Meet the D.C. devotees of a very niche arcade game

On a rainy Friday night in Park View, The Midlands Beer Garden is packed. Most patrons watch basketball on the bar’s gigantic TV screens, groaning or applauding sporadically. But at a pair of glowing, double-wide arcade machines, a small crowd cheers and whoops at their own nail-biting competition. 

They’re playing Killer Queen, a game that dots independent arcade bars across the country. The 10-player strategy game is “truly social” — designed to get strangers off of their phones and playing together. It was developed at NYU in 2013, and it’s maintained a strong cult following in the decade since. 

But D.C. is home to a particularly devoted circle of fans. The game cabinets at Midlands aren’t owned by the bar; they’re lovingly financed and maintained by a crew of local fanatics who ensure that the game is always free to play. Now, they hope to recruit even more players to keep the league going. 

“We pitched in as a group [to buy the game] so that we could not charge for it, because that was definitely hurting retention,” says Steve Parker, a D.C.-area resident and Killer Queen devotee. “We wanted to show it to a bunch of new people.”

Parker is the lead organizer of the Killer Queen league in D.C. He came across the game at a 2016 Maryland gaming convention, and became obsessed with its clever community-building concept. After commandeering a defunct Facebook group, he built up a local league. The group has played the game every Friday for the past nine years. 

“There's a bunch of different ways for adult nerds to get to know each other,”  Parker says. “There's a lot of board game groups, there's D&D groups, but from a video game perspective, you just kind of game with your friends online. And there isn't really a video game community where you can meet like-minded people in person.”

Until now, that is. Between game rounds, the Killer Queen screen flashes with messages like, “MEET THY NEIGHBORS.” That’s more of a practical necessity than a sweet platitude. 

“Its very hard to have a 5-on-5 team,” says Brian Jackson, a Midlands patron. “It’s a very involved game. So unless you show up with your five, you have to meet strangers.”

Killer Queen is a bit like playing a super hectic game of capture the flag, but in the role of computerized bees — players work to collect and fill their team’s hive with berries, as well as attempt to kill the other team’s queen. There are three ways to win: gathering more berries than the other team, killing the other team’s queen, or by riding the snail into your team’s goal. Each player has an individual task and position, but everyone is united for a common cause.

“It is super accessible to just drop in and have a good time,” says regular player Ren C’deBaca. 

When Parker discovered Killer Queen in 2017, a set of cabinets stood in Penn Social in Gallery Place; then they were acquired by Punch Bowl Social in Arlington. After that, they were transferred from bar to bar in the D.C. area — and the league followed each time.  

“When they moved [the game] again, we decided, all right, we really really need to find a place for our cabinets,” Parker says. “Because every time they picked up and moved it somewhere else, we’d have to re-form regulars.”

With funds raised from his fellow players, Parker purchased a used Killer Queen set for 10 thousand dollars, and eventually set up at Atlas Brew Works in Ivy City. Atlas closed last year, so the bar contacted the owners of The Midlands, who immediately agreed to take the game in. The fan-financed cabinets keep a regular flow of players buying drinks and food. 

“It’s free, just come in and play it,” says Robin Webb, a Midlands co-owner. “[The league is] very inclusive when it comes to someone that hasn’t played before.”

Dedicated Killer Queen players return to The Midlands every week, where there’s a typical mix of about 20 hardcore fans and “new-bees.” 

Players are eager to explain rules, drop tips, and congratulate new players on a win. That relaxed, beginner-friendly vibe isn’t a coincidence. It helps keep the club alive. 

“There are other cities that try to breed the most competitively strong players, and D.C. actively avoids that,” says Ren C’deBaca, who founded D.C. Gaming Group inspired by Killer Queen D.C.’s welcoming atmosphere. 

D.C. can be a hyper-competitive city, including in recreational spaces dominated by young professionals. 

“Flag football in D.C. is super intense. Our trivia leagues are cutthroat,” C’deBaca explains. “We don't want to have animosity with everyone who could be a teammate.”

Abby Parker, another longtime player, agrees. The game has fostered genuine personal connections in her life, beyond transplant small talk. 

“I feel like this is the only place in D.C. I've ever been where people don't immediately ask you what you do for a living,” she says. “You just hop on the cab and play.”

Abby met Steve Parker at a Killer Queen tournament in 2019, and the pair got married in November. Killer Queen players get along so well that romance is a well-documented perk of the game. The D.C. league boasts a few happy couples, and there’s even a term for the children of Killer Queen-obsessed parents: baby bees. 

Despite the passion behind Killer Queen, Steve Parker has noticed a steady flow of players who get married, move out of the city, and leave the hive behind. 

“A lot of us are in our mid-30s now and we're all in the suburbs,” he says. “We drive in 45 minutes to come here to play the game. Some people come all the way from Baltimore to play the game.”

He’s hoping more fresh faces will join the league, so he can pass the organizing torch along. The Midlands is more than happy to host weekly game nights, and the bar is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. But the league has to stay cautiously optimistic. 

“The life cycle in D.C. is very quick,” Parker says. “Every place we've been has either changed their business model or shut down or moved. So, I really hope that we can stay here for a long time.”