Retro Gaming Alive and Well in Dubuque Despite Nationwide Store Closures

Gaming in general is a great pleasure for me. I grew up playing the greats of my time: Frogger, Super Mario, Sonic. I aged into franchises like Mortal Kombat, Madden, and FIFA. Games evolved yet again and Halo, Call of Duty, and epics like Skyrim and Dark Souls came to be. Gaming has aged and changed, and so I have I...

Fortunately, the same fun and enjoyment is still there and now for a whole new generation to explore. But only if we keep gaming for the gamers. Not in the sense that we gatekeep and prevent others from the community, but rather that we try to engage, protect, and sustain the "golden" generation of games from disappearing entirely.

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That preservation matters more now than ever. Physical media is slowly vanishing, digital storefronts can delist games without warning, and entire libraries risk becoming inaccessible. Retro gaming isn’t just nostalgia: it’s cultural history. These games shaped design philosophies, storytelling, music, movies, pop culture, and even competitive gaming as we know it today. Losing access to them would mean losing a shared language across generations of players.

My job affords me some really great opportunities; like chatting each Friday with Tom Rex of Video Games Etc. We call it TNT and Explosive Nerd News is always the topic of the day, with nothing off limits. Comic books, cartoons, collectible cards, video games, and even pop culture phenoms like Stranger Things. But I digress, my partner on the air (T.Rex) is actually going to have a chance to voice some video game characters in Brian Colin's latest video game; General Chaos: Major Snafu.

That kind of opportunity highlights how interconnected the gaming world still is. Local voices, independent developers, and retro-inspired projects continue to thrive because fans care enough to support them. Crowdfunded games like General Chaos: Major Snafu exist because the passion for classic gameplay hasn’t gone away, it’s simply evolved. Check out the Kickstarter here and give them a follow.

Read More: Illinois Arcade Game Creator, Colin, Talks History & Future Games

With the closing of Game Stops pretty much everywhere, there really is only one place left to get your gaming supplies, especially here in Dubuque and across Iowa. Video Games Etc. has allowed me to hop back into some of my favorite games of yester-year. This time I have the bonus of... let's just call them, tag-a-long multiplayers: my kids. Lately my son and I have taken to EA Sports' Rory McIlroy PGA Tour from 2015. He's pretty good at golf, which is surprising to me because at 10-years-old I never wanted to play a golf video game. Good thing I can still pull-out big plays like the one below when he thinks he has me beat.

My son also plays the Mario games, both old and new. My oldest daughter has been enjoying Dead by Daylight, especially since the Stranger Things DLC dropped, along with that Joe Keery/Steve playable character. Me? Lately it's got to be Helldivers 2. The team at Arrowhead has been phenomenal since Xbox players were added to the mix. Despite some early bugs, it's probably the most fun I have had playing multiplayer since Halo 3. The enemies are huge, but the explosions are bigger!

Yes, new games are great, but few things beat the classics like early day Pokémon Red, Blue, or Yellow. Few things inspired a whole generation like playing as Link in Ocarina of Time. Who can forget the first time they got Scorpion to scream "get over here!" Those memories are only available as long as the games are.

Read More: Illinois is Home to the Worlds Largest Arcade, And It's Growing

Thank goodness I can still grab my favorites in Dubuque and that we have a healthy and active gaming culture here. Whether its organizations or places like Dubuque Esports League, Backpocket Dubuque and the Barcade or Video Games Etc. (for the stay-at-home gamers), retro gaming is alive and well in Dubuque.