Alter Reality Games
Alter Reality Games operates ARG Game Center, a single-location hobby retailer and e-commerce store in Medina, Ohio selling trading card game singles and sealed product across 8+ TCG brands, plus board games, miniatures, and branded merchandise, serving individual TCG players, collectors, and board game enthusiasts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersMedina, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Alter Reality Games does
Alter Reality Games, operating commercially as ARG Game Center, is a privately held specialty retailer founded in 2001 and headquartered at 342 East Smith Road, Medina, Ohio. The company runs a single brick-and-mortar storefront (Monday-Friday, 11am-6pm) alongside an e-commerce site at alterealitygames.com, serving trading card game (TCG) players, board game enthusiasts, and collectibles buyers primarily in the United States. Its catalog spans 8+ major TCG ecosystems — Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Super, Cardfight!! Vanguard, Weiss Schwarz, Final Fantasy TCG, Force of Will, Kaijudo, and Lightseekers — across both individual singles and sealed product, with adjacent categories including Games Workshop miniatures, board games, puzzles, ARG-branded merchandise, pop culture collectibles, candy, and Pokemon plush.
The underlying technology stack is a standard third-party e-commerce platform (Crystal Commerce) handling inventory, checkout, and order processing, supplemented by first-party tools such as an Advanced Search function and a Deck Builder. The company also runs the ARG Circuit Series of organized-play tournaments and a buylist service that purchases cards from customers for either cash or store credit. ARG accepts PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and wire transfers and offers free shipping on online orders above $10.
Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) retail sales of TCG singles, sealed product, accessories, and adjacent merchandise; (2) buylist operations, which recycle customer-supplied inventory back into stock and create store-credit-driven repeat purchase loops; and (3) tournament entry fees via the ARG Circuit Series, which also functions as a community and foot-traffic driver. Leadership is concentrated with founder Jim McMahan serving as President and CEO; the company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no public reporting, and no disclosed revenue figure.
Alter Reality Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Alter Reality Games
- Legal name
- ARG Game Center
- Website
- https://alterealitygames.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Alter Reality Games operates ARG Game Center, a single-location hobby retailer and e-commerce store in Medina, Ohio selling trading card game singles and sealed product across 8+ TCG brands, plus board games, miniatures, and branded merchandise, serving individual TCG players, collectors, and board game enthusiasts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Alter Reality Games industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hobby Games Retail
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Collectibles, Trading Cards & Blind Box Toys Retail (CRALAFAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming) (CRALAFAH), Gaming Collectibles, Merchandise & Toys Retail (CRACAFAI)
Keywords
Where Alter Reality Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Medina
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Alter Reality Games business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Sales: Direct sales of trading card game products including singles, sealed product, accessories, board games, and collectibles. Products sold include Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon, Cardfight! Vanguard, Dragon Ball Super, Final Fantasy TCG, Force of Will, and more.
- Buylist Operations: Purchasing cards and products from customers at negotiated prices, with options for cash or store credit. Provides inventory replenishment while creating customer loyalty.
- ARG Circuit Series Tournaments: Organized competitive gaming events generating entry fees and driving store traffic
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard retail pricing with free shipping threshold |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Alter Reality Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Alter Reality Games is a specialty hobby retailer selling collectible and trading card games (Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, Cardfight!! Vanguard, Dragon Ball Super, Final Fantasy TCG, Force of Will, Weiss Schwarz, and others), board games, puzzles, Games Workshop miniatures, branded ARG Gear merchandise, and pop culture collectibles. The business operates a physical store in Medina, Ohio, an e-commerce site, runs organized play tournaments (ARG Circuit Series), and offers a buylist service for singles and sealed product.
Product overview
Alter Reality Games operates ARG Game Center as a comprehensive multi-category retail and e-commerce platform for trading card games and gaming merchandise. The core offering is the ARG Game Center platform, which serves as both a physical retail location in Medina, Ohio and an online marketplace. The product portfolio spans multiple TCG ecosystems including Yu-Gi-Oh! Singles and Magic Complete Sets as major card game categories, Pokemon Singles and Pokemon Product for the Pokemon TCG, Dragon Ball Super Singles and Dragon Ball Super Sealed Product, Cardfight! Vanguard, Weiss Schwarz Sealed Product, Final Fantasy TCG Singles, Force of Will Single Cards and Sealed Product, and Kaijudo Singles. Supporting categories include Board Games, Puzzles, Games Workshop miniatures, ARG Gear branded merchandise, Pop Culture items, Candy, Pokemon Plush, Dex Protection accessories, Yu-Gi-Oh Playmats, and Star Wars Destiny Sealed Product. The company also operates the ARG Circuit Series for tournament play and provides a Buylist service for customers to sell cards. Additional tools include Advanced Search and Deck Builder functionality. The store offers free shipping for orders over $10 and accepts PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and wire transfers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ARG Circuit Series: A tournament/competitive gaming series organized by the company for card game players.
Products and services
- Trading & Collectible Card Games
- Board Games & Puzzles
- Games Workshop Miniatures
- ARG Gear Branded Merchandise
- Pop Culture Collectibles
- ARG Circuit Series Tournaments
- Buylist Service
Companies that use Alter Reality Games
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Alter Reality Games technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Alter Reality Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Crystal CommercecoreARG Game Center uses the Crystal Commerce e-commerce platform to power their online store, manage inventory, and process transactions. Crystal Commerce provides the underlying technology infrastructure for the store's e-commerce operations.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights4 records
Alter Reality Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Amazon: Mass-market e-commerce platform selling sealed TCG product, board games, and accessories. Competes with ARG on price and shipping convenience for sealed goods, though it does not host tournament events or a singles buylist.
Direct peers
- Star City Games: Large TCG retailer and tournament organizer offering singles, sealed product, and competitive Magic/other TCG events online and at multiple store locations—mirrors ARG's combination of retail and organized play.
- Card Kingdom: Seattle-based specialty retailer of Magic: The Gathering and other TCGs with both a physical store and major e-commerce platform, running competitive events and a buylist—directly comparable to ARG's omnichannel TCG retail model.
- Game Kastle: Regional hobby game retailer with multiple California locations, hosting weekly TCG tournaments and carrying singles, sealed product, and miniatures—comparable omnichannel retail-plus-events model.
- Miniature Market: Online hobby games retailer with deep assortment in TCGs, Games Workshop miniatures, board games, and accessories—directly overlapping with ARG's category mix including Games Workshop Warhammer products.
- ChannelFireball: TCG retail and content platform (Magic-focused) combining e-commerce sales of singles and sealed product with tournament coverage and a buylist—closely parallels ARG's retail-plus-events approach.
- TCGplayer: Dominant online marketplace for TCG singles and sealed product with extensive seller tools and pricing data. Comparable to ARG in product category, though purely online and marketplace-based versus ARG's owned-inventory model.
- Face to Face Games: Canadian hobby game retailer and tournament organizer operating physical stores and an e-commerce site focused on Magic, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and other TCGs—comparable omnichannel retail and competitive-play model.
- ABU Games: Online TCG retailer (Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon, etc.) with a buylist and competitive pricing—similar to ARG's e-commerce TCG retail and buylist services.
- Cool Stuff Inc. Multi-category gaming retailer (TCGs, board games, miniatures) with a strong e-commerce presence and in-store events—closely matches ARG's product breadth and tournament-driven retail format.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Alter Reality Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Alter Reality Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Alter Reality Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Alter Reality Games M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Alter Reality Games
What does Alter Reality Games do?
Alter Reality Games is a specialty hobby retailer selling collectible and trading card games (Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, Cardfight!! Vanguard, Dragon Ball Super, Final Fantasy TCG, Force of Will, Weiss Schwarz, and others), board games, puzzles, Games Workshop miniatures, branded ARG Gear merchandise, and pop culture collectibles. The business operates a physical store in Medina, Ohio, an e-commerce site, runs organized play tournaments (ARG Circuit Series), and offers a buylist service for singles and sealed product.
Is Alter Reality Games a public or private company?
Alter Reality Games is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Alter Reality Games founded?
Alter Reality Games was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Alter Reality Games based?
Alter Reality Games is headquartered in Medina, United States, in the North America region.
How does Alter Reality Games make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail Sales are the primary driver. The others are buylist Operations and ARG Circuit Series Tournaments.
Who are Alter Reality Games's main competitors?
Amazon is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Star City Games, Card Kingdom, Game Kastle, Miniature Market, ChannelFireball, TCGplayer, Face to Face Games, ABU Games and Cool Stuff Inc..
Does Alter Reality Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for Alter Reality Games.
What industry is Alter Reality Games in?
Alter Reality Games's product category is Hobby Games Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAFAI, Collectibles, Trading Cards & Blind Box Toys Retail, with a secondary code of CRALAFAH, Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming). Its NAICS code is 459120 and its SIC code is 5945.