Machesney Park Mayor Steve Johnson, left, shares a laugh with Chad Cunningham, a firefighter and the owner of Game Corner North Park, on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, at the store in Machesney Park. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)
    By Kevin Haas
    Rock River Current
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    MACHESNEY PARK  — As long as Chad Cunningham is in business you’ll be able to blast space invaders, smash Bowser and raid tombs on video game systems new and old.

    Cunningham, who has been a Belvidere firefighter for nearly 20 years, also owns Game Corner North Park, which buys, sells and repairs video games and systems. The business, 631 Harlem Road, opened last month after moving from Freeport and celebrated its official ribbon-cutting on Thursday.

    Game Corner carries new and vintage games and has Playstation 1, 2, 3, 4, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, Wii U, Gameboy, Nintendo DS and more.

    “There’s not really a store in the area that specializes in the type of stuff we do, as far as going with the retro games,” Cunningham said. “We’re excited to be here, hopefully for a long time.”

    The store also repairs old systems and games, and it has a selection of movies for sale.

    “We have an awesome tech that really can repair just about anything,” Cunningham said of Clayton Reeser, the store’s manager and repair technician.

    Cunningham has been in business for 11 years and this is his fifth location. He started in Winnebago with a focus on movie and game rentals, but shifted gears as competition in that space grew with streaming platforms and Red Box. Other previous locations were in the North Towne Mall in Rockford and in Belvidere.

    “We chose this location because the Hamilton Center is centrally located,” Cunningham said. “There’s no need to leave Machesney Park for your gaming or repair needs anymore.”

    The store, fittingly, did have at least one firefighting-themed game on its shelves — the only game of its type the veteran firefighter and business owner could think of off the top of his head. It’s called “Firefighter,” and was made for the Nintendo Wii.

    “You actually do a lot of the functions that the firefighter does,” he said. “It teaches how to chop and how to spray water. You have to put fires out and stuff like that.”

    Game Corner North Park | At a Glance

    Where: 631 Harlem Road, Machesney Park

    Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week

    On the web: facebook.com/gamecornernorthpark

    Contact: gamecornernorthpark@gmail.com; 815-616-8352

    Game Corner North Park, 631 Harlem Road, Machesney Park, celebrated its ribbon-cutting on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

    This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.

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