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HIGH BANDWITH / HIGH END PC'S GAMING CENTER: THOUGHTS PLEASE?

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sp43t4r

Junior Member
Hi all.. First post, but I've been reviewing for some time..
I would like to get your thoughts on an idea I have.

I am thinking about opening up a business which will focus on providing HIGH SPEED BANDWITH, HIGH END PC's and MMORPG's to hardcore gamers. This will be a place where people can come together to play their favorite MMORPG's on SUPER FAST, High End PC units. They will have their choice of 20 + games to play. They will be able to log on with their own account and play for as long as they want during the hours of operation. Of course there will be a fee for providing such service. As of now that is undetermined, but I am thinking somewhere near the $5.00 to $7.00 / hour mark. Also at this facility, energy drinks and snacks will be sold. In addition to the gaming access, I am looking to provide a PC MOD Center where I will sell various MOD's ranging from Cold Cathode's to Processors and other vendor paraphernalia.

I know such places already exist, but none in my area. From what I can tell, these places have quite an appeal to HARDCORE GAMERS.. But I would really like your opinion...

Any Comments are Appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

SP43t4r

 
it depends on how big your market is.
since you dont have a profile, i have no idea where you live
but i would imagine it would have to be a large metro area for this to float.
 
5-7 is way to much; they charge 3 here. And plus, you don't want to limit their selections/your client base, to just MMORPGs.
 
Most internet cafe's fail because no one really wants to travel to a store to play games, then go back home. MMORPGs take too much time to casually play like arcade games...

That, and computers are cheap now a days... of course, you do have to pay for cable... After spending 6 hours or so in a store, they could have paid for their cable service already... and what HARDCORE GAMER wouldn't already own a computer?

SOrry dude, sounds kinda lame to me.
 
Originally posted by: edro13
Most internet cafe's fail because no one really wants to travel to a store to play games, then go back home. MMORPGs take too much time to casually play like arcade games...

That, and computers are cheap now a days... of course, you do have to pay for cable... After spending 6 hours or so in a store, they could have paid for their cable service already... and what HARDCORE GAMER wouldn't already own a computer?

SOrry dude, sounds kinda lame to me.
Click to expand...

That about sums it up. I had a friend who opened a Gaming Cafe. It lasted about a year and half before he had to shut down. Kids these days have high speed internet that their parents already have, or that they ask for. Additionally as stated, computer are so cheap now that most kids have decent ones.
 
Think about your investment first. Here's just something I pulled outta my arse:

15 computers @ $1000 each
15 software packages @ $500 each
Rent/Lease $700/month
Electric/heat/cooling $200/month
Employees @ $6/hour
Tables, chairs, etc $5k
Bandwith $800/month

It just doesn't stop. Its not profitable.
 
Originally posted by: amdskip
Think about your investment first. Here's just something I pulled outta my arse:

15 computers @ $1000 each
15 software packages @ $500 each
Rent/Lease $700/month
Electric/heat/cooling $200/month
Employees @ $6/hour
Tables, chairs, etc $5k
Bandwith $800/month

It just doesn't stop. Its not profitable.
Click to expand...
You forgot workmans comp and liability insurance, those would be quite large.

(That lease sounds rather cheap, as does the utility cost.)

This idea is probably not going to fly my friend.

 
Don't listen to these negative retards. Just make sure you plan it and do more research to make sure that the place will be busy and that you won't go out of business early.

There is a similar type of shop up near my area and they do very well. Just gotta be in the right place to create the need, if you build it, people will come.
 
I believe this as well.. however this community is indicitive of the potential market...They all make some valid points...

Someone mentioned Hardcore Gamers having their own PC's.. This is true, but will they have MAX BANDWITH (T-1) with TOP of the Line performance components, ie ATI RADEON 9800 PRO's, and High End PRocessors and cooling? These people go to school and think all day of what they want to do when they get back into their favorite game. They talk about it with their peers and plan to meet up with them so they can group and do whatever it is they do.. Rather than sit alone at home, they can go out and meet the same peers in a common meeting ground and play side by side their buddy.

THink of it as an always available LAN party.

What I really need to know and what I kind of got a feeling for alreadys is.. that if such a place existed, would members of this forum (being indicitive of the market) be inclined to visit such a place?

Once again.. Thanks for all of your comments..

- sp43t4r -
 
also--keep in mind that your 9800 pros will be weak sauce in a few months. will you keep all of the machines top of the line?
the top of the line parts now will become affordable parts later--and as the average specs of home computers rise--you will be SOL if you don't stay ahead.
it'll be very difficult business in the future if your draw is high end machines. i'd only see it being successful for communities that like to get together for lan parties. if thats your market--then a decent gaming computer is enough.
 
You just have to consider how you would make a profit...

Say you had a dozen computers, and were open for 12 hours a day, and lets say you charged $3/hour (this is a realistic price. Someone who pays $10/month to play a MMORPG isn't gonna want to pay another $25-$30 for five hours of play time if you charged $5+ an hour)

Even if someone was using all the computers the entire time, you would make $432 a day, or about 3 grand a week if you were open 7 days a week. This is best case scenario too....unless you really find an untapped goldmine, you're looking at half of that at best.

Will $1000-$1500/week gross be enough to stay afloat and be worth your time? You're not gonna make much money off of snacks unless you charge movie theater prices.

Personally the only way I would do it is if there was alcoholic beverages sold there. I think getting drunk and playing with your friends in a bar type setting would be fun as HELL but you got your computers to worry about...so thats out of the question. Then again I live with 2 room mates who are gamers so I never have a shortage of people to play with.

 
Originally posted by: CaseTragedy
also--keep in mind that your 9800 pros will be weak sauce in a few months. will you keep all of the machines top of the line?
the top of the line parts now will become affordable parts later--and as the average specs of home computers rise--you will be SOL if you don't stay ahead.
it'll be very difficult business in the future if your draw is high end machines. i'd only see it being successful for communities that like to get together for lan parties. if thats your market--then a decent gaming computer is enough.
Click to expand...
Good point. However, maybe he could work out some resell system for aged parts. In order to keep with the "high-end gaming machine" idea, he could upgrade components relatively quickly. Then, he could resell the older pieces (which could still be very current in today's market) for a healthy amount. This would enable him to constantly have high-end machines, but still recoup some of his loss. Of course, this is not a perfect trade-off - he will still suffer some loss.

sp43t4r...Perhaps consider contacting some gaming manufacturers to sponsor your shop....say Alienware or something. Maybe you could work a deal where you only use Alienware PCs, and you turn them over (resell) every 4 months or so.

Another idea...Your shop could be a great place for LAN parties, brand new product relaseses, tournaments, ect. I can think of tons of possibilities. Your ideas is a good start, but you'll need to take it a bit farther in order to make it work. Thnk BIG. Not small. 🙂

Best wishes!
 
In So Cal where these are pretty popular, you gotta have a security guard too. I guess gang members in the area are really closet geeks and wimps? Oh well...
 
Originally posted by: kami
Personally the only way I would do it is if there was alcoholic beverages sold there. I think getting drunk and playing with your friends in a bar type setting would be fun as HELL but you got your computers to worry about...so thats out of the question. Then again I live with 2 room mates who are gamers so I never have a shortage of people to play with.
Click to expand...
thats what i was thinking also. i can only see a gaming center working in a bar-type setting. it's too easy to have a regular lan party nowadays. but you might be successful if you're catering to lighter gamers--and make money on the alcohol. have some hot waitresses and a dance floor for the ladies. :beer:

lets face it. real "hardcore" gamers will not go to gaming centers.
 
All GREAT Points.. Keep em coming.. also..

Maybe I should change my lingo to PC GAMERS rather than HARDCORE GAMERS? As I am sure the "Hardcore Gamers" DO in fact play in their underware.

Alcohol is certainly out of the question for the fact that it would bring a bad element. Most of the gamers I am thinking are in the age range of 13 - 19 which as you can see is quite under the LEGAL drinking age.

Your ideas and thoughts are great!!!!

Bring The Pain!

- sp43t4r -
 
You guys do have a point. I always thought these "gaming centers" were a bad idea.. but I might even think about going if it was a bar setting. I mean, if I was thinking of going to a bar w/ my friends anyways... why not have gaming as well? Now, owning a place that serves alcohol is no easy task... you are in line for a lot more headaches (depending on the area: permits, zoning, insurance, etc.), as well as trying to protect your $3000 gaming machines from drunk retards... but you may be on to something.

For more draw, you might think of adding some arcade boxes or a couple of pool tables as well. You could have a LAN setup room w/ a catering area and stations (monitors, network jacks, power, etc.). Charge for food and for site rental... you could probably make some money in that area as well.

It does sound feasible, but you really have to do some research in your particular area to find out if there is an untapped market there. There is a HUGE startup cost associated with this, and you are going to be in trouble if there is no market for it.
 
Originally posted by: sp43t4r
All GREAT Points.. Keep em coming.. also..

Maybe I should change my lingo to PC GAMERS rather than HARDCORE GAMERS? As I am sure the "Hardcore Gamers" DO in fact play in their underware.

Alcohol is certainly out of the question for the fact that it would bring a bad element. Most of the gamers I am thinking are in the age range of 13 - 19 which as you can see is quite under the LEGAL drinking age.

Your ideas and thoughts are great!!!!

Bring The Pain!

- sp43t4r -
Click to expand...
i hope these are 13-19 yr. old kids that have cheap/strict parents. then they would be potential customers since they have weak machines/connections at home--or aren't allowed to play games at home. if not--you will find it very difficult to turn a profit.

and remember--this age group would be limited on funds--so your original $5-7/hr would have to change.

unless you really have some untapped goldmine--i'd look for another business.

this isn't a new idea--its been tried (and failed) many times. i've yet to see a successful one in my area.
 
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