ONE Holsworthy resident is hoping a new ‘nerdy’ space is something that can ‘be the social glue’ for the community.

Alan Gough has been gaming in one form or another ever since he could hold a controller. From enjoying videogames and painting Warhammer, to more recently enjoying trading card games like Magic the Gathering, however, he is now turning this love into something that he hopes can bring the community together.

“I have been gaming in one form or another pretty much since I could hold a controller,” Alan told us. I’ve painted and played a lot of Warhammer and then discovered Magic the Gathering about 12 years ago. Magic is my main jam but have dabbled in most other “Magic” adjacent games like Dungeons & Dragons, Warhammer, and other board games.”

While playing these games is fun, for Alan, one of the highlights is the sociability of these interests.

He said: “I really like the social aspect of in person games such as Magic or Board Games, I find having something to play acts as a bit of a social lubricant. Secondly I really like games I can sink my mind into strategically.”

For the past three years, Alan has been selling Magic the Gathering cards from his house - much to the frustration of his wife’s and to the detriment of his free space, he explained. However, having had their first child, the pair found themselves needing more space.

“I had been selling single cards from my flat and then house but we have just had our first child and we needed the space. I’d always loosely played with the idea of opening a shop, but was just waiting for the right time and the right location,” said Alan.

Now, having found himself a space, Alan is preparing to open Turtle Cards in The Market Arcade in Holsworthy Square on November 17.

“ At the start I was planning on just running Magic the Gathering games but after speaking to a lot of the local “nerds” - a term I use lovingly as a massive nerd myself - Holsworthy doesn’t have any kind of space to play board games, tabletop wargames, Dungeons & Dragons or trading cards and as a result many of them didn’t know each other and they were struggling to find games and players,” Alan said.

As a result, Alan plans to provide a space which can bring together a plethora of local communities into a single social space.

“I’m hoping to largely use the event to connect local players with each other, see what they all want to play and then provide the space to play,” he added.

“Moving forward is going to be very much community lead. As a magic player, I obviously want to play magic but ultimately if people want to play tabletop board games, I have already have a library from my personal collection for people to play in store, tabletop wargaming, I’m sure I can dust of my miniatures, or other trading card games I’ll do my best to match people up and provide the gaming space to do so.

“Gaming stores can be the social glue for a community, provide a space for people to just be themselves.”