3D Games is a Great Place for Gamers, Old and New

An edited 3D Games logo. (Farmington 3D Games website).

February 16, 2024

Zach Myers, Journalism Club Member

The great thing about UMF is that it is connected to many local restaurants/shops in Farmington. One of those shops is called 3D Games, which is about a five minute walk from campus. This is not an ordinary video game store like Gamestop,  there are many more games  there than the recent video games, but what else does this place have to offer?

Right when you walk in the store, on the left, you will see an assortment of the most popular games ranging from new prices ($60+), used games but still relatively recent ( $35-$45), and some games from about 6 years ago that are as cheap as $5. If you keep walking down that side, there is a continued assortment of video games from consoles ranging from the Nintendo DS to the Xbox 360 and many others at varying prices depending on the age of the game. On the display walls, there are varying character figurines of many different TV shows and movies. There are even some old-school arcade games for younger people who still fancy the arcade or for the older population who want to reminisce on the good old days.

Near the middle of the store, in front and behind the register, there are different assortments of video games and other materials. In front and closest to the door is the start of a line of many old Nintendo/Xbox Games, namely from the Wii or Wii U. Going to the register will allow you to see a display case full of trading cards from Pokemon, Yu Gi Oh, and Magic The Gathering. These will be either individual singles or packs to open. On the counters, there may be more of the same or top loaders or binders to put your cards in. They even sell candy/snacks near the checkout counter.

The right of the store is where most of the vintage or older-modern games/collectibles lie. It starts with more selections of older Wii/Wii U games and as you keep going, you will see a whole host of Funko! Pop Figures. Most are from various TV Shows and anime such as Stranger Things with the occasional athlete figure. Similar to what you would see on the left side of the store there are some character figurines with the occasional musical item, like a guitar or stereo player. 

The more vintage pieces are farther down that aisle where there are loads of 1990s to early 2010s video games. A lot of the pieces are sports games, such as old MLB The Show or NCAA Football, but there are other cartridge style games like Pac Man from 1994 SNES. A lot of the games on those shelves are very cheap, ranging between $4 and $20. The farthest corner of the right side has a whole host of value cards of Yu Gi Oh, Pokemon, and Magic The Gathering, with boxes ranging from 3 cards for $1 to price as marked. And to keep a continuing theme going, there are more old-school arcade games, the most notable one being Pac-Man.

In the age of video game stores becoming obsolete due to being able to download games online, it is a refreshing site to see stores like 3D Games. What sets it apart from other stores though is the variety, from old to new video games. There are also several other options that are not usually available in most modern video game stores, including the figurines, equipment, and vintage materials. 

I believe that it appeals to people old and new because there are options for people who are interested in so many things. If you like to play the new video games, they have it or if you want to play vintage arcade games, they have that too. I personally have used the store to build a collection of older sports video games. I highly recommend for any and all to visit the store, even if you are not into video games, there might be something there for you.