The nerd movement is upon us, and it is awesome. People are standing up and embracing their inner-geek, finally feeling comfortable as they rejoice in all that is nerd worthy. Experiences are out there for those waiting to get their nerd on in the Edmonton region, whether it’s buying comic books or collectables, riding a Segway, building some Star Wars Lego, or just laying it down in a serious game of Dungeons and Dragons.
Located in St. Albert, this store has it all for the ultimate nerd. Board and card games, role playing games, puzzles, miniatures, trivia and so much more. Mission Fun and Games also hosts league nights (think Dungeons and Dragons, Pokemon and Dice Masters) and tournaments. If you’re still not convinced that this business is the ultimate nerd get-away, just remember - the building is painted to look like a castle.
Finally, there’s a café where coffees and board games come together. Customers come and pay $5 to sit for as long they’d like and play their favourite games (there are literally hundreds of games to chose from). The café part of the experience offers patrons the traditional coffee house selections, such as Panini, baked goods, and specialty drinks, but, if that’s not your style, you can always opt for a Slurpee and some candy instead or even grab yourself a cold beer.
Breakout is described as a live action escape game. As a participant, you and a small group are locked into one of four rooms and have to use your wits, reasoning and logic to figure out how to break free (or solve the game). The rooms, which have themes that change every few months, include elaborate back stories - which are sometimes not meant for the faint at heart. Depending on the room you’re in, each game will test you and your group in a 30 to 60 minute timeframe.
Located in Southgate Centre, the Lego Store will no doubt transform any shopper, regardless of their actual age, into a kid at heart. Legos were first introduced way back in 1932, and the company is now one of the world’s largest manufacturers of toys. If you don’t know where to start when first crossing into the land of Lego, a sales team member (known as a ‘Brick Specialist’) will help guide you in the right direction. You can go to the Lego Store to build, shop, attend special events, or join one of their monthly clubs.
Where better to ride a Segway than in Edmonton along the beautiful North Saskatchewan River? Tours, which can be booked seven days a week (all year long), are available in 30, 60, or 90-minute packages and include instruction by a certified Segway trainer. Using a Segway, which is classified as a small electric vehicle (SeV), as a means of transportation is growing in popularity all over the world. And, if you find yourself in the market to purchase one, you’re in luck - the River Valley Adventure Tours Co. has eight models to chose from.
Laser Quest is a game where you get to run around, wear an “LQ pack” and shoot a laser at your friends. You can book parties here, plan corporate events, or just go yourself to get your game on. Laser Quest also puts on overnight events, day camps for kids and youth groups and education programs where participants can get some cool hands on learning on lasers and lights/optics.
There are so many options at Telus World of Science to satisfy your inner-nerd. From their unbelievably cool exhibits (past presentations have included Body Worlds, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Star Wars, just to name a few) to their observatory, IMAX theatre and special events. Visiting the science centre will allow you to indulge in some really cool lessons on science, technology, engineering and math. Clearly, you just can’t go wrong with a visit to this spot, which has been a staple in Edmonton’s science scene for more than 30 years.
The self-proclaimed, “Best comic book store in Canada,” Happy Harbour Comics has a huge collection of stock and even hosts game nights, book signings and special events. Marvel and DC comics are obviously available here, but so are tons of other collections for your reading pleasure. A hotspot for geekdom, Happy Harbour comics puts on ‘Ladies Geek Nites,' kids art camps, LGBTQ book club and Scotch tastings, among many other cool events. Watch for their once-a-year ‘Free Comic Book Day’ event and their ’24 Hour Comics Day.’
Located in West Edmonton Mall (near entrance 57, in phase 4), this store of collectables has everything from sports cards to anime toys to board games and more. Collector’s Edge can even add that they’re the largest retailer of action figures in North America to their bragging rights. The store has been around for decades and will supply even the nerdiest of collectors with those hard to find collectables and one-of-a-kind gotta have-its.
What kind of nerd list would this be without a video game store? Nexwave, which is not far from the NAIT campus, has a huge collection of video games, old and new. A shop to buy, sell and trade your games, you can go to Nexwave to find what you’re looking for when it comes to: Atari, Sega Genesis, NES, SNES, N64, Nintendo DS, Play Station, Wii, Xbox and more.
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