00:00Hello and welcome to Made in Kent Live on KMTV. I'm Jay Blakeslee and this week we're exploring
00:22the world of nerddom. From card games to sword fighting, we're diving into what it means to
00:27celebrate your nerdy interest. First, let's look at the influx of board game cafes in the county.
00:34We sent some of our reporters down to Canterbury to the Longrest Cafe where they asked the owners
00:39about the local community of board game enthusiasts. Let's take a look. At the dining table, around the
00:45sofa or even just on the carpet, board games and role-playing games can be enjoyed in a variety of
00:51spaces. But have you ever considered going to a cafe tailored to the gaming experience?
00:56We're here at the Longrest Cafe in Canterbury to find out how spaces like these are run and why
01:02community is such an important part of what they can offer. We spoke to the cafe's owners about how
01:07the idea began and why community sits at the heart of how the Longrest is run. The idea for it came
01:14from myself and Ben, the other owner, just kind of getting bored with our jobs and wanting to find
01:19something that we wanted to do together. We knew that board game cafes existed across the country
01:24and in Kent, but there wasn't anything like that in Canterbury at the time.
01:27Whenever we get a new customer coming, we always try and engage with them, talk to them about what
01:31kind of games they like, go if they do any role-play games. If we've got the capacity, we'll try and sit
01:35down and play a game with them, especially if it's someone on their own. So community is essential.
01:39Part of our ethos of running the business, when we were designing our whole business, we came up with
01:43something we call our three C's, which is community, customer service and comfort. But community is
01:48absolutely key and it's not just about having a community of people that come in and buy the cakes
01:53and play games here. Community is also about building relationships with local businesses, local
01:59institutions. The features that set us apart, I think, as a cafe and as a board game cafe is being able to
02:08provide the space for whoever wants to come in. Within the first year of being open, we provided
02:14support for a wedding reception, organised university socials, conferences here. We've always been very
02:23open to whoever wants to come in. That approach is something regular visitors say they notice straight
02:28away. I spoke to James, who's been coming here regularly for just over two years. I think what
02:34well there's perhaps the slightly cliché answer, which is that it brings like-minded people together.
02:38You know, we're all kind of nerds of some description. It's a sense of levity, a bit of
02:43hearted fun, you know, healthy competitiveness. It's like that all brings out people's personalities.
02:48When you have a lot of personalities and kind of people who are fun to be around, that's a great community.
02:52For the owners, creating a welcoming environment has always been central to what they do.
02:57I hope that the cafe continues to provide a safe space and a welcoming space.
03:04I believe we are quite unique. Most kind of board game cafes or even regular cafes you go to these
03:11days are very sterile. They feel like your school cafeteria. There is nowhere in the country that
03:15you can come to and play board games in what is essentially a medieval tavern.
03:18Leo Devanna and Lottie Mason for KMTV in Canterbury.
03:22Our next story takes us across the county to the local community of trading card game players and
03:29collectors. From Pokemon to Magic the Gathering, some say card collectors are at the heart of the
03:34game store industry, both around the globe and here in Kent. Alia Pritchard has more.
03:39Trading card games or TCGs have been around for years. Modern TCGs are now over 30 years old with
03:47the release of Magic the Gathering in 1993 and has continued to expand throughout the decade.
03:53I visited the many card stores in Kent to see what the local community is like.
03:57There has always been a big gaming community in Kent. Magic the Gathering is very strong here,
04:01and Pokemon is very strong here. We've got a great TCG community around us. Specifically that
04:06community focuses on Pokemon. As a town, we see a lot of the same faces in here quite regularly.
04:11My local community, I mean, at first it was just the very local people. They were buying cards to play the
04:19game. They were buying cards as collect. It's absolutely great. We get people, new customers
04:23all the time, even people that have lived in the city for years and don't even know about us and
04:28they just find us and like amazed. We've got great customers, great community. We really love them.
04:33The word of mouth from people playing and collecting, it does wonders. The TCG community
04:39in Kent is thriving now more than ever. We wanted to know exactly which games were competing to be the
04:43very best in the county. Other TCGs outside of Pokemon, it's a very niche market. The focus of
04:50TCG products is Pokemon. Any store you go to, it's incredibly hard to find the latest set.
04:56Pokemon by far, but coming up second at the moment is One Piece. It's absolutely huge.
05:02I would say the game that's most played is Magic the Gathering. In the past, it was basically Magic the
05:07Gathering, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh! That's it. Now we have all of these other TCGs and they're all sticking.
05:12And that means that the community as a whole, the hobby as a whole is just growing and growing and
05:16growing. And Kent is a really strong place for that. You know, there are lots of places you can
05:21play. There are lots of games you can play. I would argue wherever you are in Kent, get yourself
05:25down to your local games club. You know, they'll be running TCGs, I guarantee it.
05:29With Pokemon alone bringing in over $1 billion in global sales in 2024, the demand for TCG products
05:36is skyrocketing. But just how much demand is there for products in Kent? There's so many TCGs now,
05:41especially that have come out in the last five years, that a lot of people prefer to dabble
05:45more casually. We're seeing a lot of casual Yu-Gi-Oh! players, casual Vanguard players,
05:50and a lot of those are actually playing casual as opposed to the tournaments instead.
05:53The last couple of years, TCG shops seem to be popping up in every town. There's Margate,
05:58there's Dill, there's Canterbury. In terms of Kent as a whole for a TCG community, it's amazing.
06:03Alia Pritchard for KMTV. Now, let's take a moment to delve deeper into the figures and statistics
06:10around the world of games and nerd culture for this week's Deep Dive.
06:20Joining me today on the sofa is our reporter Christopher Hardz. So, Chris, is there a growing
06:27market for hobbies like board games and card games? Yes, there is. And according to a report from
06:32the industryresearch.biz, the UK sold around 900 million cards in 2023. That's a 10% market share
06:40globally. This is said to be powered by the rise of limited edition packs and live tournaments,
06:46and it's still growing. Wonderful. And for those looking to get into the space, are there any
06:51challenges that they may face? Some might be slightly put off by the prices. A collector's
06:57box of the Magic the Gathering Final Fantasy crossover was typically valued around £300 and £400
07:03and had peak prices of over £1,500. And in Pokémon, a yet-to-be-released product is already
07:08being resold for £80, £90 and £120. But for more affordable options, you can always head to your
07:14local game store. Most tend to have budget-friendly options like trading card singles or bulk buys.
07:20OK. And are there any events or, like, big launches that people can look forward to?
07:26Yes, there is. We have the Kent Card Show. It's a fast-growing event with over 300 vendor tables,
07:31and it's taking place soon from the 28th of February to the 1st of March. The Kent Major is the county's
07:35biggest Warhammer event, and Kent Comic Con in Herne Bay on April the 12th. And Kent is also home to many
07:41comic book shops, another big part of nerd culture. Some shops include Get Ready Comics in Rochester,
07:47X-Dimension Comics in Birchington, Nerd Life in Heith, and Newsstand Comics in Dartford.
07:53Also, on the topic of comic books and graphic novels, you might have noticed the amount of
07:58Japanese manga coming to your local bookstore. Viz Media claim 31 of the top 50 best-selling graphic
08:04novels are actually manga, and it's quite the testament to how every culture shares a love for these
08:09hobbies and how they can travel the world. Thank you so much, Chris.
08:19Now, have you ever wondered about the world of medieval sporting? Well, we sent our reporter,
08:24Kami Akinduro, to the Canterbury Medieval Combat to see how this community group brings people
08:29together through their shared love of medieval combat. Let's see how she got on.
08:33This community group teaches mainly German longsword manuscripts and other ancient sword
08:39guild practices. I'm here at St. Zadson's Church, where this community group in Canterbury
08:45to visit 14th century methods to the 21st century. I'm speaking to the community group leader and
08:50participants to find out more. Medieval Combat is a group of manuscripts that were written in the 14th,
08:5715th and 16th century that teach people how to fight. We do from 14 upwards, predominantly on the
09:03website we talk about 18 upwards, but 14 we can cope with if they're big guys or girls really that
09:10can hold these weapons. We make sure that we teach people to be mindful of each other. We're learning
09:17a technique together, we're not trying to beat each other up. This is more about learning some skills,
09:22so everyone starts with a plastic sword. Thankfully, we've never had an accident. Unlike traditional
09:27businesses, this group is not motivated by profit, but by bringing people together. Everything that we've
09:33get goes back into the club. This pays for equipment, room hire, marketing, and that's it.
09:40It does bring a lot of different people together. Classes are I wouldn't have bumped into half the
09:47people in here because we've been in different workplaces and different settings, different ages as
09:53well. You get to speak to people and interact with people that you normally wouldn't on a day-to-day
09:58basis. And it's a broad mix of people. I thought it would be more geeky kind of people, but it's a full
10:06mix. This is meditation with swords, because for two hours you've got to concentrate on what we're doing.
10:14And it's that sort of, that balance, that poise, trying to get that perfect movement.
10:19It's very structured and it's very, you have to focus on what you're doing.
10:23You learn some geometry, you learn some mathematics, you learn some physics,
10:27you learn some medieval German, and you're exercising. You know, we started with an idea
10:34of just, if I show up, will people come? That was the main thing. The challenge is keeping people
10:41interested in what we're doing, raising enough money to then buy other equipment to do other things.
10:47Come along, give it a go. It's great fun. We provide all the stuff. Just turn up on something
10:54you can move in. Just go for it. You know, even if you haven't got a lot of confidence,
10:58like, the guys here are great. Go ahead and talk to people, pair up with people.
11:02If there's a conversation you think, that looks cool, just wander in. People are really welcoming.
11:06No one walks out of here without a smile on their face, because it's sauce. Enjoy it.
11:12Kamiya Kandira for KAM TV.
11:14You've been watching Made in Kent live here on KMTV. There's more news made just for Kent,
11:21just throughout the evening. Don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest
11:25news across your county by logging into KMTV.co.uk. You can also keep us on your social timelines by
11:31liking us on Facebook or following us on Instagram. We have a range of special programs as well.
11:36But from me and the team, good night.
12:06Hi, thanks.
12:06Hello, everybody.
12:07I'm gonna find you in the process of doing this like a couple of movies.
12:11There is an amazing news.
12:13Here we go.
12:13I said a lot about the new videos.
12:15I said that there is like a few videos in here.
12:17I'm going to find the long videos.
12:19So I'm going to find the conference.
12:21And I'll find some more interesting videos on Instagram.
12:23And I will find some more interesting videos.
12:25So I'm gonna find some of that I'll find in a couple of stories.
12:27So I just can see that there's a lot of things.
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