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Setting up an Internet Cafe?
"What kind of set up did you start off with: 10 computers, 256kbit DSL, a dedicated T3 or something else? I am currently looking at 8 computers with some form of DSL (this should be the most cost effective solution). Cable might be available, but it depends on the location.
This internet cafe is primarily aimed at gamers, and I am interested to know how much success small internet cafes have had with bulk software purchases (say X = number of computers (8 to 10), X licenses for Half-Life and X licenses for Starcraft etc). I think I can get into contact with suppliers in Australia, but X licenses may still not be enough to be bulk. What suppliers (in the Australia/Pacific region) have other internet cafes delt with and bought software from? Please pass along any lessons learned if so.
What kind of times are the most popular? Being open all day costs a lot, so I was thinking of being open 5~6pm to about 11pm, seven days a week, and also having an 'all night special' on friday nights. What times do you run your internet cafe? What kind of special all night things do you have? For the readers out there, what times would be optimal for you and what kind of 'specials' would you want?
I am also interested how you deal with security. I have been thinking of basically hiring a bouncer to deal with gatecrashers and such (but this is rather expensive). Is security this much of a problem? I mean, how do you deal with a car of five drugged and drunken idiots intent on (as in smashing window/door down intent) getting some counterstrike goodness (or just seeing what happens when you stick someones head inside a broken monitor)? Do internet cafes attract this kind of person? I was talking to my parents, and they were saying that drunken people just drive around looking for a joint to gatecrash, and being open at 11pm just sounds like trouble to me. So does your internet cafe hire bouncers or some other form of security?
I had thought I would get people to 'register' first, and then book appointments beforehand - perhaps even some sort of video security system on the front door (or maybe even fingerprint ID/keycards). Has anyone tried anything like this and has it been successful? Can you recommend any such systems in existence? Any kind of 'register' before use system will always cause hassles for new users, and put off the casual gamer, which is also a problem...
The security situation also has a lot to do with location. I am currently looking at an area close to the local university, and also a location within the university. Getting a site within university would solve a lot of the security problems (university has its own security staff) so this would help, but I am not sure if there is a space currently for rent.
What kind of system should I run? Obviously
most games are only going to run on windows, (and wine is a bitch, and imagine the bitchiness multiplied out against X machines), but I don't want to buy windows licenses (and I also don't want to pirate software) so where can I pick up some second hand windows 98SE licenses for a small cost? Would it be legal, if I was to advertise I will pay $20 for your win98SE license? Or would I be better off buying X licenses for Micro$oft Super Advanced Multigaming iExecution eServer Special Edition?
Anyway, I am not sure I have even thought through all the issues yet, and I am sure there may be something I have forgotten something, but this is just an idea I had, and the figures work out pretty nicely on paper, for a student income ^_^.
If you have any suggestions, please write me! I will be very interested to hear what you think.
Samuel Williams
coolfr3ak@gmx.net
http://utopia5.mine.nu/"
Sigh, another poor Ask Slashdot...
I've no doubt this is interesting. I've no doubt people here can provide insight.
But this poster is asking people to give details of their market research, business experience and supplier contracts, for free, in a public forum! I'm sorry, but that's daft. If you want to set up in business you have to be prepared to do some research yourself, not just expect others to give you everything, giftwrapped, on a plate.
Greg
(Inside a nuclear plant)
Aaaarrrggh! Run! The canary has mutated!
You're worrying too much about software licensing costs. It is certainly a big sum which has to be paid in advance, but the running costs, especially for employees, are probably dwarfing the software costs pretty quickly. Do the math. Oh, and don't think too big when Slashdot is your primary source of information for these basic questions and you have no experience in this field.
From the way the submitter frames it, he sounds like he is pursuing this more as a community thing than as a profitable business. In that case, a lot of what he is saying seems reasonable.. "cost effective" dsl vs cable, licensing costs. It would be interesting to see a club (maybe a LUG or similar?) try to create a not-for-profit internet cafe, perhaps a monthly membership almost like a Geek Country Club or something ;)
Has anyone tried anything like that?
Or put another way; in the heyday of the 80's a lot of places tried merging their business with arcades. (Think pizza parlors and video games.) There aren't really many success stories of either living in harmony with the other. Gamers aren't going to sip coffee, nibble food, and spend money outside of the games -- you'd better make all of your money right there at the console. The gamers (and the crowd that goes along) are going to be loud, disruptive, and generally a pain in the ass to anyone who's dropping in and doesn't intend on playing the games.
Get off my lawn.
If you want to give people Internet access, then spring for either Xterms booting off a central server, or Windows CE terminals booting off of a Windows Terminal Server. Maybe provide both so that people can use the web browser they prefer.
Both of those scenarios allow you to easily set up security. (Dig all you want at WTS, but many web sites are "Internet Explorer" only, and using WTS terminals is the only way to prevent Joe Hacker from hacking the box.)
Find someone who's familiar with running something like a Starbucks or other coffee house, and get them to do the food side of the biz. Or pay them a consulting fee. People stay longer if there's food and caffeiene. Don't forget books and newspapers for the chronic reader types.
Considered getting 20-30 identical PC's, networking them together with a fat pipe out to the net, and letting people game to their hearts content for $X per hour. Then I got to thinking about security, and punks getting out of line when someone takes them to school in the latest FPS. I don't want to be a replacement parent to a bunch of kids, nor do I want to be a truant officer, wondering why my best customers aren't in school.
Then I considered the parents themselves....the people who would be there open to close, dumping their grocery and rent money on Evercrack instead of providing for their families (trust me, video game addiction, while isolated, is real!) I think that would cause me a lot of guilt....bartenders I have known have commented on this...taking money to feed an addiction when they know that other people NEED that money far more than the drinker...I digress....
While 95% of the business would probably fun and educational, the other 5% could be a serious downer to the whole thing. My $0.02 only...