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Can a Gaming Cafe be Successful?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the depends-on-the-local-market dept.

droidlev asks: "For years I've been toying around with the idea of opening up a medium sized gaming cafe in the Chicago suburbs. I have already taken care of the issue on how to make money during the day, when our younger market is in school, However, the question of whether or not a place like this can be successful, still remains. I've seen plenty of undermanned and poorly planned places in the area (and on the East Coast) like this go under in six months. What is your opinion? What ideas and thoughts do you have that could help a place, like the one I'm proposing, succeed? Do you have gaming cafes in your area that are successful? What unique techniques have they implemented?"

5 of 345 comments (clear)

  1. Yes we have one. by TheZorch · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Springfield Mall in Fairfax County (not far from the Franconia/Springfield Metro Station), Virginia has a cyber cafe which also offers gaming on PCs and game consoles and its doing really well. They also have WiFi for people who bring in their own laptops. I'd say go for it!

    --
    Michael "TheZorch" Haney
    thezorch@gmail.com
    http://thezorch.googlepages.com/home
    1. Re:Yes we have one. by enbody · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Add East Lansing, Michigan (home of Michigan State University) to the list with http://www.fragcenter.com/. They have been in business for three years. They also repair PCs. As a parent of a teenager one feature I've noticed is that they give out free playing time for good grades -- quite a bit of free time.

  2. They Can Work by KagatoLNX · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Well, I run one along with two other guys. The place will eventually make money but its not exactly a cash cow here (although it may get better after some of our competition goes under).

    A lot of people chimed in mentioning that computers and net access are cheap. Well, that's true. I would also mention that, at a hypothetical $5.00 / hour (we're cheaper due to being in small town USA), it takes quite a while to catch up with a computer, games, maintenance, and internet access.

    For people who either just browse the net or people who play games maybe five or six hours per week, it's much less trouble and cost effective to go to a place like this. I dare say that most people fall into that more casual group--especially when you consider they also divide their time with home consoles. We also have a nightly and weekly open-pass rate that keeps the place hopping when we would otherwise be slow.

    There are other mitigating factors too. Maybe they don't trust their roommates. Maybe they're traveling. Maybe they really just want to avoid their parents. Maybe they skateboard in the area and just want to buy a drink someplace cool. All of these people fill in the gaps that are left by hardcore gamers just buying their own computer.

    Some advice, don't go it alone. We have three people that own / work the place (only open after 5pm) and we couldn't really do it with less (and bona fide employees are expensive). Also, plan to replace your computers. If you don't you'll run out of money just when the business is taking off. Also, don't forget the three most important things to a business: location, location, and location. Finally, keep in mind that some games aren't licensed for cafe usage without special arrangements. Most notable is Valve Software (for which we have a cafe license). Also, don't pirate Windows. It's just stupid (and *will* get you shut down when the competition kindly turns you in).

    --
    I think Mauve has the most RAM. --PHB (Dilbert Comic)
  3. Laundry by dredknight · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I know a guy that has a successul gaming business. He offers a laundry feature. So people can clean their clothes while they purchase \ play games. This is a great idea considering alot of gamers need to clean their clothes anyways. btw I'm an evil genius.

  4. Re:Bargain shopping by drsquare · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Do not price anything higher than it could typically be found in a vending machine or convience store. You won't sell very much AND your customers (particularly kids) will dispise you.

    Every bar, restaurant, cinema and stadium in the world disagrees with you. People will pay for convenience.

    Basically, you want to have rigid rules to combat cheating/stealing, but in those rules, allow some flexibility so that your customers trust you and don't feel like you only care about them for their money.

    99% of your business will depend on the price and how good the service is. A WoW addict doesn't care about trust or how much money the owner is making, they just want to play the game.