My friend and I are looking at opening up a Console Arcade/Internet Cafe/Lounge here in Mankato, granted, it wouldn't be for a little while yet, but we think it could work well in a college town. Original arcades failed because the cost to play newer, high-tech arcade games didn't appeal to people cause they had their home systems. However, we plan on just running computer and console games with an extensive library of games, which would draw people in cause they don't actually have to buy all these $60 games and the consoles to go with them. We figure the area that will have to draw people in the most is the atmosphere and other little things we can do. What we have planned is just to have a cool place to chill, with a lounge/cafeteria area with Hi-Def TV's and just a cool atmosphere in the game rooms. We also plan on running tournaments with cash prizes. There would be different levels of membership fees, and with different levels of membership come different monthly costs and different privileges. What those are, we haven't figured out yet. We want this to be a slightly upscale place, with a slightly mature atmosphere, which would mean no admittance to kids under 13. I was just curious for your input and what you'd like to see in a place like this. EDIT: What I'm thinking for membership costs is: $200/month gets you 100 hours $100/month gets you 40 hours $50/month gets you 20 hours $25/month gets you 10 hours $5 for a 3-hour trial pass. Plus other privileges for the higher level memberships that I haven't quite decided on yet.
a bar thats the same thing as you are talking about. there is one in st. paul and one in minneapolis. might be worth a stop by if you are looking for more ideas to get started on your own.
If your $200 is the highest membership, I think you should make it infinate (makes it sound worth getting).
Its a cool idea, but has been done with minimal success. Your prices seem quite steap. $200/month is the same for a car payment, and at $2400 a year, you can buy all current game consoles plus a decent TV. This idea was great a decade ago where systems seemed to be out of the range for most youth. It seems the prices of consoles haven't risen at the same as inflation and more can buy them. I honestly wouldn't see the market for this down in Mankato. I say the best place would be a booming market in a suburb of the cities like Maple Grove, Blaine, etc. But with that you'll have higher property values, etc.
Is there anything to do in mankato aside from drinking and video games? Sounds like it could work if you add a bar, food, and maybe a stage. Last (and only) time I was there I remember there were only crappy chain restaurants, trashy bars, and no music venues except for the something something lounge...
I like the idea, seems like a good place to have a LAN party without the mess and hassle of lugging everyone’s computers around and dealing with compatibility. I question the main focus on membership fees though. I think you should focus on the one-day experience, offer day-passes, with limited access to 5 games or something. Then you could introduce the membership as a way to come back and access more games and save money. If people know they have to sign up and commit, it might be a turnoff. With the one-day thing people can come in, play their favorite games, and have a reason to come back and try some others. It’s kinda like bowling, or playing pool, I just go when I feel like going, if I go a lot then I’d look into a membership to save money. I think you’d attract the occasional die hard gaming fan who would live his life there, but mostly gamers who are looking spend gaming time in a good atmosphere (not their parents’ basement). I agree that an unlimited membership would be the ultimate, I think people would end up only spending around 100 hours anyway (15 waking hours x 30 days = 360 hours/month) spending 100 hours would be 1/3 of their waking life already. Internet and cell phone companies to offer the “unlimited†option, must be something to it.
Also, I notice in LAN areas, it's so hard to keep the comps updated and running. When I went to a LAN area awhile back, I always had a problem because some previous person had "attempted or succeed in putting a virus".I was so used to having 1 buck an hour, then a year later it went up to 2/hr then after 3/hr...Also what kind of drinks you'll be serving? Is it a self serve or will you have semi-waiters/waitresses? Smoking area? Also I would put up some kind of promotion to get the kids in, like if they bought your 200 membership, offer a free drink? Or if it's their first time, offer a free drink?? Dunno though...haha just my thoughts...LMK what you think.
It should be warning enough that nothing with the business model has proven successful or even stayed open for a long period of time virtually anywhere in the usa without first primarily being a bar and secondly being a place to hang out an play games. I guarantee having people under 18 or 21 there will scare off a lot of people over that age, who have more money to spend
If you can get the hard to find games such as Marvel vs Capcom 2, Capcom vs SNK, and other fighting games, that would be cool. Also hold tourneys for not only those but other games/genres too.
Probably not very feasable after October 1st this year... I have to agree with the opinions that the days of the LAN/arcade cafes are dwindling. With more and more places having fast broadband and decent gaming computers costing half what they did 3 years ago most folks would rather dump that money towards their own gear. Consoles have a similar fate now that you don't need several of them on a LAN in order to play multiplayer, you can just go online now. And XBL charges a fee anyway to have an account to play online so there would still be other fees than the ones you're charging. Updating hardware is so much more expensive now with SLI. Now you have to buy two $500 video cards to get the pinnacle of gaming performance if not more. I wouldn't pay to play on anything other than a rig like that. I looked into putting together a video production place that rented equipment and had computers set up for customers to use for a fee but the initial investment in good equipment was so steep I couldn't see making any money for 3-5 years on it. It's still a niche market since not very many folks have good digital VTRs, 16-stack burners, or multiple disc printing options. Still after an in-depth look at the numbers I just didn't feel it would be profitable. Now if you made your focus the cafe portion and got a liquor license then you could perhaps add on some gaming computers for rent in an adjoining room. I just don't think making the gaming the primary source of income would be very safe.
Mettler's? :naughty: +1 for alcohol, I can't imagine anyone has ever gone broke selling booze in Mankato.
I would agree with focusing on the event/party angle, or at least offering that as an option. For my friend's bachelor party (yes we're all geeks), we were thinking of having an old-school game lan party, with the games we played back in college, (Quake 1 and older games). It would be cool to go to a place that could set up a bunch of computers with those old games, heck, it'd even be fun to have some vintage hardware to play on. Then also to have food, drinks, and just a place to hang out along with that would be cool.
