Okay, a lot of the suggestions so far are completely worthless.
First and foremost, you'll need to create an environment that people will not be embarassed to admit that they go to or to be seen going to. Like they say, sell the sizzle up front and the steak in the back.
Your target audience is people with money, not gamers. Gamers most likely already have their own setup that they have spent hundreds of hours customizing and tweaking to their liking, and the mere thought of using an imaged machine makes their skin crawl.
Second, take a look at the successful models that are out there. Arcades are okay, but they don't really generate much revenue. Dave & Busters, on the other hand, is a money making machine that is, at it's heart, an arcade. Why is this? D&B is adults only. You're not even allowed in the door if you're not 18, and then you have to be 21 to be allowed in without an adult supervisor. This may seem harsh and it may seem like you're abandoning your target demographic, but remember that your target demographic is people with money. Besides, D&B was successfull precisely because it didn't cater to kids. Honestly, how many adult 'closet gamers' are out there simply because they do not want to be associated with a 'childish' hobby? The age limit solves two problems: it weeds out the people without any money, and it automatically legitimizes the customer. They are no longer embarrassed to be seen there or to recommend the place to a friend. As a side note, it also reduces the amount of vandalism and theft that goes on with a younger crowd.
That said, lets think about the actual setup of the place. Remember, sizzle up front, steak in the back. You want to show something that's easily accessible and universally appealing. PC's are generally not that. The average joe still doesn't know how to do much more than check e-mail and surf the internet, so don't worry about impressing people with advertisments of Gigahertz and frame rates. What you want to do is make it appealing to the average joe. Put some consoles up there where people can see them. Sell liquor. Have a projector or big screen showing the action that's going on right now, that the person walking by can come in, sit down, and join right away (of course, 'tis not always possible but make them think it is).
Have comfortable, clean seating. Don't do dark. But not bright flourescent lighting, either. Starbucks is a good example. Soft light provides atmosphere without the dungeon-esque feel (which, really, everyone but a few people hate).
Have some nice techinical areas in the back. Loaded PC's that are intuitively obvious. No one wants to spend 45 minutes just trying to figure out how to make the game run. Leave space for people to hook up their own PC and make sure to have a wireless network.
DO NOT CHARGE BY THE HOUR. That is the simplest way to make people not come back, ever. I know it worked on me at a few places. Decide on either a credit/card system like Dave & Busters or an entrance fee. The entrance fee works well because you can then sell monthly or yearly passes as while not discriminating against the average 2 or 3 times per month customer.
That's my advice. Skip the 'gamer' demographic becasue they're just too picky anyways. Stick to making gaming a cultural institution.
Slashdot Mirror
Okay, a lot of the suggestions so far are completely worthless. First and foremost, you'll need to create an environment that people will not be embarassed to admit that they go to or to be seen going to. Like they say, sell the sizzle up front and the steak in the back. Your target audience is people with money, not gamers. Gamers most likely already have their own setup that they have spent hundreds of hours customizing and tweaking to their liking, and the mere thought of using an imaged machine makes their skin crawl. Second, take a look at the successful models that are out there. Arcades are okay, but they don't really generate much revenue. Dave & Busters, on the other hand, is a money making machine that is, at it's heart, an arcade. Why is this? D&B is adults only. You're not even allowed in the door if you're not 18, and then you have to be 21 to be allowed in without an adult supervisor. This may seem harsh and it may seem like you're abandoning your target demographic, but remember that your target demographic is people with money. Besides, D&B was successfull precisely because it didn't cater to kids. Honestly, how many adult 'closet gamers' are out there simply because they do not want to be associated with a 'childish' hobby? The age limit solves two problems: it weeds out the people without any money, and it automatically legitimizes the customer. They are no longer embarrassed to be seen there or to recommend the place to a friend. As a side note, it also reduces the amount of vandalism and theft that goes on with a younger crowd. That said, lets think about the actual setup of the place. Remember, sizzle up front, steak in the back. You want to show something that's easily accessible and universally appealing. PC's are generally not that. The average joe still doesn't know how to do much more than check e-mail and surf the internet, so don't worry about impressing people with advertisments of Gigahertz and frame rates. What you want to do is make it appealing to the average joe. Put some consoles up there where people can see them. Sell liquor. Have a projector or big screen showing the action that's going on right now, that the person walking by can come in, sit down, and join right away (of course, 'tis not always possible but make them think it is). Have comfortable, clean seating. Don't do dark. But not bright flourescent lighting, either. Starbucks is a good example. Soft light provides atmosphere without the dungeon-esque feel (which, really, everyone but a few people hate). Have some nice techinical areas in the back. Loaded PC's that are intuitively obvious. No one wants to spend 45 minutes just trying to figure out how to make the game run. Leave space for people to hook up their own PC and make sure to have a wireless network. DO NOT CHARGE BY THE HOUR. That is the simplest way to make people not come back, ever. I know it worked on me at a few places. Decide on either a credit/card system like Dave & Busters or an entrance fee. The entrance fee works well because you can then sell monthly or yearly passes as while not discriminating against the average 2 or 3 times per month customer. That's my advice. Skip the 'gamer' demographic becasue they're just too picky anyways. Stick to making gaming a cultural institution.