Question??? Gaming Bar

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deathknigx1

New member
Hi There peeps:D

How goes it pretty new to the site pretty awesome to see our gaming community thrive over the past few years and such. I hope the community can grow even more.

Anyway to the topic on hand my collegue and i have been thinking of opening a video game bar and loungue where people can not only jam games but meet other people socialise with others and come together to talk about a variety of different things.

People will also be able to have drinks, grab food and play on a variety of different consoles xbox, pc ps3 and afew others will be held were players can play. will also be allowing for lan gaming.
It will be based in Johannesburg i would just like to know people views on this matter.

Our end goal is to have a place where people with common intrest and goals can come together and have a good time in the area.

There will also be alot of extras as well so please tell me what you think of the idea if you would like to ask anything please do i would really appreciate your help. Hope to hear from all of you soon.

regards
deathkingx1 :cool:
 
Sounds like you have a solid plan set for this venture. Are you financially prepared for what's to come?
Do you hope to cater to a wide variety of customers [gaming or non-gaming]?
 
Oh man. Booze and multiplayer. Everybody is just going to end up playing COD and be insulting each other's mothers :D
/jk

I think it is a good idea for a themed pub/restaurant and I would frequent such a place. You just need to figure out a way to overcome the "sticky controller" problem that is bound to come up.
 
I know someone who had an Xbox lounge and while he owned it, it was booked solid all the time. Ideas like yours, if properly implemented, work in this day and age. Just be sure to 'get it out there' and I think you'll do well.
 
Halloooo MH!!!!


deathknigx1 - I think this is an awesome idea and really sounds like fun. I would definitely go to such "bar" or kuierplek!
 
Number one problem is people spilling stuff on the gaming gear and such,especially none-gamers.

You would need to seal a area where all the gaming gear is going to be where you have a good overview of it's entrance and whats going on inside from the counter.

Maybe also install a portable sink near the entrance with an automatic soap dispenser,dryer and pedal water controller (they cost a bit though and they can fall over if not properly bolted down.The 2x10L water bottles also need to be replaced often if you are busy or using one as an outlet)
 
All machines/servers in a secure area with no public access, wireless access (can put nodes in the ceiling), screens in plexi housing units, rubber keyboards - sorted :D
 
Give you my little issues about things like that.

Always when I go to a place that provides gaming and internet , the internet is also slow and unplayable, so your playing only with people inside the store, so your locked down to what the collective feel like playing. The gaming rigs were low end hardware.

So in all honestly don't even think about PC's , too much work to maintain and people don't exactly like moving their pc's around unless it stays somewhere for the weekend.

Would be cool to have comps, such as Guitar hero weekend battle, Rocksmith weekend, etc..

"thinking of opening a video game bar and loungue "
Would be cool in the sense of when there is tournaments, people can watch the game drink and talk. Dota 2 internationals.

When I was younger, they used to have a Lan house up the road where you booked for either the night or the weekend and you competed against other players in Counter Strike, winner took all, unfortunately that faded so I was never able to give it a try, but it most certainly had my interests.

What are you going to do about hygiene, especially concerning controllers?
Oh and BTW, there is a hell of a good reason why Lan's don't always say, bring booze or drink while you play.
 
Not sure if you guys have experience in the hospitality industry, or running a bar or restaurant, if you don't, you should hire a manager who does...
 
I remember a few years back someone had this idea as well, but in the long run it just sounded extremely costly. Unless you have the right sort of investment towards this venture and know exactly what you're in for then I say go for it but I know exactly what sort of implementation you will need to look at when going for something of this magnitude. :)
 
Mephisto_Helix said:
I know someone who had an Xbox lounge and while he owned it, it was booked solid all the time. Ideas like yours, if properly implemented, work in this day and age. Just be sure to 'get it out there' and I think you'll do well.
Click to expand...

I think marketing is one of the most important yet underestimated aspects of any business. Too many sub-culture-aimed businesses (like gaming bars, comic book stores, indie/goth/vamp/"alternative" clubs etc.) rely too heavily on word of mouth. The reality is that continued exposure is necessary to sustain any establishment. Many great ideas fail simply because nobody knew about them.

If you want to succeed, advertise through mainstream channels, like newspapers, public radio and TV if you can afford it. I know it's expensive, but it's probably worth it.
 
For the PC's you going to pay quite a bit to get a proper 12 PC LAN setup. Could get away with FX 4xxx series or those new Haswell i3's, 8Gb's of RAM and GPU wise HD7790 and you'll need to upgrade anually.
Internet. Gaming ONLY. No browsing, takes one person to jokingly to go to a porn site and some one is in trouble. Also people will download every chance they get.
 
I would say do a lot of research first. Pick an area, I presume based in Jhb and do research around that suburb. Check how many gaming outlets there are in the area to get an idea as to how many gamers there are, try chat to shops like BT Games etc and see how busy they are.
Watch "Bar Rescue" it gives a good idea as to how to run a bar efficiently especially when they are themed bars.
Is it going to be a bar with gaming facilities or is it a gaming location that has a bar? I.e where do you expect the majority of the money to come in?
Try and get sponsors for prizes for events, peoples be loving the events :)
 
Hi people thank you very much for your help i really appreciate the input from all the perspective.
Answer any questions firstly @vampothic finacially im planning to approach crowdfunding with the idea in hand. will def be posting it there adding my campaign will keep posting to keep people in touch about it. second piece to ur question my focus is primarily for gamers however at the same time i want to be a solid community(at current moment not much happening hey) so non gamers are really welcome also wana get more female gamers out there( i know close to impossible but its worth a try- Nothing ventured nothing gained). I know you cant make all people happy but even if i can get a large percentage of gamers and some non gamers im my goal is set.

@Mister 44 yeah u right will have a libary of different games avialble where people can choose what they want hahahaah indeed u are right about the whole thing where people will want COD hahaha like DC warhound said maybe each unity has a sanitize section per a console or whatever and all players must clean their hands to avoid sticky fingers. Also i really appreciate you stating that,

@Mephisto thank you man as well for stating that i do agree for both your comments will really have to see what to do for each plan of action yeah will diffenately do some planning around the access to the machines and so forth greatly appreactiate your input.

@DC warhound you are right i will definately have to watch all the stuff at all times and make a plan for console maybe have a certain kind of casing for each console to protect each unit.

@archichoke hmmm good idea hey i have done some planning for events that i want to host and so forth. thats what i want people with different intrest comming together to talk game and have a good time.

@matt hahahah actually i work at a hotel and have some hospitality industry under my belt and the guys i will be getting also working long in hospitality.

Again thank you guys sooo much for your help i appreciate it will keep in touch and up to date about everything if you have any more question please dont hesitate to ask.
 
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