Gaming Lounge/Cafe Question....

P

PsychoPCFan

n00b
Joined
Oct 2, 2002
Messages
32
Hi All.
I am in the process of working with the SBA (Small Business Association) on coming up with a business plan for my gaming lounge/cafe. I will go into specifics in the next couple of days - but my main concern is about the growing popularity of gaming lounges/cafes in the US. Do a lot of you here visit/go to on a daily, weekly, monthly basis? If some one could point me in the right direction where I might find any kind of articles discussing the growing popularity of gaming cafes.

Thanks In Advance....
 
hey there, i happen to go to a lancenter everyday!!! (i work there :) )

anyways, im not really sure what exactly your looking for here, as i dont see how an article would be helpful in any way.

best way to see how well business is at a lancenter is to go there, then you could ask the customers or workers about other lancenters in the area, IMO that is the best way to get any good info. good luck tho :D
 
Deadguy: sense you work at one, maybe you could Physco out and tell him some general things.

Sounds like he wants to know if there will be enough business coming in to support it, or maybe for how big of a building/office he should get, et cetera.

I've never been to a LANcenter myself, though we have three in town. My friends have gone to them each I believe. But i never remember them telling me how busy they were.
 
I goto lans whenever I can. Out on the west coast (especially CA) they are a dime a dozen out here. East Coast Lans and West Coast Lans are totally different in terms of pricing. Most East Coast LAN Centers are $4+ an hour (except well known ones like web2zone), West Coast LAN Centers get as cheap as $2 an hour + free soda :D
 
Computer Gaming World had an article on cafes, but I don't know the date. It was within the past year.
 
Torgo - I will look around, but if you come across it - if you could forward it to me, would be great.

I guess some background information would be helpful. I have been in retail for 13 years, I happen to be in the computer/video game area. I also majored in business management. I have ideas on location, target audience, etc. What I can't get a finger on is just how popular/unpopular these places are here in the US. I see that in places like Korea and what not - these places are booming! I just heard about the one in France that just opened up - something like 300 stations there or something?
 
AFAIK the most important parts when opening a new lancenter is making sure that you are in a location that has no major competing lancenters near it and is in close range of as many middle and high schools as possible, and that you have a sign that says like "computer gaming" or "PC arcade" or something because most people will not know what a "L337 Cyber Strike Zone" is.

wait maybe thats like 3 things............ whatever

anyways business is pretty good, we have 50 computers in a not all that busy part of town and we have a waiting list every weekend.

any other info your looking for just ask, im not really a "bury the competition" kind of guy :D
 
I personally have no experience with these gaming places, but let me give you some advice.

The computers will cost some money (duh), I'd start small until you figure out how popular you are. Because too many computers and not that many customers could cause some problems. However, if you start with a smaller amount of computers and are always packed with people, then consider adding more computers.

Jeff
 
A Lan Center is a good idea.. Also if u dont mind.. picking up a Cal Team.. or LAN Team in your area.. have them come there for bootcamp.. and practice.. and they can be a regular lan team.. also have other teams register for Lan Events.. Have Match rooms for teams to Scrim with each other.. Its a good idea.. I'm Thinking about making one my self..

Also Go With AMD for the Pc's :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top