Wicks piled his extensive supply into a storage unit, which eventually became the opening inventory for his Friendswood store, Player 1 Video Games.
“I just started accumulating [games],” Wicks said. “Every year I’d get more and more stuff.”
About 99 percent of the store’s original stock came from Wicks’ lifelong personal collection, he said. After contemplating opening his own video game business for more than 10 years, Wicks got a vote of support from his wife in 2009 after he was laid off.
“I was at home, and she said, ‘Well, now is as good a time as any to try and open up your shop,’” Wicks said. “I said, ‘OK, let’s give it a shot.’”
Wicks said he took out all of his retirement funds in preparation of the store’s opening. After a year of gathering inventory and finding a storefront, Wicks opened Player 1 in February 2010.
Owner Mike Wicks used his lifelong video game collection to open Player 1 in 2010.[/caption]The business offers vintage video games, systems and accessories as well as items for modern gaming. Player 1 features systems as old as the Atari 2600, which is what sparked Wicks’ passion for gaming as a child in 1979.
“I hated getting up for school just like every other kid, but I’d get up an hour early before school and play the Atari,” he said. “That’s how much I loved it. Then I’d go to school and think about it all day.”
While Wicks said he still prefers playing older systems such as the Sega Genesis, he is glad he experienced an evolution of video games throughout his lifetime.
“It’s a cool progression to see from the start of games all the way to what [they] are now,” Wicks said. “I have an appreciation for everything. I wasn’t born with [high-definition] graphics.”
Player 1 accepts used video games and systems for trade or cash. Wicks said he prices items based on market value and the local supply and demand.
“We try to be comparable to online [pricing],” Wicks said. “We know that you can get anything in the store, just about, online. We understand that, and we try to be as competitive as we can.”
Player 1 Video Games
101 W. Parkwood Ave., Friendswood 281-992-4263
Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.,
Sun. noon-6 p.m.
www.player1videogames.com
