to five full-time employees and two to three part-timers. Additionally, he feels advertising is the weakest area for Chaos Games. To counteract that, he hired a local media company for $750 per month.

Looking towards the future of Chaos Games, Joe would like to develop a used video game section. Furthermore, he’d like to retire at 50-55 years old, and he’s putting things in place now to make that happen. Joe sums it up by sharing that when running a game store, “mastering work/life balance” is his goal.

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