Planet Games Keeps Gaming Globe Spinning

Planet Games of Emmaus might fool you at first glance. A narrow stone building located behind the CVS Pharmacy on South 7th Street, closer inspection reveals a small store with a huge amount of character.

"There's nothing like this in Emmaus," said Planet Games co-owner David Blank, who is responsible for the murals decorating the store's interior wall and front window, which depict video game characters running amok.

The store's display cases are lined with hundreds of games from various decades, gaming peripherals and memorabilia from Japan, home of gaming giant Nintendo.

Blank started the store with his business partner, Rebecca Kline, in 2008.

 "Emmaus has a little bit of everything, but a video game store is not one of them," he said.

Their goal was to start a store that not only specializes in video games for current systems such as the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii, but also offers older "retro" games.

If you want to check it out before Christmas, don't delay. It will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the latest,  Dec. 23 and 24.

The store's Retro Room is one of its biggest attractions. Its glass display case, with old Nintendo controllers for handles, is filled with video games and systems from the 1980s and 90s.

Retro games are a big part of the store's business, said Blank, and they sell as many of those as they do new games. One of the most popular items this year has been the Nintendo Entertainment System, the 8-bit gray box from the 80s that was home to classic titles such as "Super Mario Brothers," "Duck Hunt" and "The Legend of Zelda."

All of the store's stock of old games comes from customers who bring in their old game cartridges, disks and systems to trade in for cash or store credit. It is a point of pride for Blank and Kline that they refurbish all of their retro games. Blank said people can tell he is dedicated "when you see me back here with a tooth brush cleaning out an old Nintendo cartridge. It's especially important this time of year when people are giving retro games as Christmas presents; the last thing you want is to open a box and see cobwebs." 

The price of Planet Games' contemporary games and systems are the same as those at bigger retail chains, with consoles costing between $200 - $400 and new games between $30 and $60. Retro games and systems, which are commonly sold by private sellers on sites such as eBay, usually are cheaper at Planet Games, said Blank. On eBay, the same Nintendo system that Blank sells for $50 can reach above $100.

"One of the safe things about buying things from us is that there's someone to talk to," he said. "If there's a problem, we'll take care of it."

This is especially important as many of the retro games Planet Games sells are more than 20 years old. Planet Games includes a 30-day guarantee that covers systems, cables, controllers and games purchased at the store.

A regular customer of Planet Games is Rob Clark of Emmaus, who came in search of a Christmas present for his 10-year-old daughter. Clark has been a customer at Planet Games ever since his family moved to Emmaus in May. "They are one of the few places that understand the words 'customer service'," said Clark. He recalled a time when his daughter was having trouble figuring out how to play a game on her hand-held Nintendo DS system. Clark brought her and the game to Planet Games and Blank showed her how to play it.

In a time when many independently-owned stores are being swallowed up by huge retail chains, Kline and Blank have found success while still pursuing their passion. "It's great and it continues to get better," Blank said.

Last-Minute Gift Suggestions

For last-minute Christmas shoppers, here are some of Blank's recommendations. The store sells plush toys from Japan, most of which feature Nintendo characters such as Mario, Donkey Kong and Kirby.Planet Games is one of the few stores in the area that carries them ($12 and up).

Popular games for the Nintendo Wii include family-friendly titles such as "Donkey Kong Country Returns" ($50) and "Super Mario All Stars Limited Edition" ($30).

Older gamers looking for something more mature may be interested in Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 titles such as the shooter "Call of Duty: Black Ops" and the stealth-based game "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" (both $60).

While Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 share many titles, each also has games exclusive to its platform. This year, Xbox 360 had the shooter "Halo: Reach" and the role-playing game "Fable III" (both $60). Playstation 3 has the long-awaited racing simulator "Gran Turismo 5" ($60) and the kid-friendly "The Sly Collection" ($40).

For fans of Nintendo's portable DS system, Blank recommends "Super Scribblenauts," ($30) a game about creating and manipulating objects using a magic notepad.

Some of Blank's most popular items are refurbished older consoles. The Nintendo Entertainment System, originally released in the 1980s, is a big seller. For $50, customers can purchase the system, a controller, a "light gun" accessory and "Super Mario Brothers" and "Duck Hunt." Also available is NES's successor, Super Nintendo, which costs $50 and comes with a controller and "Super Mario World."

Gift certificates also can be purchased at the store.

Customers can learn about new releases and their prices at the store's Web site: www.PlanetGamesPA.com.