What is OKgamers.com?
OKgamers.com is a free-to-use website for Oklahoma gamers of all types (console, arcade, handheld, PC, collectible card, tabletop, role-playing, etc) to come together, organize, find events, and meet people in their community! Utilizing a central site to draw attention to local events, players can easily keep tabs on any and all gatherings and events happening in the area through OKgamers.com forums! It’s a place to read up on local tournaments happening around you – much like the promotional events that volunteers of OKgamers.com supports and organizes around the state to get the word out amongst the local player and business communities to promote the site and let them know that we’re here, and give them a way to interact.
Looking for help hosting an event, or wanting to get the word out about your local gaming related gathering in Oklahoma? Visit the forums and start interacting with Oklahoma’s fastest growing community right now.
Why do we do this, and why should you care?
Gamers can be notorious shut-ins, and we aren’t exactly famous for our social graces. OKgamers looks to change that. Finding new friends in Oklahoma who share your interests can be a challenge if it doesn’t involve the words “college” or “football” in some fashion. Thousands of gamers just like us are out there. OKgamers is the connection that can connect you to a new friend, or a community of people who think just like you, and love the things you love. OKgamers can open that social door. All you have to do is knock.
If you look across the web, it’s easy to see how small town gamers often envy larger gaming communities or even become disconnected and even resentful towards their own home town. That’s a shame. A gamer can feel pretty alone out in rural areas unless someone steps up to organize the community and give everyone a voice. That’s where OKgamers comes in. We give back to the community through our volunteer work and by collaborating with local businesses to help them get connected with their core demographics and at the same time expand our reach and get the word out to every single person possible. No gamer should be stuck feeling left out or isolated when there are countless friends to be made, and hundreds of local events going on each year in their own state. That’s our call – to bring people together.
Life is ultimately about the people you meet, the friends you make, and the memories you collectively share. Gaming is that common thread that brings so many of us together, and can create friendships that last a lifetime. Some of the most interesting people we’ve ever met came into our lives over a game of Halo or Soul Calibur. Want to meet people in your state that share your passion? Dig into the forums and see what you’ve been missing out on!
History of OKgamers.com
Oklahoma was never exactly known for being a gaming stronghold. That needed to change…
In 2005, certain popular fighting game franchise went from being competitively played in the arcade, to being a console game exclusive. Saif – founder of OKgamers – realized that to find competition for his favorite game – he’d have to get the attention of gamers hiding in their houses. So Saif whipped up some flyers and decided to throw some tournaments, however all the info wouldn’t fit on a single flyer. and flyer based promotion has its limits, so Saif realized he needed to put the info on a website. His personal site was kinda’ out of the question since there was a curse word in the URL, so Saif began looking for something more broad and inclusive, which led us to OKgamers.com. Saif and his friends realized that OKgamers.com could be far more than a site devoted to one game – it could be a resource for gamers of all kinds across the entire state.
In 2006, OKgamers opened it’s figurative doors and began reaching out to local arcade and console gamers, naively thinking nobody else needed our help, but soon discovered otherwise. OKgamers.com was registered in January 2006, opened up it’s forums in March, and immediately started searching for it’s core purpose. Our view started to expand as we began to realize that “gamer” is a very broad term and not all gamers are attached to a console/controller. Other players drifted towards tabletop gaming, collectible card games, and live-action role playing. The gaming community was more diverse than we realized. We brought anyone who cared into the inner circle and sat down together to find ideas to strengthen our respective communities.
In late 2006, we started throwing monthly tournaments to rally local players and promote the site. Soon, businesses began to approach us seeking help consulting, organizing, and running tournaments and event for local players. As the site expended, so did the need for manpower. We opened up volunteer staff positions, and collaborated with any business that we could to bring more events to the community, and also of course, to get the word out about OKgamers.com – so it would be more and more useful.
2007 was the year our work began to be recognized. We grew in leaps and bounds, working with not just businesses, but conventions, and garnering online, radio, and local TV coverage, which all brought more eyes to the website. We hosted more events than you can imagine (and we care to remember) and probably single-handedly burned out the local Guitar Hero community. Moving into 2008, we were made aware of, and soon approved by volunteer databases 1800volunteer.org and volunteertulsa.org which opened the door to working with local colleges to help students get their community service hours. This was fantastic as it opened the door to new collaboration. Now now had at least 5 different conventions and large scale events we were working with in 2008 alone.
2011 was a banner year for growth as it saw OKgamers move under the wing of TokyoUSA as its umbrella company, and we became sister programs with Tokyo in Tulsa (Oklahoma’s largest asian culture convention) and Contemplation (Oklahoma’s celebration of words, both for professionals and casuals alike). We hosted one of the Midwest’s largest game rooms at Tokyo in Tulsa 2011, and began to refocus on cultivating the smaller fan followings in the state and help them grow into something larger through weekly home gatherings and fewer, but larger scale events.
OKgamers.com – the future?
As always, we want to expand reach as many people possible and transform Oklahoma into a place known for its gaming community. When you mention the term “gaming” in Oklahoma, the first thought people seem to have is “casinos”. That culture needs to change. We’re always in the process of expansion and chasing bold new ideas — some we can talk about, and some we can’t (yet). We’re always trying to reach out to “non-electronic” gamers as well – collectible card game players, table-top, and live-action-role-players and more. Though our core demographic began with console gaming, gaming ins’t strictly a “Console+TV+Controller” hobby. The point is this: If you care – we care, and we’ll find a way to help.
Looking forward, 2012 is going to be a year of massive growth for OKgamers and the community we serve in more ways than you can possibly imagine. Our promotional events will take on a new shape and grander, and as always, we’ll continue to explore new ways of expanding our reach and recognizability throughout Oklahoma as the ultimate community resource to gamers of all kinds.
