Love all things gaming? Look no further than these gaming hubs in Burlington, VT.
We are known for our gaming community at Champlain College. Whether you’re into PC, console, or tabletop gaming, you can find it at Champlain—and in the Burlington area. While Burlington at first glance is best known for its food, festivals, outdoors, and arts, the city also has an active gaming presence through its unique and eclectic arcades, tournaments, and shops.
Whether you’re looking for a quick trip or a weekly community event, here are our top five stops in Burlington, Vermont for student gamers.
5. The Archives
The Archives is a unique Vermont stop. It’s a classic arcade with vintage machines like Tetris, Asteroids, Ms. Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Junior, and pinball machines like the Adams Family and Jurassic Park. You can head over for an afternoon with your friends and try to hit the top score while you enjoy light foods and snacks. Really, what more could you ask for? Located on College Street, The Archives is just steps away from the Church Street Marketplace.
For students under 21, The Archives is open before 5:00 PM during their non-alcoholic hours.
4. The Boardroom
Located on Mill Street in Burlington, The Boardroom is a board game cafe with an impressive collection of over 550 classic to modern tabletop games, card games, and more. For just six dollars a person, you can get unlimited access to their entire collection of games for the day. The Boardroom encourages groups to come in and play, making the cafe the perfect place to spend a weekend with your friends. They also serve a range of fun and homey comfort foods, like grilled cheese, subs, and gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, to top off your gaming experience.
Local tip: Make sure to stop by for their Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder one-night one-shots.
3. Spare Time’s Game Zone
Located a short drive from campus in Colchester, VT, Spare Time has it all. Not only do they have a massive arcade with more than 50 games, they offer a decked-out, disco-themed bowling alley and a huge Fallen City–themed laser tag arena. Incoming students at Champlain College take over the entire complex for one night during Orientation week to bowl, game, and battle it out over laser tag.
In the Game Zone, you can win points playing games in the arcade and redeem them for prizes in the Win Zone.
Looking for a deal? Head to Spare Time on Tuesdays when you can get 50% off arcade games AND laser tag after 3:00 PM.
2. Quarterstaff Games and Earth Prime Comics
Quarterstaff is a classic Burlington stop—and for a good reason. This tabletop gaming store, located at the entrance of the Church Street Marketplace and just a short walk away from Champlain College, has a wide variety of tabletop games, card games, and D&D merchandise. Whether you’re looking for new dice, expansion packs, or figurines, chances are Quarterstaff has it. In addition to their store, Quarterstaff has a space dedicated to gaming events, such as Friday Night Magic games, Casual Gaming gatherings, and other opportunities to play in a group setting.
Right below Quarterstaff is Earth Prime Comics. This small shop sells graphic novels, comics, and collectables from Marvel, DC, Image Comics, and more. You can start your day browsing comics, and then finish it up playing games upstairs in Quarterstaff.
1. Champlain College
Of course we have to put Champlain College as number one! Champlain’s Game Studio has been nationally recognized time and time again. The Rookie Awards named Champlain the fourth best game development program in the world and number two in the United States. The Princeton Review consistently ranks our game program in their Top 20 Schools for Game Design year after year.
At Champlain, students can major in Game Art, Game Design, Game Production Management, and Game Programming. Our students make their own games starting in their very first year, and put out high-quality, innovative games during their entire time at Champlain. Because of their education and experiences, our students have been hired at studios like Insomniac, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Velan Studios, Vicarious Visions, Harmonix, and more.
Plus, we have clubs like our tabletop games club, Esports teams, a game writing club, and the game majors leadership group. Champlain is the perfect place to make games, play games, and find your community.
Looking for more things to do in Burlington? Want to learn more about Champlain College? Keep reading The View to find more.
