The Games Club Opens In Abingdon

ABINGDON, MD — A new gaming destination is now open in Harford County. The Games Club is hosting a grand opening celebration this weekend in the Boulevard at Box Hill in Abingdon.

"The first thing many of our guests say when they see the space and our gaming collection for the first time is, 'Wow, this was not what I was expecting,'" Mark Ionescu, owner and manager of the Games Club, said in a statement.

"We really tried to create a space that was comfortable," he told Bel Air Patch, explaining there are high ceilings, couches and café tables in the Games Club, which totals 3,900 square feet.

"You could legitimately come in and play a two-hour game with your friends," he said. "You wouldn't feel on top of other people."

Offerings range from old-school favorites such as Scrabble, Jenga and Yahtzee to newer tabletop games like Splendor and Ticket to Ride.

For video gamers, there are staples like Fortnite, Mario Kart or Call of Duty.

Virtual reality stations have been "enormously popular" since the Nov. 24 soft opening, Ionescu told Patch Tuesday, adding that in many cases, people heard about but had never experienced it.

Guests can play games with friends or meet new people, and the business plans to host events to encourage people to try new games and eventually field teams for a Harford County league.

The library has about 400 games right now, but Ionescu said there is "plenty of room to expand." First, he wants to gauge interest and demand. "We're keeping track," Ionescu told Patch, "when people say, "'you've got to get this' and 'you've got to get that.'"

The Games Club offers unique finds, such as a Canadian version of shuffleboard. People are also welcome to bring their own games to play.

"We get that question quite a lot — 'Can we bring our own Dungeons & Dragons?' — Sure, come on in," Ionescu said.

The Games Club can serve as a meeting place to spare players the stress of hosting.

"I used to get together with people and play board games, but it was a huge hassle," Ionescu said. "Nobody wanted to do it because it was this big event — they have to clean their house, feed everybody. What if you just say, 'Hey, we can play here.'"

The Games Club has its own café, with frappés, cold brew coffee, hot coffee, açai bowls, avocado toast, brownies and more on the menu.

There's also a door to neighboring Menchie's Frozen Yogurt.

The staff of seven or eight includes Club Pros who can recommend games and ensure everyone is having the best experience possible.

Ionescu has two partners in the business. His brother, Michael, who has made craft drinks and baked goods for Baltimore businesses, handles the café. Larry Dukes, who oversees operations for the Games Club, is a partner in the club as well as in Menchie's.

Dukes and Mark Ionescu used to work together at John Carroll School until May 2018. That summer, they began planning what has evolved into the Games Club.

"We spent a lot of time researching other similar models and coming up with a combination of what we thought would work well for this area," Ionescu said. "Others were all board games or all video games. We opted for a blend."

A New Model

The front of the Games Club is dedicated to board and tabletop games, according to Ionescu.

Big screens with couches are in the middle area, which contains virtual reality and gaming consoles. In the back are individual gaming stations.

There is also event space that can accommodate groups from 10 to 115.

"We’ve got a range of activities for a lot of demographics," Ionescu said.

Because he and Dukes worked in the field of education, he said they were interested in the educational value of gaming.

They are thinking about inviting retirement communities in, since studies have shown gaming can help slow dementia and be good for health.

People of all ages are welcome to play at the Games Club, but those under 13 must be accompanied by an adult.

Ionescu, who runs a tutoring and test prep company called i2i, said he will conduct "some of that out of this location as well," as there are two rooms in the back set up for it. "We figure this is a place that kids will want to come," Ionescu said.

"There's a real sense of joy," Ionescu said of the atmosphere at the Games Club. "We have people that just enjoy being here, of all ages."

Grand Opening Plans

The grand opening event runs from Friday, Dec. 6, to Sunday, Dec. 8.

Here are some of the grand opening offerings:

• Drawings for free membership giveaways
• Limited-time discounts on Games Club memberships
• Free wi-fi access
• $6 for unlimited tabletop game time
• $6 for an hour of video game time
• $10 for 30 minutes of virtual reality time

The Games Club is at 3473 Merchant Boulevard, Suite G, in Abingdon. It's between Menchie's and the Sprint store within the Boulevard at Box Hill shopping center.

Hours are noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday. The Games Club will be closed Mondays for the first few weeks.

Prices are generally $6 for a day pass. People can also become members for $25 a month to play unlimited board games or unlimited video games, or they can pay $30 a month for both.