--==<<GAMERS UNTIE!!>>==-- Need input for a LAN/GAME SHOP!!

[Sketcher]

I'm planning to start a LAN GAMING/PC Repair shop in a local retail space. (and I'm not interested in serving up double foam/half cow/can't pronounce drinks and cookies). OK, mabye cookies...

If this were a shop in your neighborhood, which games would you prefer - and what kind of environment would you like established. In other words, per your opinion What would a local Gaming shop have to provide for you to be a regular customer - or at least an event customer (LAN Party - competition - etc.).

I've just started a VISIO drawing of the layout - if you have VISIO and would like to view what I've done so far - PM me w/your e-mail address and I'll send it to you. You can send me back your design suggestions if you're so inclined . The drawing is currently 748kb in size.


1. I have free 1000 sq ft retail space (I pay utilities only) can expand building if it goes well.

2. Onsite parking and is next to Metro bus stop.

3. Close to Fast Food (discount for gamers), strip mall etc. (will also sell Sam's/Costo frozen/microwave foods).

4. High-speed Internet access.

5. Word Processing & Graphics Arts software w/quality printing hardware (for alternate services to gaming).

6. PC repair & upgrade services.

7. Game Rigs will be mid - high level DELL's, Good cards - I game myself, so I know the importance of good hardware.

8. Enough floor/table space for diehard's to bring your own rig - or just the Box, I supply peripheals.

8. XBOX and PS2 consoles w/ 27" TV's.

9. I have a Data Projector & Movie Screen & DVD Player for "Movie Night". LOTR looks AWESOME on it . HLTV works great!


FPS games like CS, QIII, UT3 would be a mainstay - but what else is worth building into a LAN shop?

I'm currently a Network Systems Admin (uh yep I still roll up the sleeves ) and run a 7 PC Home network w/3 Servers so the tech side is a non-issue.

OBVIOUSLY - many of you have great Game Rigs, Broadband and even multiple setups at home - so YOU typically wouldn't be my TARGET MARKET. However, more and more people simply like the social atmosphere - don't have the $$ for a good game system and or enjoy gaming but don't care about computing.[/b] Not to mention, it gets old carrying your computer around everywhere, no matter how cool your case looks.

All input (relevant input that is) Greatly Appreciated!!

Thank you!

-Sketcher

 

[Electric Amish]

Age of Empires II:Age of Kings

Ghost Recon

Nascar 2002

UT (UT 2k3)

amish

edit- BTW, good luck. These usually aren't too successful.

 

[Legendary]

StarCraft for the love of god, and don't forget BW. JK2, Jedi Outcast is also slightly popular if you have good machines.

 

[Electric Amish]

Age of Mythology....when it comes out.

amish

 

[CPA]

What's your pricing structure like?

 

[Cerebus451]

In my opinion, nothing could bring me in. Why? I have a machine powerful enough to run all the current games and I have high speed internet access at home, so there is no need for me to go to a LAN shop to do my gaming. And the problem with opening one of these kinds of stores in this day and age is the fact that my situation is becoming the norm, not the exception. Most gamers have the equipment and broadband access they need to game on-line, and so are less likely to go someplace to game.

Also, people that like to LAN are less likely to go someplace with machines set up. Why? They don't want to have to mess with remapping the keyboard, or having to do without the various gaming devices they have plugged in at home and are used to using. They prefer to take their equipment with them (and more and more the norm is that they have a modded case they want to show off at the LAN party to boot). Providing space for people to plug in and LAN in addition to having some machines already set up would be a wise thing to do.

Lastly, you will want something to bring people into your shop, other than it being a repair shop. Most of the ideas that come up in threads like this are some kind of cafe atmosphere where you sell food/coffee/soft drinks and offer computer/internet time for your patrons as a side item.

 

[Electric Amish]

You may want to consider having monitors/keyboards/mice(?) and allowing users to bring their own PC's


amish

 

[kami]

In my opinion, nothing could bring me in. Why? I have a machine powerful enough to run all the current games and I have high speed internet access at home, so there is no need for me to go to a LAN shop to do my gaming.

Um, the point is to socialize. I've done the whole internet/gaming cafe thing with friends before and it's a fun time. Certainly easier than setting up your own LAN/transporting computers/etc.

It's a lot more satisfying to yell cuss words across the room than just type it out on screen.

 

[yllus]

- Make sure groups can rent blocks of time (minimum 3 hours?) on the weekends for private LAN parties.

- Make it a well-ventilated, open space. I'm sick of unbearably warm, tiny gaming cafes.

- Hammer out a deal with a local pizza place to provide coupons or discounted prices at your place?

- Games-wise: Provide all of the latest multiplayer demos - they take up little HDD space and keep things interesting. Return to Castle Wolf's multiplayer test was a huge hit. So was the test for Soldier of Fortune 2, Battlefield 1942... Basically just keep up with new releases at documented by Blue's News.

- Keep your website up to date on your schedule and available games.

 

[Electric Amish]

Holding competitions and such would be kinda cool.

amish

 

[vash]

My friend opened a shop and he's planning to open another. Basically, you need a great location. His location is down the street from a jr. high and high school -- so his location was great.

Since you want to do more than just have a LAN arcade, I'd say the best thing to do would be to have seperate places for the LAN area (it will be noisy, not everyone wants headphones) and the "rest" of the computers. They do this, with a room that has a strict policy of "games only with headphones" (self provided) or no games at all. This ensures that people who want to play, can still play, but at small price (using headphones). Another thing to consider is drinks/snacks. It'll be important to keep the customers well fed, on sugar and have a lounge area to hang out/smoke (very important). Not everyone smokes, but people will want a break (eventually) and will want a breath of fresh air.

Things that will be imporant for the LAN side are: high speed net connection (a REAL T1), large screens, comfy chairs, and sound systems with a subwoofer. These are all easy to provide, but its essential to keep 'em customers around. When my friend is open during school breaks, kids come and play from open to close, it may not be so easy if the chairs weren't as comfortable and the screens weren't as nice.

Last, but not least, a clean restroom will be needed. Depending on the size of the place, I'd say have two restrooms, especially if you are dishing the BAWLS to everyone there.

All in all, you'll easily find someone to work there (obviously you will be early on), but getting the City to approve your place is getting tougher and tougher. They may require specific hours and security, so please think of that early on before you start buying your computers, etc. Heat will be an issue, so an AC unit will also be required.

vash

 

[Ender]

If it was near a high school then you're going to get lots of customers. I have a gaming shop beside my high school, and we have 1h 15m breaks in which we can go off campus and do whatever. A lot of my friends and asian kids I don't know go to this shop and play all kinds of games and stuff and you can bring pop and food inside as long you're not the one playing on the computer (Observers are allowed). They have really comfortable chairs and many kids stay there the entire break, some even skip school. It's $3 CAD per hour, but they have different rates according to how long you stay. Many of my friends who go there (including myself) have a high-powered system. But when our homes are 15 minute drive, then we don't have the option of going home, and besides, we like to play against each other in the same room. Adds a lot of depth.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

As far as peripherals go, you might want to do things like "rent" things like optical mice or elite keyboards or bigger monitors apart from the "standard provided services" or something. It would be cool to bring my box, "rent" a 22" monitor, a Razor Boomslang 2000 mouse, or something like that.

Maybe even to the point of "renting" hardware to customers who have severely lacking hardware -say someone has a kickass system with the exception of a very poor video card... you could "rent" a decent or kickass videocard to match while they're there with a minimum charge and time that they'll be using the gaming service or something. In a case like that, you'll probably want to do something like have the gaming setup along one wall and have the actual box put in the next room on the other side of the wall with holes in the wall to connect the cables so the customers can't run off with your hardware.

I dunno... just giving you ideas

nik

 

[Sketcher]

Great Input!! Thank you, Keep it coming!!

I'll respond to a few posts here, then wait a while to see who else jumps in (some of your posts - I've used to update criteria in my original post - so Check the original post once in a while ).

Originally posted by: CPA
What's your pricing structure like?

I'm building the pricing structure as I go - this is something I've wanted to do for about 3 years now, just now doing the fact finding. I have a Loan and potential grant available - basically, I'm not putting in Bleeding edge gaming rigs, but they'll be good enough that no one will complain about performance, resolution etc. - but I have enough money to set it up pretty nice. Continued operational costs are what's going to make or break whether it's a full time arrangement (still gotta pay the mortgage ya know ).

Otherwise, the retail space I have is relatively free (detailed below).

Originally posted by: Electric Amish
You may want to consider having monitors/keyboards/mice(?) and allowing users to bring their own PC's

Agreed, and updated in original post - good idea.

Originally posted by: kami

In my opinion, nothing could bring me in. Why? I have a machine powerful enough to run all the current games and I have high speed internet access at home, so there is no need for me to go to a LAN shop to do my gaming.

Um, the point is to socialize. I've done the whole internet/gaming cafe thing with friends before and it's a fun time. Certainly easier than setting up your own LAN/transporting computers/etc.

It's a lot more satisfying to yell cuss words across the room than just type it out on screen.

Exactly!! Of course, a DVD showing of LOTR would be a must

Originally posted by: yllus
- Make sure groups can rent blocks of time (minimum 3 hours?) on the weekends for private LAN parties.

- Make it a well-ventilated, open space. I'm sick of unbearably warm, tiny gaming cafes.

- Hammer out a deal with a local pizza place to provide coupons or discounted prices at your place?

The retail space I have available is very well lighted with 4x8' windows surrounding the joint - w/adjustable blinds - so it seems open and airy enough. I think it would comfortably sit 20 gamers at first - I can expand the building if things go well enough. Also - it's right next door to an old fashioned Burger Joint (Car hop girls, hot rod car night's, lots of traffic etc.). My Father in-law owns the Drive-in, so I could work out a deal w/him for Gamer discounts.

I'll check on this thread later and respond as I have time.

Thanks for the input everyone! Some good information coming in.

-Sketcher

 

[Cerebus451]

Originally posted by: kami

In my opinion, nothing could bring me in. Why? I have a machine powerful enough to run all the current games and I have high speed internet access at home, so there is no need for me to go to a LAN shop to do my gaming.

Um, the point is to socialize. I've done the whole internet/gaming cafe thing with friends before and it's a fun time. Certainly easier than setting up your own LAN/transporting computers/etc.

It's a lot more satisfying to yell cuss words across the room than just type it out on screen.

When I socialize I don't go to a LAN shop. I get enough of computers between work and gaming at home, but as I said, that was just my opinion. I do like to go to LAN parties, but when I go I take my own rig (I bought an aluminum case and a flat panel monitor to cut down on weight for this purpose). Having a room where a LAN group can bring their own equipment and be able to get up and running on a LAN relatively quickly would be nice to have, I just would never go to a place with games pre-installed on existing machines. The suggestion of having monitors to "rent" in this situation is also a very good idea. Those that like to bring their rig with them also typically hate having to lug their monitor. Having nice high-end monitors there available to rent would be a good idea and would help to bring even more people in.

 

[dakata24]

to me, renting out parts, esp pc internals like video cards would be too much of a hassle to keep track of (i guess you can do some sort of deposit thing like hold their credit card, drivers license). though it would be cool to test out the latest video card in the market...

 

[Cerebus451]

Originally posted by: Sketcher

I'm building the pricing structure as I go - this is something I've wanted to do for about 3 years now, just now doing the fact finding. I have a Loan and potential grant available - basically, I'm not putting in Bleeding edge gaming rigs - but I have enough money to set it up pretty nice. Continued operational costs are what's going to make or break whether it's a full time arrangement (still gotta pay the mortgage ya know ).

Otherwise, the retail space I have is relatively free (detailed below).

Again, this is just my opinion, but putting lower-end equipment in could hurt you in the long run. I don't see a lot Q3 players wanting to pay to play on a machine that gets a lower frame than what they have at home. Some will come to socialize, but most people have a very competitive spirit and will not want to play on what they perceive to be inferior equipment. You may not need the latest and greatest, but you will certainly want beefy.

 

[Sketcher]

The suggestion of having monitors to "rent" in this situation is also a very good idea. Those that like to bring their rig with them also typically hate having to lug their monitor. Having nice high-end monitors there available to rent would be a good idea and would help to bring even more people in.

Good point Cerebus451 - i'll note that. I'm an avid gamer myself, so Frames per second, resolution and eye candy are important to me. I won't put it in the shop, if it's not something I'd game on myself.

-Sketcher

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: dakata24
to me, renting out parts, esp pc internals like video cards would be too much of a hassle to keep track of (i guess you can do some sort of deposit thing like hold their credit card, drivers license). though it would be cool to test out the latest video card in the market...

Hense removing the box from the customer's control: i.e. on the otherside of the wall with holes in the wall to connect peripherals or something. That way there's professional installation / uninstallation with a list or some other notification of whatever was installed and a static-proof bin or bag for removed hardware to be replaced later. Like I said, there could be a minimum time and charge for such a service - make it worth your wild, but I'd do something like that if it were available.

nik

 

[Sketcher]

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt

Originally posted by: dakata24
to me, renting out parts, esp pc internals like video cards would be too much of a hassle to keep track of (i guess you can do some sort of deposit thing like hold their credit card, drivers license). though it would be cool to test out the latest video card in the market...

Hense removing the box from the customer's control: i.e. on the otherside of the wall with holes in the wall to connect peripherals or something. That way there's professional installation / uninstallation with a list or some other notification of whatever was installed and a static-proof bin or bag for removed hardware to be replaced later. Like I said, there could be a minimum time and charge for such a service - make it worth your wild, but I'd do something like that if it were available.

nik

I do tend to keep extra hardware around for my personal use and loan to friends - I suppose on the business end, it'd be worthwhile to keep some "New" products available in case somebody wanted to try'em out. I'm a little skeptical about the damage factor, but I'm sure there's a way to work it out I'll certainly keep a couple Rigs up to date with the latest and greatest hardware.

-sketcher

 

[Sketcher]

Any of you out there have local LAN/Game shops in your area?

If yes, what kind of pricing do they list and what do you like or not like about their shop?

-Sketcher

 

[Sketcher]

bump

 

[Rent]

There's a place by my house...

I honestly don't like to go there. The guys that were working there were hyping their systems the entire time I stayed, and when I sat down to play, I found pretty crappy hardware. The only decent stuff that had was the boxes themselves, the monitors, mice, keyboards, and headphones were crap. I was playing with my clan, but after 2 hours, I get fed up with their setup and left.

My input - if you're going to get these systems, get REAL hardware (no knock off brands) and 19' FLAT CRT's. I just can't stand the older round CRT look.

They charged me $3 an hour, but I would have payed more and might have come back if their systems were good.

 

[virtuamike]

Don't skimp on security!! Make sure you alarm the hell out of your place and find some way to tie down those PCs.

$2 an hour for non-peak and $3 an hour for peak would be decent prices. Do a membership thing too for the regulars. And hold events like all-night LAN parties and mini-tourneys.

For food you could just Costco it. Buy some frozen food and have a couple microwaves. And get a soda machine if you can.

For your PCs get at least a GF4 Ti4200 128MB, XP 1600, and 256MB DDR, that way you'll be current for a while. 19" or better for monitor. Logitech Optical probably the best value mouse on the market. Don't get leather chairs, they're easier to clean but they get hot and sticky (or just blast the AC). Must have WC3 and 1942.

T1 is nice but I wouldn't run more than 30 PCs off it. If you're in the 40 range consider running 2 lines, that'll give you plenty of bandwidth for the hogs. Have a couple dedicated servers running to host games. Maybe have some spares that people can rent.

Oh, and play some music. Patch together an MP3 server with an amp and speakers. The PS2 and XBox are great ideas too. Make sure you have a PC hooked up to the projector so you can do HLTV broadcasts on it when you're doing CS tourneys, that'll be fun for the spectators.

 

[Sketcher]

Radeon and virtuamike,

Excellent input.

19" Flat CRT's will be minimum (though I already have quite a few 17's). Recurring theme here seems to be to make sure the hardware is as good or better than most peoples home systems. Not a problem with me there - I won't put anything in that I wouldn't play on myself.

I have a Fridge and Dispenser so Costco/Sam's food & soda are doable, as are discount deals at my Father in-laws Burger joint.

I've already used the projector for showing HLTV broadcasts, works pretty good!

Thanks guys,

-Sketcher