“Pursuing” Millennium Games

Store front of Millennium Games. March 18, 2024. (Peter Ye Yiliang)

Millennium Games is a popular game store located in Rochester, New York that has been around for 35 years.They offer various board games, card games, video games and gaming accessories. The store is known for its friendly and knowledgeable staff, who are always ready to assist customers in finding the perfect match. They also host regular gaming events and tournaments, making it an excellent spot for gamers of all levels to gather and compete. At the Millennium Games, they believe in giving back to the community that has supported them for many years. From charity fundraisers to school programs, they always look for ways to impact the community they call home positively.

An on going game tournament at the Millennium Games on March 25th, 2024.(Peter Ye Yiliang)

Doug Lillie  , a Rochester local, attends Millenium games on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He usually plays all types of games at Millennium Games. He usually plays Magic, The Hobbit, and miniatures.Magic is a trading card game that involves casting spells, summoning creatures ,and using artifacts , The Hobbit is a board game of adventure, treasure and can play up to five players. The miniatures game is a tabletop game that uses miniature models and figures. He explains how he sees Millennium Games as a "Community for gamers." Doug also explains how his friend's wife doesn't want her husband playing board games with his friends.

Doug says "I tell her all the time to let him enjoy the time with the friends he made at Millennium Games; they are always there for him, and it's like an escape from stress and reality".

Doug putting back his game piece after a game at the Millennium Game store. April 5th, 2024   (Peter Ye Yiliang)

In the '80s and '90s, the board was small as Dungeons and Dragons, Magic, and other games were played on a smaller scale.

Sometimes, people think negatively about those types of games,with some believing that they are demonic or too imaginary. The 2000s came around, and board games suddenly became more popular. Since then, board games have become the next generation of people's entertainment. Doug says, "My favorite pastime is painting; I love to paint. "At Millenium games, there are painting events for all ages to paint miniature figures; you can either bring your figure to paint or buy one and then paint. The painting event helps the gaming community come together and paint until the store closes.

During one Sunday at Millennium Games, a man named Will Batiste and his two children, Leo Batiste  and Alayna Batiste, who usually visit Millenium games about twice a week. Will explained how he had just started going to Millenium Games for his children to buy things they wanted when bored and for board games for family time at home. Will was also an RIT graduate, class of 2007.

Will and his kids, Leo and Alayna, stopping by Millennium Games on their way home after visiting their family on March 25th, 2024,  (Peter Ye Yiliang)

He says, "I enjoy the store's creativity and the convenience of the store not being far in Rochester."

Depending on your location in Rochester, the estimated time to get to Millennium Games is around 20 to 25 minutes. He also explains how he would love the new people he meets in the community just by coming to the Millennium,

"It seems like you meet someone new every time you come here, and you can also build a relationship with that person."

While looking for someone to interview in the Millennium store, we stumbled upon a man named Max Vallone, who was playing a game with my previous interviewee, dough. Max Vallone owns a Facebook group called WNY (Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game). This Facebook group is for people who love Lord of the Rings and a community in western New York, such as Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. The style of the game is middle Earth strategy battle, and it is for people who are interested in that particular play style. Max explains how he wants to build a community of players who love Lord of the Rings so people can meet and have a good time together.

Max says," Hopefully if the Facebook group has enough interest and popularity, we can reach out to local stores to host leagues and tournaments."

Max and the people in his Lord of the Rings Facebook community recently had their first Lord of the Rings tournament in Buffalo on Saturday, Apr 6. It's great to see people coming together over shared interests, especially concerning a series as beloved as Lord of the Rings. Max is working to build a community of players who share his passion for the game and the world of Middle Earth.

Doug and Max playing Lord of the Rings together at the Millennium Games store. April 5, 2024  (Peter Ye Yiliang)

Travis one of the store owners,  said something that made the story about Millennium Games more interesting than it already is, he said, "One of my employees that I've known for 20 years went on to have a son of his own and started bringing him to the store for tournaments or just to spend time playing games with him". Travis continues to explain how this particular employee brings his family to the Millennium Games store to have fun and make memories with them. This was interesting because it shows where and how some gaming community members form and become more extensive by the day. Travis also mentioned, "We've had a few couples take their honeymoon in Rochester and play games in our store for the weekend." He also explains how two local people from Rochester had their wedding at the Millennium Games. These events unite the gaming community; they show how everyone can come together at Millennium Games, no matter who you are, and create memories. Millennium Games has a great community of people, and it is  recommended to join.