Magic the Gathering

DD, if you have tens of thousands of dollars sitting around that you don't mind losing, and maybe you do, then by all means, try out your idea. Just know that others have done the same thing many times and most don't work out. It's a retail business. Location is everything and a good location is apt to be expensive. You'd have a large investment in those big screen HD displays, the whole setup of gaming rigs, connecting them up, and so on. The food and drink thingy, with permits for all of it, along with the inspections from the city and so on. You couldn't serve alcohol, or you'd lose a huge chunk of your clientele. You would be constantly "gaming" how to bring people in, with money spent for advertizing, prizes... money you can't stop spending. You'd have a staff to pay. You'd have to buy and maintain an inventory of games and consoles to sell, new and used. Some of that you can probably pick up fairly cheap from one of the cats who tried this and went out of business, so some reasearch might help you there. And that giant sucking sound you hear? No, DD, not the giant sucking sound of your dollars disappearing... the giant sucking sound of your time disappearing. THAT might bother you more than anything, once the "glow' of creating this wears off and the worry about making it an on-going success sinks in.

Think long and hard, buddy. I almost opened my own tropical fish store many years ago. It was (and is, although I need to get back into it) an ardent hobby of mine that I thought would be fun to have as a business. Sure, it wasn't how I'd been earning a living (which wasn't fun for me), but I thought I'd enjoy doing it. I even worked at a shop here in Austin for a year, to learn the business end of it. Got the financing, had a partner lined up who knew more about the fish import side of it than I did and had a "following" here. Came within a **** hair of doing it. Even had a location picked out. What saved me? My partner's money fell through and I didn't want to delve deeper into my own finances to cover what should have been his end. Best thing that ever happened to me at the time. The odds are 10-1 that the ultimate result would have been one of those "learning experiences," the language people use to make the disappearence of a chunk of their wealth seem better.

Think long and hard about this before trying it, and then think again. And if you end up doing it, I'd like to know, so keep us appraised of the situation.

 

I don't think board games and card games are enough to keep a store going. As for an internet gaming cafe, I think that's going to a problem magnet.

How many game/hobby shops does Austin still has open?

 

I'll tell you that I would not pay an hourly rate to play there. I would be willing to go play some Halo tournaments(Obviously I mean if it were near me, not a store in Austin) if they were free, or if there was something to win. I would do the rental thing if around $10-15/month. Or if there was a $1/day option or something. Probably pay more if it included discounts such as GameStop's rewards card.

I probably wouldn't at this point in my life since most of my friends aren't huge gamers, but would have probably liked the video game setup for a birthday party when I was a young teenager. I can't think of a price on it.

I'd also be more likely to pay for your used games than I would be at GameStop.

One thing GameStop doesn't do any more is the older systems and games, which there is a niche market for. I used to buy SNES/NES games when we had stores that carried them. I also liked when the carried FF action figures and posters, since I collect that stuff. Now I only find them in Japaneses anime stores like the Hello Cutie store in Savannah. The markups are huge there compared to what they were when the gaming stores carried them.

 

bought a few packs back in the day and played a couple of times with a buddy...but then wondered why and just went back to goldeneye.

as for the business idea. Cool, but i just don't see it being financial viable for games alone. You need a primary draw...then supplement that with hourly playing rates. I just dont see people getting together to play as a sustainable primary draw.

 

I have not really played video games since college in the late 90's, so I'm not an expert, but playing devil's advocate...

Can't kids play head to head online in the comfort of their own homes for free? Why would they pay money to do it in a store?

It seems like a good idea, BTW, but just curious

 

DD what I've seen here and in Arizona is actual a mobile 'video game truck' that has a bunch of consoles linked up and multiple HDTVs etc that go around to kids birthday parties and all. They'll have the start wii sports group games, rockband, if the parents are ok with it COD, Halo etc.

Its actually a pretty popular thing

it looks like they have franchises in dallas and SA but not austin

http://gametruckparty.com

its a franchise so that may help your cause too

just an idea

 

The key is having something the parents would be interested in. If it's just going to be a pain for a mom or dad to take their kids up there, worry about whether they should stay and wait or come back later, how much it will cost the parents will just say heck with it. Go play online, in your room.

This is where the food and drinks/sports bar comes into play :grin:

 

i get what you are saying i just think in today's day of gaming the modern day arcade has been pushed out. at least when i was going up the arcade was the standard of elite graphics and joysticks etc now you can get all of that and more from home.

The kids I know now that play would rather just play online versus/with their friend rather than go over to their place.

its a good idea but i am not sure how long it could actually last. you may just get more 'old timers' in there looking to relive/reclaim their arcade days.

i think the newer generation isnt used to getting together in one place to play games its more of the older generation thats why the truck is popular it brings the gaming to the kids. sad to say this generations kids are ever more lazier or used to luxuries like that.



but back on topic i never bought any magic cards growing up my best friend was really into it so he would loan me decks when we'd go play at the local comic shop on the weekends. he let me borrow them until i placed higher than him in a tournament. i won 2 starter decks and like 5 booster packs of the new series/expansion that came out (Ice Age?) i gave him all the packs it wasnt like i played or like it that much we were cool again after that.

its a pretty fun game but its hard fo me to justify playing a game that requires sinking more and more money into it just to get certain cards etc. i'd waste my money as a kid buying basketball card trying to get every Hakeem card i could get out there instead :grin:

 

thats actually where i work at the moment in austin.

 

You should also take into account that the age group you are targeting are probably not the wealthiest people out there. Most will probably be relying on allowances or part time jobs. Just something to consider...

 

I think the head-to-head draw is ruled out automatically. That's going to be ancillary.

Purchase of games...think there is too much competition to be a significant draw.

Food/bar would certaintly add complexity and I don't know if you want to get into the restaurant business. You would definitely need someone with experience to manage the food side. (note, hire hot girls in skimpy outfits). Although maybe a coffee shop with light food may be a basic enough draw to get random folks in the door.

It's tough. When i was actively collecting comics, people would convene at the comic store for magic games. The draw there, of course, was sports cards & comics book retail. But i've been out of the loop in that industry for a while and not sure how well they are doing.

 

At what size would a screen be too large to play video games on?

 

I don't like my 52" when I play by myself. Split screen though the size is great. By myself I prefer a 32"