EPT[H]Internet/Gaming Cafe Tips and Tricks - Page 2
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LarJarsE
United States1378 Posts
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CharlieMurphy
United States22895 Posts
definitely put all the PC games of the WCG lineups since it's inception. So main ones imo, CS / CS source Halflife 1 & 2 Portal? Diablo 1 & 2 Team fortress classic / TF2 Battlefield 1942 (and all the other ones after that) Starcraft BW / SC2 WC2? Warcraft 3 TFT /Dota Heroes of Newerth League Of Legends WoW Quake 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 Unreal tourney (every one after that) L4D / L4D2 And then some of those other llittle games that people play like maple story / worms or whatever. as far as tips/advice. The most successful PC cafes that I've gone to: - always always had a good location in close proximity to at least 2 or 3 fast/cheap food places. -They always had drinks/candy/snacks for sale. -They always had deals where you can buy 5 hours and get 1 free or some kind of system that gets people coming back all the time. -Always willing to host tournaments for PC games and Lan parties (offer some deals to participants). -arcade games? (street fighter 4, street fighter 3? Puzzle games, NEO GEO, etc) -I know this is a bit more than you're probably trying to get into, but this one I used to go to was 1/3 comic shop, 1/3 PC cafe, 1/3 Card / Board games (with a few arcade machines). So they would have MtG players and all sorts of people who just played games in general. -oh and something really important that is often overlooked, the place has to be clean and in shape. Often times you go to these places and there is crumbs around, dirty floor, fat people sweating up the chairs, smelly, cracked and dirty chairs/mousepads, worn out mice/keyboards, smudgy monitors, etc. Here's the best one I know of currently http://cybercafeplanet.com/ | ||
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etJUSTICE
Sweden30 Posts
On   July 01 2010 21:57 TaaiJoeng wrote:Windows 7 only makes the colours all messed up. Other than that, the   Game runs perfectly fine. that is not true, many old games on windows 7 likes to just lock up the whole computer randomly and you cant tab/ctrl+alt+del out of it and starcraft:bw is one of them. | ||
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Zapperkhan
United States436 Posts
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wurm
Philippines2296 Posts
CS WC3: TFT (for DoTA obviously) SC: BW L4D 1 & 2 For online games definitely get: Ragnarok Online (pRO) RF online Perfect World Try to find out what games are played near your place. If there is a big enough fanbase, install and your good to go. | ||
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s.a.y
Croatia3840 Posts
he made set up a big ass gaming centre i London. i bet he's got a lot of good tips. | ||
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ella_guru
Canada1741 Posts
But this is going to be incredibly risky. I think you should develop your plans ALWAYS keeping this in mind "Why would someone want to play here instead of home? " . Many people will have better computers at home, but there has to be a reason for them to come out. Tournies with prizes. If you have some tournies maybe have a big board where you post the current champion of the game. A great environment where the best gamers hang (You can't buy this, but if you are the guy running the shop day to day you should be friendly, and even jump in on some games with people if they are down). The best PC bang I used to go to , we all went because the guy was chill (but still business like). What are other reasons gamers might come out instead of staying in the warm womb of their bedroom? | ||
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LaSt)ChAnCe
United States2179 Posts
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Monsen
Germany2548 Posts
Edit: Here goes: Target group: There is a huge difference between an "internet cafe" and a gaming room. Obviously due to the content you provide (and also your probably clients) but possibly also legally. Gaming rooms are seen as "video halls" is some places and can even be taxed like casinos (deadly). Find out about that. While it is possible to work as an "internet cafe" which mostly provides internet access for surfing/ emailing I assume you want to open a gaming room. Why should people go to gaming rooms nowadays, when most of them have adequate mashines at home? Well, it's basically like the movies. You will go to the cinema with your friends because a) the movie is new and you would have to go out of your way to get it, b) the cinema has equipment that you probably don't and most importantly c) because it's something to do with your friends. Together. An experience, a happening, stuff to do while hanging out with the guys. Also, it's way more fun to shoot someones virtual head off when you can hear him scream in frusttration a few feet away. Be clear about what (who) you're aiming for with your gaming room. Attitude: It think it's save to assume that you are a gamer yourself. Thus, you might not think about this part much. Believe me, it is likely to be the most important issue. At the moment, you probably love the idea of your own gaming room. However, depending on how much you will work at your place, sooner or later it will become a job. At that point, if you keep on sacrificing the way you probably will (and should) during the first months, you will burn out. That's a serious problem, since I have found that the attitude/personality of the man (don't kid yourself, women don't work in such places) behind the counter has a major influence on who will be your customer, and how many. An enthusiastic, happy guy that cracks a joke and chats over the latest games is likely to make those nerds come back. Some of those (kids) will pretty much call your place their home (and spend plenty of cash that way). The tired, bored guy that you have to call away from his game (of course you will play behind the counter too) so you can pay, probably wont. Atmosphere is key. In my personal experience, customers even asked beforehand who of the staff would be on duty and came when their favorite staff member was there. Obviously the key to staying enthusiastic about your job (again, assuming you are in the first place) is dividing up the workload, which leads us to... Staff: Just you and your buddy, eh? Well have fun with that. At least 1 to be in the shop at all times, Someone to do all the tech work, someone to do taxes, orders (snacks and drink can be huge income factors), cleaning up the mess gamers tend to leave. It's not a walk in the park. Try to estimate the workload, think hard about what you can/want to handle. Try to have a life besides the job, else see burn out. Ways to deal are obviously partners, employees and interns. Each can be problematic. Partners tend to want their share of the money. Employees cost less, but be really careful who you employ and how much you pay them- if it's "just a job" for them, they tend to not giving a fuck (see attitude). Interns don't cost any money and are probably a good bet. Since the nerds hang out at your place 24/7 anyway, they might as well do something useful. Find out if you can do some seminars that legally allow you to train people (in a apprentise kind of way). With Interns also come some risks. The more responsibility (without payment) the more risk. They have access to the register, the equipment etc. be really careful. Which leads us to... Security: Since you're such a nice buddy, kids won't nessessarily understand why they have to pay you money. They will try to be smart with you. Be smart with your payment method instead- it's super effective! (  )There are plenty of methods to use, you will have to find out which one suits your needs best. Paying up front can be tricky, since it will be you who has to keep track of when their time is up. Paying when the customers leave, will bring you the good old "I don't have enough money" problem. Keeping track of debts, banning kids from your place etc. Programs that turn off the mashine/ screen when the time you paid for is up, can frustrate customers (nothing like the comp going *zing* when you're about to 1a2a3a to victory). Though I'm sure there are sophisticated tools for that problem by now. (Those programs might cost money though.) Theft also can be quite an issue. Kids will steal anything that isn't spiked. Don't use the cable-free infrared stuff- too easy to take away. Figure out methods to keep mouse, mousepads, headsets in place. Have some spare. Location, location, location. The profile of your shop is really important. Large open rooms are best, small secluded rooms (maybe even with doors) are a security nightmare unless you plan on big brothering your entire loco. (Several rooms might help with age restriction problems though.) Optimal is a place where you can keep an eye on the counter (you will often not be there to help with /fix something/ chat) from everywhere. Games: Depending on where you live, pirating games can be fine (I know it works in parts of South America and southern/eastern Europe) or suicidal. I guess you know how that works for you. As for the games themselves, you will have to be pretty up to date on this one. Always get a few licenses (2+) of the newest stuff and see if it catches on. While the good multiplayer games (get the top 3 Shooters, RTS and MMOs) will give you regular customers, you can't afford to lose customers because "they have randomnewtitlexxx at that other place". Since after a short while you will have a mixture of older/decent/high end mashines (more on that later) save the high end ones for the newest games. Age restrictions can be pretty tough. Depending on the authorities in your area you could even be forced to ensure that no kids (12-14-16 whatever) can even see the stuff they must not play themselves on another screen. Same goes for porn sites obviously. Find out about your laws. Equipment Way less important than you might think. Very few people will come for the lastest high end engine or the spacy interface on your desktop. They want to have some fun playing games, your equipment is only there to enable them to. Start out with the top end mashines of the "good value for money" seqment of the market and add/replace (some pieces will break under the 24/7 strain anyway) some mashines every six months or so. Send the surfers to the old mashines, keep the newest games on the high end stuff. Be sure to have working keyboards/mouse/headsets for every mashine. That shit tends to get dirty/broken/stolen. Playing without the sound/mouse/keyboard working won't leave you a happy customer. Promotion: Depending on your location, competition and luck, this might or might not be nessesary. Flyers and discounts can work. Discounts for regulars should be obvious. Try to do stuff that also improves the atmosphere. Have some good Graffiti kid airbrush your shop with cool gaming motives. Tournaments, Clanwars (found a clan for your place in any case- it creates a sense of belonging), showing Jeadong vs Flash on a beamer... get creative. Good luck! | ||
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BloodDrunK
Bangladesh2767 Posts
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k!llua
Australia895 Posts
**Can you lend me some tips and tricks on this kind of business? Make sure the chairs, tables, mice, keyboards, monitors and floors are always kept clean. There's nothing more off-putting than a seedy netcafe. | ||
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Eben
United States769 Posts
CS CS:S WoW HoN Wc3 SC2 (when it is released) Modern Warfare 2 Left for dead 2 SC:BW those are all really popular at the internet cafe's that I have been to. | ||
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CharlieMurphy
United States22895 Posts
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NoMicro
Canada69 Posts
I would suggest having at least one console station and a few games, because some multiplayer with friends is always a fun time. Plus, the LAN centre in my city ONLY have xbox, ps3 and wii consoles. They're quite successful, but sadly don't have any plans to expand into the PC market. =( I would say, keeping it a fun community is what makes people come back. Hopefully, you'll reel in some regulars and they'll spread the word of mouth. Doing a big advertising scheme to draw people in initially is also a good idea. | ||
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SoMuchBetter
Australia10606 Posts
On July 02 2010 00:11 k!llua wrote: Make sure the chairs, tables, mice, keyboards, monitors and floors are always kept clean. There's nothing more off-putting than a seedy netcafe. as someone who regularly (used to, anyway) frequents netcafes i'm going to second this one | ||
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qoiN
Sweden576 Posts
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OpticalShot
Canada6330 Posts
The netcafe I go to time to time has the following features: - 20-25 ish computer stations, identical, with a comfortable chair (on wheels) - reasonable/simple/cheap peripherals (mouse/keyboard/speakers) that work fine - rechargeable smartcard system (charge card at front, plug into reader at station) - snack bar with chips, chocolate bars, pop, etc. I don't think anything sells except pop - also a water boiler for bowl noodles... but hardly anyone eats bowl noodles there imo - temperature is slightly cold (probably to keep computers cool) The rate they charge is $2.50CAD per hour (20 dollars give 8 hours of playing time). All in all, I think it's pretty much average at everything, but this netcafe is at the prime Korean hangout location in Toronto (Yonge/Finch, for those that know Toronto) so it gets a lot of customers. Plus, it recently expanded to have 4 pool tables (1 pocketed for stuff like 8ball, 3 non-pocketed for 3-cushion billiards) and I don't know the rates for that, but it's popular and people play on at least 2 tables every time I go there. Kind of like a general Korean guys hangout. In terms of games, I remember they have: - SCBW (obviously) - WC3 (for dota) - WoW (some people play WoW there) - Sudden Attack (popular Korean FPS) (most people play one of the four above) - CS - HoN - I don't remember any other... I only play the first two I listed above. Obviously it'll be costly to have a legit CD key (or license) for each game for each station. I know that the netcafe I go to only has a few licenses per game, a lot of times my friend(s) and I were forced to try USWest for dota because too many people were playing there on USEast. Not sure if this will be an issue... Anyways, good luck! | ||
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RAUS
210 Posts
hire pretty girls with friends (dont have to be pretty girls). when the dreamlab here did it, they brought their whole clique along to game/chill, and the people made otehr people spend money | ||
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UmmTheHobo
United States650 Posts
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Warrior Madness
Canada3791 Posts
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