A little while ago I didn’t know much about Chris Williams. As a gamer in Rochester, of course I had heard his name. He was the man keeping the legacy of old school arcades alive. In the last few years I’ve seen articles and posts all over local boards and social media. While gaming, my friends have always gone on about how good of a guy he is. In a world of games and tech that quickly both come and go, Chris’ name is a local constant. It wasn't until I had a chance to really speak with him that I understood why. It wasn’t until we talked that I fully grasped why his name is almost synonymous with gaming in Rochester and why so many people that I know insist on supporting him. At his core Chris Williams is a father of four with a dream, and at the core of that dream is a genuine desire to support the dreams of his family and our community. He’s a man that continues to find ways to have a palpable familial and community presence, while also continuing to do what he loves. He’s a man that knows where he is, where he wants to go, and has the perspective to never give up on splitting the difference. If black fatherhood is going to be celebrated, the Rochester Video Game Community as a whole wants to take this opportunity to celebrate Chris Williams.
Before heading out in the morning, Chris’ eleven year old daughter would ask him why he’s going. Like any good father, he would hug her tight and tell her that there are bills to pay and things to be done. She’s a smart kid and she understands that, but that doesn't stop her from telling him that she doesn’t want him to leave. It doesn’t stop her from telling him that she just likes having him around. With the state of the world, she’s had more time than ever to hang out with her dad and she still can’t get enough. He makes her happy by being the person he is. According to him, however, the man that he is currently is not the man He’d see the chance to parlay what he loves into a way to provide.
In our conversation, he would explain to me that he knew both a business and a family would require nurturing. He was introspective enough to know that to do so he would need to continue to grow himself. He’d take the lessons he learned from his family growing up and apply them to both. He would think about how his late father would operate and realize how important stability is. How important it is to remember where you came from. How important it is to be involved with what you love. He’d do his best to not imitate, but to live these things and to permeate every aspect of what he wanted to do with these principles. He’d start AGN in 2014 and never look back. Because of this, AGN is more than an arcade. AGN is opportunity. Opportunity to do whatever you want and have someone support you one hundred percent.
In the same way that Chris would support his own and in the same way that his family have supported him, he supports his base at AGN. He gives them a place to have fun, network, and practice. Any good business owner would be proud to say that, but on top of that he also has been known to go the extra mile. He’s given advice, rides home from tournaments that run late, and has even given players opportunities to artistically express themselves on the very walls of the establishment that is his livelihood. He’s thrown tournaments himself in connection with various establishments within the city, but he has also branched out to all of WNY, and even across the border into Canada. When he can't go to or be a part of some tournaments, he has sent players from his store out of state to participate against the best of the best. They return energized, knowing where they stand and how hard they have to work to reach their lofty goals. In our community, Chris is someone who understands the importance of knowing where you stand and who stands with you.
In Esports and life in general, a lot of faces in high places look the same. Those faces are certainly talented and deserve their spots, but Chris strives to see something different. His vision is one of black success. That’s in regards to his family, his business, and his community. He knows that there are places of power to be occupied and prizes to be won by people who look like him. He does what he can to facilitate that, going as far as to have recently accepted a position as the Esports coach at Bryant and Stratton college. He wants to be the driving force behind a diverse team of players who are ready to capitalize on what once may have only been a hobby. He’s told me that he can’t control who he inspires and what they do with that inspiration, but he can control the energy that he puts out and I truly believe that’s why we rally around him. I don’t personally know his children but I do know that everyone and anyone who has gone into AGN will say that Chris is a man with his values, dedication, and a great attitude in the face of adversity. I strongly believe that