Left to right, Store owner Eric Smith and James Butcher play Warhammer at Deep Dive games in Athens, Ohio, on Oct 30, 2025. As new players come in and learn new games, Smith says, “ The community we cultivate is based around positivity and friendlin

Left to right, Store owner Eric Smith and James Butcher play Warhammer at Deep Dive games in Athens, Ohio, on Oct 30, 2025. As new players come in and learn new games, Smith says, “ The community we cultivate is based around positivity and friendliness.”

Savannah Smith paints a Warhammer figure that is used to play the game at Deep Dive Games on Nov 5, 2025, in Athens, Ohio.

Savannah Smith paints a Warhammer figure that is used to play the game at Deep Dive Games on Nov 5, 2025, in Athens, Ohio.

Koen Sanders is in disbelief after making a wrong move at the end of his Pokémon game on Oct 27, 2025, at Deep Dive Games in Athens, Ohio.

Koen Sanders is in disbelief after making a wrong move at the end of his Pokémon game on Oct 27, 2025, at Deep Dive Games in Athens, Ohio.

Left to right, Caleb Huebner and Vin Rist play Pokémon on Oct 27, 2025, at Deep Dive Games in Athens, Ohio. On Monday nights, Pokémon is the dedicated card game where players come in to compete for points to earn a chance at nationals.

Left to right, Caleb Huebner and Vin Rist play Pokémon on Oct 27, 2025, at Deep Dive Games in Athens, Ohio. On Monday nights, Pokémon is the dedicated card game where players come in to compete for points to earn a chance at nationals.

Andrew Krebs films his Pokémon card game to keep track of his moves and his opponents at Deep Dive Games in Athens, Ohio, on Oct 27, 2025. Krebs, a regular at Deep Dive Games, has been playing Pokémon since he was a kid and continues to play and comp

Andrew Krebs films his Pokémon card game to keep track of his moves and his opponents at Deep Dive Games in Athens, Ohio, on Oct 27, 2025. Krebs, a regular at Deep Dive Games, has been playing Pokémon since he was a kid and continues to play and compete in national tournaments.

A regular at Deep Dive Games wears a Pokémon ball on his keychain.

A regular at Deep Dive Games wears a Pokémon ball on his keychain.

Store owner Eric Smith puts his Riftbound cards into sleeves for protection before he plays in the release day event on Nov 1, 2025, at Deep Dive Games in Athens, Ohio. Riftbound was released on Oct 31, 2025.

Store owner Eric Smith puts his Riftbound cards into sleeves for protection before he plays in the release day event on Nov 1, 2025, at Deep Dive Games in Athens, Ohio. Riftbound was released on Oct 31, 2025.

Brock Roush eats Doritos while waiting to play in the next Riftbound trading card game on Nov 2, 2025, at Deep Dive Games in Athens, Ohio. Riftbound was released on Oct 31, 2025, and a small community of players get together to play.

Brock Roush eats Doritos while waiting to play in the next Riftbound trading card game on Nov 2, 2025, at Deep Dive Games in Athens, Ohio. Riftbound was released on Oct 31, 2025, and a small community of players get together to play.

Store owner, Eric Smith, eyes Curtis Lewis' cards while he is in turn to make a move on Nov 5, 2025, at Deep Dive Card Shop in Athens, Ohio. “With being the new blood, it was very important for us to be different than the other stores. We had the peo

Store owner, Eric Smith, eyes Curtis Lewis' cards while he is in turn to make a move on Nov 5, 2025, at Deep Dive Card Shop in Athens, Ohio. “With being the new blood, it was very important for us to be different than the other stores. We had the people who felt like they didn’t belong at a different card store already.” says Smith.

Deep Dive Games is a shop that focuses on card and board games. Every night, they have different groups of people play games ranging from Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, and Warhammer.

Deep Dive Games is a shop that focuses on card and board games. Every night, they have different groups of people play games ranging from Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, and Warhammer.