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Small business question
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DaveMage
Slumbering in Tsar
reveal said:
Like Arnwyn, I am probably not the target market, but I would not be interested in it.
However, I'll bet the teens-at-the-mall set would be very interested.
I have no opinions on specific pricing, but I would recommend making it more attractive than gaming at home in some way. Currently many kids have access to these games (and internet) at home, so in order to make it more attractive, you have to have better stuff.
FWIW, some suggestions:
-You should have bigger (and better) screens, and a "cooler" environment than they can get at home. (Don't ask me what's hip, though - I still think Star Trek is cool.)
-As far as spilling drinks on a machine and expecting users to pay for it - forget it. Trying to collect would be more of a headache than it's worth. Buy insurance for major occurances, and have a replacement plan in place for all equipment. Set prices appropriate to cover these expected replacements. Also, since people are never as careful or gentle with your equipment than they are with their own, make sure you have a reserve of backup controllers to avoid downtime.
Thornir Alekeg
Albatross!
I wouldn't be interested in this, but like others, I know of a place like this near me. Never been in there, so I have no idea how popular it is and how they model their business, but it has been there for several years, so that has to say something, right?
Tinker Gnome
Adventurer
All you need is some good marketing and you can sell anything! 
Tarrasque Wrangler
First Post
I think someone should open an arcade/bar, with a good selection of classic and newer games and a full range of alcoholic drinks. As it stands, the only places I can think of offhand where I can enjoy Pac-Man and a beer are bowling alleys, and those aren't very happenin' spots.
Tarrasque Wrangler said:
Good idea. There's this place on the Las Vegas strip that does this, GameWorks. There's another chain that does as well, but I can't think of the name. It's a mixture of a restaurant and large arcade.
The idea sounds neat, but as always, the devil is in the details. I personally would pay money for a decent place to play pool that don't have ripped/torn cloth and bent cue sticks. A chance to meet cute college girls would be icing on the cake
Rel
Liquid Awesome
There is a place at the local mall like this. It looks like it is about half PC's and half X-Boxes. I don't know how successful it is though. Every time I walk by I've seen only two or three people in there. Then again, I mostly walk by during school hours.
That could be your major stumbling block. The set you're probably going to cater to most is the kids from 8-17 and they'll be in school for most of the day. And the younger half of that range will certainly have to be home at a "reasonable hour" so you're looking at a narrow window of time between about 3:00 and 7:00 PM during which you have to generate the lion's share of your income.
The other problem that I could see is that you'd likely want to be located in a mall to maximize foot traffic and the "drop off factor" (moms who want to ditch their hyper little boys while they get some shopping done). Mall rent can be high and they also close by 10:00 in most places. That further limits your evening hours for the High School/College/Young Adult night-owl crowd.
Then again, many of these same arguments could be made about Game Stores and some of them seem to do ok. But I've also heard a lot of stories about razor thing profit margins in that business too.
That could be your major stumbling block. The set you're probably going to cater to most is the kids from 8-17 and they'll be in school for most of the day. And the younger half of that range will certainly have to be home at a "reasonable hour" so you're looking at a narrow window of time between about 3:00 and 7:00 PM during which you have to generate the lion's share of your income.
The other problem that I could see is that you'd likely want to be located in a mall to maximize foot traffic and the "drop off factor" (moms who want to ditch their hyper little boys while they get some shopping done). Mall rent can be high and they also close by 10:00 in most places. That further limits your evening hours for the High School/College/Young Adult night-owl crowd.
Then again, many of these same arguments could be made about Game Stores and some of them seem to do ok. But I've also heard a lot of stories about razor thing profit margins in that business too.
carpedavid
First Post
ssampier said:
Dave & Busters' might be the chain that you're thinking of. It's basically Chuck E. Cheese's for adults.
CarlZog
Explorer
carpedavid said:
This is the absolute truth. We've got a Dave & Buster's in our local mall, and it turned my otherwise-non-gaming wife into a FPS junkie. I love Dave & Buster's.
www.daveandbusters.com
Carl
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