By Otaku no Culture
Saturday Game House
101 – 1551 Cedar Hill Cross Rd.
Gordon Head Municipality
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada
(250) 412-9472
E: I can’t help but start to hum along to the song, “Hot Patootie” by Meatloaf from the Rocky Horror Picture Show whenever I talk about Saturday Game House. This operation is relatively new. They cater to the board game crowd and to youths looking for something to do after school.
But when it comes right down to it, is there anything to do in my municipality of Gordon Head? Whatever happened to Saturday night when you dressed up sharp and you felt alright? There’s no rock n’ roll show anywhere nearby and a few naysayers might point out that the University of Victoria’s Farquhar Auditorium hosts the odd concert, but that’s beside the point.
At this game house, people can get their inner geek on. Gamer otakus are a fun crowd to hang out with and when the home environment seems dull, they can come to this establishment for bubble tea (there are plenty of good flavours to choose from) and a game or two. The atmosphere is super cozy. As James and I noticed, this establishment usually opens around 4pm, but when they close depends on how busy this place gets throughout the week. There will be some quiet evenings where nothing happens, so patrons should not be surprised if the lights are off at 10:30pm or earlier.
J: The variety of games offered is most definitely here. Whether you prefer board games, mahjong, PS3 (soon to be PS4), or online rounds of Starcraft, the staff here is flexible. You can bring your own product (like minis, board or RPG) here and rent out a room.
Since Dragonstrike Games is no more, Gordon Head needs a place for its residents to meet in a comfortable atmosphere. The Tillicum area has Skyhaven Games, our downtown core has Games Workshop, Yellowjacket Comics and Interactivity Games and Langford has Curious Comics Books & Games. But what does Gordon Head have?
E: Bupkiss until now. Well, there is the McDonald’s on Shelbourne and Cedar Hill Cross Road, but who really wants to go there? I’ll let the pictures speak for itself for what kinds of stuff that is currently offered for people to play. This operation’s success depends on the amount of foot traffic that goes through in this busy intersection on a Saturday night, conveniently enough.
J: Saturday Game House opened in August of 2013 and I believe few people know of this location since it is faced away from Shelbourne and resides at the corner of a building on Cedar Hill Cross, where Papa John’s used to lurk.
If you’re a student of either the University of Victoria, Camosun College Lansdowne Campus or St. Michaels University, then know that this gaming house is located right in the area known as the University Corridor. And the food served here may be zero (sorry, drinks only) but Saturday Game House is surrounded by a plethora of restaurants. What restaurant you visit will depend on what you are hungry for. You might crave buffet (Purple Garden), hotpot (Young Young), ramen noodles (Kuma Noodle Japan), sushi (Fujiya), fish and chips (Naughty Nellie’s) or perhaps Asian (Phonomenal Vietnamese Cafe, Pho-Ever Restaurant).
