Ian’s Game Paradise

Northern Exposure

Under a vast blue expanse amidst snow-capped mountains and verdant forests can be found a place that truly embodies Alaska’s motto of ‘North to the Future’. Ian’s Game Paradise of Anchorage, Alaska holds the distinct position of being the northern most video game store found on our map. And the community couldn’t be more fortunate to have an owner such as Ian Clark supporting video games in our northern reaches.

When you leave, you leave feeling more comfortable, with greater knowledge of video games and find exactly what you want from Atari to the newest PlayStation.

Ian’s Game Paradise

Ian and his team’s goal is to make all visitors at ease, whether a seasoned gamer or someone looking for a gift to a loved one. Placing higher importance on creating an inviting and friendly atmosphere with friendly faces wanting to help, above making sale or catering to a gamer-only audience, has made Ian’s Game Paradise go-to spot for video games in Alaska.

Meet Ian Clark

We were fortunate to have Ian take some time to share with us a bit about himself and Ian’s Game Paradise. Which was lucky indeed given his busy schedule. When he’s not working to enrich Alaska’s gaming community, he can be found in local plays and musicals and has written several novels. He’s learning some coding in the hopes of making his own video games. And still, he’s able to find time to curate his own video game collection. Reaching 11,000 games at last count, he has such titles as a Zelda test cartridge, Donkey Kong Competition cartridge and a sealed Pokémon Box Ruby Saphire on GameCube.

Here we learn Ian’s thoughts on running a video game store in the most extreme reaches of the country, how Ian’s Game Paradise came to be and what he sees for the future.

(Game-Route) How did you come to own a video game store?

(Ian Clark) I took classes on business, hoped I could find a good paying job, then jobs dried up. Spent my time hopping between any job that paid. Eventually I couldn’t handle working another holiday season in retail and I took some ideas I had from school and what I knew about the area, set up a small kiosk in a dying mall and just let things move forward.

It wasn’t random though, I did have a fully thought out plan. I was primarily concerned about the lack of capital and doing it alone. I used everything I had to get by month by month and just played it by ear as best I could, making adjustments every so often.

(Game-Route) Ian’s Game Paradise has the unique position of being the northernmost game store on the Game-Route. Do you think that carries with it unique challenges?

(Ian Clark) Very much so. Shipping and difficulty in finding games. A game from New York might find itself traveling across state lines and make its way to Vermont, New Hampshire, or Ohio, but rarely will it cross over Canada to Alaska. It makes games more difficult to find. New titles and equipment cost a lot to ship up north, yet still have to keep the proper retail pricing.

(Game-Route) How do you differentiate yourself from your competition, particularly online competitors?

(Ian Clark) I often joke that I don’t have competition. I will happily show people where they can find games and point them to other places when I don’t have a title. A good online store can be helpful, but with Alaska, the ability to inspect a product, not wait for a week or more plus the cost of shipping makes online shopping a secondary need. Digital gaming is still popular, but with our low bandwidth and download limits it’s also more feasible to have physical copies over digital.

We get to know you and help give you the tools needed to make an informed decision.

Ian’s Game Paradise

(Game-Route) What changes to your business have you seen or experienced over the years?

(Ian Clark) As we expand we find ourselves bringing in newer items and rarer equipment. I’ve had to adjust to shipping things out to the far north of Alaska and I’m hoping to make that process simpler in the future as well.

(Game-Route) What have you found most effective in building and maintaining customer relationships?

(Ian Clark) Treating everyone as a gamer and not trying to force a game onto a person. Many people who come into my shop claim there’s nothing like my store where they are from out of state. Yet when I travel I can find a dozen game stores with in ten miles of any place I travel in the U.S. Thing is, most places cater to the game crowd. What they mean is that most game stores feel exclusive and alien to them. I’m cool walking into a place and just know what I want while the staff is chill and does whatever. But the mom who doesn’t know what this stuff is, the significant other just trying to find something they can play together, the newbie in over their head? I would rather my staff know nothing about video games and just be friendly and helpful. I can teach game knowledge as long as they can be friendly.

It doesn’t matter if you are twelve and wondering what the best system to buy for you is, or if you are seventy, retired and looking for simple answers, we help everyone.

Ian’s Game Paradise

(Game-Route) What do you believe are the key factors to your business’s success?

(Ian Clark) Wide areas where strollers and wheelchairs come through, bright and open feeling that isn’t intimidating. Making sure everyone feels like a kid again no matter the age and no one feels pressured to buy anything. It makes them want to come back again and again, bringing their friends and family, and to make us their first choice.

(Game-Route) If you could do anything differently, would you? If so, what?

(Ian Clark) Honestly I should have started this a decade earlier really, I started in 2009 but I was already doing events and showcases for people as early as 1999.

(Game-Route) What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to open their own store?

(Ian Clark) I actually do this in my spare time and used to help people get grants in the past so this is easy for me. Download an outline of a business plan and fill it out in it’s entirety. Seriously. Research that thing. It is annoying and a pain, but trust me, if you get to something you don’t understand, sit down and research it until you do. Nothing is going to be more frustrating and more valuable. Look up the SBA (Small Business Administration) in your area and ask for assistance filling it out if you need it. SBA can be a helpful resource. They can’t get you money, but they can point you towards people and resources you need. Above all, before you make any big decisions about money or sign any contracts, take a day to breath, research it, and talk to one person you trust. It’ll help you not get scammed or overwhelmed.

(Game-Route) What is your hope for the future of your store?

(Ian Clark) I’d like my store to expand into creating products and possibly more stores.

(Game-Route) What is your hope for the future of the video game industry?

(Ian Clark) I don’t think I’m in any position to comment on the game industry as a whole, but I miss couch co-op games and love games that you can play with friends nearby. Online is fun of course, but multiplayer games like Secret of Mana, Gauntlet, Champions of Norrath, linked Xbox 360 Left 4 Dead, Dragon’s Crown, are things I miss like crazy. Any time a game has the ability to play with friends I buy it. I wasn’t a huge fan of Tiny Tina’s Wonderland, but it was cool playing it with friends and family on the PS5.

(Game-Route) What is your hope for the future of how physical retail will play a part with video games?

(Ian Clark) Microsoft is trying to move away and be digital only little by little and has the ability to do so. They are never going to be steam, but they may just get their own thing going as popular as game pass seems to be. I think they will keep the physical system if for no other reason than other companies, but time will tell.

Sony WANTS the online clout that Microsoft has so badly, but they can’t slap that together when they haven’t put in the work. I hope they will be okay, but they will either stay physical, or we won’t see a PS6 and suddenly Kratos is in Smash Brothers.

Nintendo will be fine. They will be physical games for life.

Plus I love the places that are taking the smaller games and making them physical, so even if companies don’t want to, or smaller companies can’t, there’s several companies doing that pretty regularly.