Recent Articles & Reviews by Mike Laza

Before I opened Funkatronic Rex – Games & More in Phoenix, most of my life was wrapped up in creative work—music, production, and trying to get people in a room to make something cool together. Board games turned out to be a perfect excuse for that. These days I’m happiest in the middle of a buzzing game night, watching The Quacks of Quedlinburg explode, a quick-to-teach filler hit the table for the third time in a row, or someone discover they actually love BattleTech or the Genesys/Star Wars RPG system. I have a big soft spot for any game we can get into within five minutes, laugh over for an hour, and pack up satisfied.

Since 2017, I’ve been running weekly events for board games, TTRPGs, and card games at the shop. I get to see people go from “nervous first visit” to “this is my night of the week,” and none of that happens without the team at Funkatronic Rex. They do the heavy lifting that keeps the doors open and the tables full, and they’ve also given me room to grow into being an actual leader instead of just “the person with the keys.” Outside the shop, my favorite things are pretty simple: movies, music, my daughters, and our dog.

I’m still new to the writing side of the hobby, but I’ve really fallen in love with the process. I like exploring how games, business, AI, and entertainment fit into real life—how people spend their time and money, what actually feels good at the table, and why certain moments stick with us long after the box is back on the shelf. My goal is to write the way people talk in the parking lot after game night: a little nerdy, a little practical, and always grounded in real experiences around the table.