Entrepreneurial Marian Central Catholic student in Woodstock launches GamerCrates

WOODSTOCK – Not everyone has heard of Skyrim, Morrowind or the acronym AFK (away from keyboard). But millions have heard, and they are spending billions.

That’s not lost on gaming aficionado and youthful entrepreneur Tyler Rambuski-Salzman, of Woodstock, who has his sights set on cashing in on the vast, global e-sports market.

With a $10,000 initial investment from his mother, who also is his full business partner, the 16-year-old launched GamerCrates in the fall.

Each month, GamerCrates ships a box of gamer-oriented goodness to its subscribers. June’s theme was The Elder Scrolls (from whence the Skyrim and Morrowind references hail).

The package included a T-shirt, a can of FUEL UP Energy drink, an Elder Scrolls online lanyard, a Skyrim flashlight, a sticker, wall decal and door hanger.

Each crate is $19.99 plus shipping. Fans can buy one at a time, or save money per unit by buying a three-, six- or 12-month subscription at the business' website, GamerCrates.com. The theme for July is e-sports.

GamerCrates is not Rambuski-Salzman’s first foray into the business end of gaming.

He started his own forum called Game ’Til Insane at age 13, then interned as a designer with Anthony Scalzi of Connecticut-based Aporia Customs, which customizes gaming controllers.

“Tyler is a progressive, young entrepreneur who has many great ideas,” said Scalzi, adding that a membership concept that Rambuski-Salzman suggested helped Scalzi to boost sales.

Michelle Rambuski said her son always has been the ambitious type, and she and her husband, Bob Salzman, couldn’t be more proud.

“Tyler taught himself graphic design,” she said. “He works hard. I don’t think there’s an adult out there who works harder.”

While maintaining a 3.9 grade-point average at Marian Central Catholic High School in Woodstock, where he will be a junior in the fall, Rambuski-Salzman dreamed of being the CEO of his own business. He came up with the GamerCrates idea last summer.

“I brought the idea to mom,” he said. “She always listens to my business ideas, but this one, she really jumped on. We launched Oct. 1, 2014.”

Since then, GamerCrates has shipped its packages of six to eight gamer-related items monthly to a fan base that has expanded to 43 states and nine countries.

Some items the mother-son team custom make, while others are licensed by game manufacturers and still others are supplied by vendors also keying in on the dedicated gamer market, such as Game On Snacks.

Also available online at GamerCrates is a “pro shop” where individual items are available, including gamer grips and GamerCrates’ own FUEL UP Energy line.

The duo has marketed GamerCrates through social media, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. And Rambuski-Salzman is dedicated to forming alliances that will further expand the company’s reach.

“I want to be the No. 1 subscription box in video gaming,” he said. “I want to sponsor and partner with Major League Gaming and other big event hosters like that. There’s so much I want to do with it.”

Toward that end, Rambuski-Salzman will travel in August to New York state, where GamerCrates will be a sponsor and prize supplier at a Bound By Games tournament.

It’s a long way from playing on a Nintendo GameCube with his older brother, Cory, when they were little.

“The winners at [Bound By Games] tournament get $2,500,” Michelle Rambuski said. “This is a huge industry.”

OUTBOX

Video games by the numbers:

59 – Percentage of Americans who play video games

51 – Percentage of U.S. households possessing at least one dedicated game console

31 – Average game player’s age

52/48 – Percentage of players who are male/female

$15.4 – Billion dollars spent in U.S. on computer and video games in 2013*

* Figure includes all delivery formats — mobile apps, subscriptions, digital full games, social network gaming, etc.

Source: Entertainment Software Association’s 2014 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry