Our peeps love video games of all kinds. Old school, new gen, pc or handheld -- it's obvious gamers gravitate towards Bookmans because of the selection, prices, knowledgeable electronics department staff and the sheer joy of the hunt.

Find us on Flickr for more photos of this event.

Do you know how to warp from world to world in Super Mario Bros? How to get Walugi’s outfit onto Mario in Paper Mario? How to get more carnival cards in Mario Party 8? We do! We’re a little bit obsessed and we’re always happy to share our tips and tricks with our customers – especially if it’s Mario related. Everyone knows who he is, even if you’ve never picked up a controller in your life – you still know the tale of those silly plumber brothers and that pesky princess who is always getting herself kidnapped.

*By Roland Wakefield, Cashier Supervisor, Bookmans Mesa

No duck is an island.

In the summer of 1987 I received 20 dollars from my sister simply for being born. She was nicer to me since she moved out and I could no longer stick my hands under her door, begging her to play Thundercats with me because I didn’t feel comfortable being Cheetara, all the while she listened to Prince albums and completed her homework in full-on ignore mode. With aforementioned 20 dollars I went to the Fry’s Grocery store on Baseline and McClintock, which at the time was Smitty’s, and bought two films that changed my life -- Ghostbusters and the epic blessing from the clouds beneath Duck Jesus, Howard the Duck. I snagged both for the low previously-owned VHS price of $9.99 a piece. My loving mother paid the tax.

For the seventh year in a row, the Devastation Gaming Event, Expo & Tournament, brings professional gaming to a new level in the city of Phoenix. This year an all new VIP event was added to the Thursday night programming for the weekend. A relaxing event where industry professionals, gamers, supporters, and the Devastation crew were able to hang out before the big event. Games were open for casual gaming, while the Bookmans Retro Game Zone rocked out titles such as Bubble, Bobble & TMNT: Tournament Fighters. I had a great time casually meeting the guests and am looking forward to the next three days of gaming insanity! If you are interested in checking Devastation out and live in Phoenix come on down! Free to attend all weekend long.

If your idea of a fun Saturday is spending almost 5 hours playing intense round after round of first-person shooter action in the new Modern Warfare 2 battlefields, then you probably should have been at Bookmans Phoenix this weekend instead of playing the exact same thing on your couch or at your buddy’s house.

It was an intense day today at Bookmans Ina, where kids turned out in droves to get their hands on the Nintendo Wii controllers and challenge their peers to a game of Super Smash Bros. Brawl!

This afternoon marked another entry in Bookmans' annual Video Game Challenge, and to say it was a success would be an understatement. For a few hours there was punching, kicking, fireballs, telekinetic throws and all other forms of combat in the living room. Of course, I'm talking about Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii! Kids 13 and under came to hang out with their friends, and as one kid explained, "do what we do every weekend anyway." Only this time, there were prizes involved!

Who knew that my mom was cool? I always have; in this world where female gamers used to be so far and few between, my mom was an original. Last year when asked my first memory of video games, I shared my experience with Frogger as a child. I loved playing Frogger with my mom and at the age of three I often confused the word Frogger with a rather colorful word that also begins with the letter 'f'. But our time together playing video games did not end there.

Video Games Live: A Guest Blog by Jason Kallelis (Twitter - @silellak)

As a long-time video game fan, I am no stranger to hype. Ask any avid-devourer of media, in any form - be it books, movies, television, music, you name it - hype is both your greatest friend, and your mortal enemy. The day always comes, however, when that hype must end - the day you play, watch, read, or listen to the creation in question, after months or even years of being told how life-changing the experience would be. More often that not, you will leave at least somewhat disappointed. There's a lot to be said for going into something with lowered expectations.

Devastation 2009 kicked off Friday with a line of gamers forming as early as 7 a.m. for registration - that is dedication, people. The line for badge pick-up stretched well into the lobby for most of the morning, with the action picking up on the floor with the matches for Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, and the Bookmans-sponsored Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

Just a guess, but we think Cal, Bookmans Grant's EEC supervisor, had a good time at E3.

Yes, it was Christmas morning and my brother and I were gnashing at the bit; for weeks the rumor in the house had been that we were getting a Sega Genesis and we were both stoked. Our parents had touted for years the importance of reading books and watching little television, and video games, well…they were the devil!

Since we're cranking out two big video game challenges in May, we thought we'd share our memories of the simple, blocky boxes and graphics of the past: Atari, Commodore 64, Pac-Man, Frogger, and more. Here's Part I of employees' tales of sibling wars, unfortunate liquid spills, and picking up cute girls in the arcade.