Not unlike most ventures, The Cave Gaming Center grew from a desire to improve something we had enjoyed for years. Throughout the 2000’s the Cave’s owners were avid gamers. Playing at home alone was an option, but not the option we preferred. As young men, we frequented local gaming centers. At that time, gaming was still in its infancy and most people viewed it as a waste of time. Brick and mortar gaming centers were not the most inviting because of this stigma. The existing gaming centers were filled with smoke and shady characters. We wondered if it could be different. A gaming center should be family-friendly and inviting. The idea of locating in close proximity to a major University Campus was also a part of the concept. This ideal was what drove the creation of The Cave.
The road forward was long and hard with many people cautioning this was only a pipe dream. After lots of sleepless nights and with the industry growing, more people were willing to support the dream. None of the owners had ever opened a business before and like many young aspiring entrepreneurs, they thought it would all work out just fine. Build-out, permits, city codes, and a whole mess of issues reared their inevitable heads, but just like beating a raid boss in your favorite game, they overcame the obstacles. The Cave accomplished the first step of this dream when the doors finally opened for the first time on November 15, 2015.
Building communities and making The Cave a safe, fun place to meet up with friends was the next challenging task. The Cave began to grow and thrive. However, unlike the raid boss in a game, success was not a forgone reality. COVID was by far the hardest challenge faced by The Cave. Forced to close for five months and with no help on the horizon The Cave’s owners had all but given up hope. Unsurprisingly though, it was the gamers themselves, to whom the owners were so devoted, that came to the rescue. With crowd funding from the community, The Cave was able to survive and strive to be better than it ever was.
The Cave’s story is not just about its owners but the gaming community as a whole. With an optimistic idea, support from good friends and family, and a community that globally rivals the most ardent sports fans, The Cave continues to defy the odds.