Introducing the Game Have Guild App!

Local Game Stores deserve better tools to create our favorite hangout spaces.

I was frustrated having to jump between different social media platforms, websites and forums to keep up with the games I love playing and the places I loved playing them. And that led to the original thought behind Game Haven Guild. 

So we started a podcast interviewing store owners, game designers, publishers and others in the industry trying to figure out how we could help people play more games, and we found a gap in the industry we started to explore.

As the internet moves away from showing you what you want to what the algorithm wants you to see, we thought about how we can capture some of the positive parts of the internet while helping local game stores build stronger communities.  

So this is how it all works: when you create an account, you are asked to add favorite games and game categories. We use that to filter content for news, announcements, events and matchmaking games to specifically what you like. 

When you follow a store, their announcements will always show up on your feed. You can also see their calendar and sign up to attend events and games they are hosting. If you have a question, you can message the store directly.

If you’re looking for a group or another individual to play with, you can set up a matchmaking session at the store.

And bigger than just the stores you follow, You can choose to see more news, events and game sessions around you with the local filter.

If you’re visiting a new area, you can search that area and find local events.

And while you can earn different avatars by completing games and tournaments, the check-in feature is the heart of this system.

Every time you go into a store, check-in with your Game Haven Guild app. Doing that helps you in two ways: it can enter you into a game haven guild drawing where you can win things like magic the gathering bundles or warhammer 40k bundles. But it also shares your game interests with the store.

Wait - did I just say you share information with the store? Yes, but let me explain.

Stores are constantly trying to build up their communities, but that comes with various risks and real costs. Do they stock inventory for a game or not? Do they host events? Do they discontinue a product? They know what you buy in store, but they don’t know everything you are interested in.

We do not share ANY identifiable information with stores. We do share anonymous date on your games so game stores can learn about what games everyone is interested in and playing, they can help keep their inventory fresh and their events focused on what people want to play.

We aim to be upfront about decisions being made including how we plan to generate revenue in the future.  Right now, our focus is on building something meaningful to the community with the promise of transparency and accountability.

With the app now available on Android and Apple, our focus is on building a community and gathering feedback on what we can do to improve.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, let your local game stores know if free to register and we look forward to seeing you across the table at your local game store!