By Sam DeLong
As video games continue to shift toward an increasingly digital future, one Chico business is betting on retro gaming and the power of nostalgia. Max Level Games is a used-video game store in Chico that specializes in retro titles, offering everything from Xbox 360 games to Atari 2600 cartridges from the 1980s, along with vintage strategy guides, figures and other collectibles. For collectors and long-term gamers, the store provides an opportunity to revisit earlier eras of gaming.
Building a retro collection can feel similar to collecting vinyl records or tracking down the first edition of your favorite book. Chico has similar secondhand stores, such as long time Chico record shop, Melody Records — but Max Level Games offers a niche, one-stop shop for retro video game collectors. The advent of a digital marketplace and streaming, such as purchasing movies on Prime, or music on Spotify, can often place your collection on shaky ground, not a guarantee of ownership of your collection of music, movies, and of course, games. Physical media will keep your collection in your hands, literally.
“If PlayStation and Xbox closed up shop tomorrow, those digital games that you own — that you paid for — would just be gone,” said owner Shane Casada. “We offer something more tangible than that.”
Casada started Max Level Games out of his garage during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. After a year, the business moved into a physical storefront and continues to operate four years later. The appeal of playing classic titles on original hardware not only gives fans a window to into nostalgia but also offers a plug and play solution for video gaming that doesn’t require an internet connection or tied to be tied to an uncertain digital library. When comes to who is collecting retro, Casada says that gamers of all ages come into the store – everything from young kids to collectors in their 70s.
Online purchases can also be picked up at the store. In addition, retro hardware, such as a Nintendo Gamecube, is available for purchase for those deciding to pick up that favorite game console from their childhood. If you happen to still own a retro console in need of repair, Max Level Games also offers a multi-step process to clean consoles, cartridges, and CD-based games.
Physical media has steadily declined in recent years as consumers turn to streaming services and digital downloads. Music CDs have largely given way to platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, while DVDs and Blu-ray discs are also becoming less common. In 2024, Best Buy stopped selling physical copies of movies, including its 4K Ultra HD titles.
Even so, major retailers have not completely abandoned the retro market. GameStop has made several attempts to tap into interest in older games, launching an online-only vintage program in 2015 and branding select locations as “Retro GameStop” stores. By 2024, retro titles had become part of its regular inventory.
“Do we compete with GameStop? Yes and no,” said Assistant Manager John Fralick. “We carry some newer stuff, but our primary focus is retro games.”
Collecting vintage games can be costly, with prices shaped by rarity, condition and hardware availability. Games may be sold loose or with original packaging and manuals, commonly referred to as “complete in box.” Without a universal pricing system, values are often determined by demand and online market comparisons.
Max Level Games also accepts trade-ins, offering customers 60 percent of a game’s current market value in store credit. Fralick said the goal is to offer a more customer-friendly alternative to larger retail chains.
“It’s not a business you’re going to get rich from,” Fralick said. “You do it because you love it.”
Retro game prices surged during the pandemic as demand increased and supply became more limited. Some rare titles now sell for hundreds, or even thousands of dollars.
“We’ve definitely seen $1,000 games come through the door,” Fralick said. “At the end of the day, we’re a small business.”
The smaller scale allows Max Level Games to offer a wider selection and more flexible pricing than big-box retailers. With shelves lined wall-to-wall with classic titles, the store serves as both a shopping destination and a reminder of an era when you raced home after school to plug in your favorite cartridge.
Max Level Games is located at 162 Cohasset Road. Retro titles can be purchased at the store directly, or online.
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