Descent Into Gaming — Local services in South Bradenton

We don't live in the area, but have family who do live here. So was excited to check out a potential game store for when we do visit. Our experience was mixed, as we did not have a good customer experience, but there was an average selection of games, funko pops, cards, and comics to choose from. They seemed to be trying to 'do it all' without exceeding at anything, except maybe the funkos- which had a lot of store space dedicated to them.

We walked in and started browsing the funko pops. The employee comes out and attempts to make conversation. But badly fails trying to make a connection. "Oh looking at the funkos? That's... fun..." His whole vibe was judgmental. And following another instance that I explain later, it is clear the nerdy gaming/magic cards/comic hobby is not his passion. Why work at a gaming/comic store if you aren't into it?? Employees help express the mood of your store, and should provide helpful insight & suggestions to potential customers. I don't think he could have explained the difference between Monopoly and Catan had we asked.

Right before we visited Descent into Gaming, we had just left The Dark Side in Sarasota. Dark side had a phenomenal selection of board games, as well as other nerdy items: comics, retro video games, dice & gaming accessories, etc. Compared to them, Descent was just alright. Had by far way less of a selection, but they do have at least a bit of every game category. Family, euros, strategy, cards, kids games. As well as a nice mix of new hotness and older games. We did manage to find two we were extremely interested in, so I can't complain of the selection.

The space is limited as the store is a bit on the small side and has a slightly cramped feeling. Was glad we were the only customers browsing the store (mom & son were buying comics at the register, & a group of guys were playing a game at the tables). Had more people been shopping it might have been too tight to pleasantly browse. But the tall towers instead of typical aisles do help stock more of a selection in a tight space.

We were just making our final selection & were 2 aisles away, when we overhead the same employee from earlier making a rude comment to the mom checking out. The group at the tables were talking about their game (a bit loud since there was no other groups or talking to drown them down), and we overhead the cashier loudly talking and calling them "so weird". Excuse me? You are an employee talking to a paying customer about another PAYING customer. That was completely uncalled for, it almost made me walk out buying nothing. If we heard it two aisles down, they definitely could have heard it since they were the same distance in the opposite direction. And not like there were a large amount of talking to drown out any conversation. And you work in a GAMING STORE, nerdy board game talk comes with the experience. For shame! You should never talk bad about a customer, especially to other customers, how rude.

Then, when we got up to the register, we had cash in hand and all ready to pay & leave. When instead of checking us out quick, he says "oh I have to leave but he'll help you out". And pawns us off to another employee who wasn't even behind the counter & ready for us yet.

The second guy, who must be of higher rank than the first (bad) employee, was fantastic. He was helpful and provided a better experience & am overall better vibe than the first did. Had we not encountered the first employee, I would have rated 4 stars, but we did and he brought down our experience. Will definitely have to rethink returning on a...

Came into the shop a few weeks ago. I have been a frequenter of some other shops in this county and Port Charlotte. My initial talk with whom I believed to be the owner was friendly and inspiring. I was encouraged to come to FNM to meet some new people. I did end up coming to an FNM a few weeks later with the intent to play commander. When I arrived I was simply looking around as I had only been at this shop once before and was just getting a view of the tables. The same man (I believe is the owner) was at a computer and addressed me immediately while sitting at a smaller table with a laptop. I only asked a few questions about the format, particularly about whether we were doing multiplayer pods or one vs one. He proceeded to bombard me with a bunch of things about how I had to pay $5 to get a seat ( which I did not mind, this is a business after all) but that I should have no expectations about playing competitively and he didn't necessarily have "free" stuff to hand out.

I didn't say a word I don't think that would have relayed any of those expectations. But it wasn't simply what was said, but how it was said. He told me he was busy and I needed to go back to the front to pay for my seat. I did so. While waiting in line there were at least 3 or 4 people ahead of me. There was one employee ringing everyone up and I was just waiting for my turn in line. The man (the owner?) seemed frustrated that he had to stop whatever he was doing and come up to assist with the checkouts. He did not really attempt to hide his annoyance and shifted into a rude demeanor with his customers. At this point, I reconsidered staying and playing here and simply left. He made sure to yell "have a nice day" at me while I walked out. I won't be returning...

Great shop run by super nice people. Gene and Stephanie really care about their customers and make it a point to take an interest in what interests each customer. They definitely create a welcoming, friendly, and warm environment in which to come together and play games of all sorts. They carry a wide selection of comic books, board games, collectibles (funko pops and such), collectible/trading card games, miniatures (and all the stuff that goes with those) for wargaming, and supplies for table top RPGs including the always popular Dungeons and Dragons! Also for table top gamers, they have a wide selection of Chessex dice, both in sets and loose. Check out the blind-buy “ugly dice challenge” to get some discounted dice, if you don’t judge your dice by looks alone! I have only 2 small complaints, and I see positive movement in regards to one.... I’d like to see later hours of operation (open till 2am anyone?), and more vintage/ old school AD&D stuff. It’s making a comeback!!!

Overall, a great place for all your hobbies, run by nice people. Come out and support some awesome local...