Esports Gaming Arena in Sydney

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  garetz on 30/03/2018 - 23:59

  8600k is ideal for gaming, you wont get anything extra upgrading to a 8700k, especially if you overclock. Your money would be better spent upgrading your 1080 to a ti. Also add a ssd, 2tb hard disk will be your biggest bottle neck.

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  airal3rt on 31/03/2018 - 00:17

  +2

  I like the idea, however that said the proliferation of eSports has also enticed many people to invest in gaming PCs at home so a LAN cafe may struggle to carve out a niche, several in my area have closed over the last few years.

  1. 240hz is likely overkill, you're fine with 144hz monitors.

  2. Given almost nobody will be video editing and few will be streaming from a LAN cafe, combined with the fact 8th gen i5 CPUs have 6 cores you don't need to spring for the i7.

  3. I wouldn't bother with PS4s or Xbone, I'd go with the Nintendo as Nintendo games have a very different flavour that isn't as close to PC as the other consoles, and really lends itself to casual multiplayer fun.

  Honestly the biggest factor in determining your success will creating a gaming/hangout culture that entices even those who have a capable rig at home. Sure, you'll get some people who come to play games they otherwise couldn't, but to grow and be successful you'll need an atmosphere that draws people away from their own gaming rig at home.

  I'd potentially be interested in getting involved in the project and have a lot to offer, get in touch if you'd like to discuss further.

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  Diji1 on 31/03/2018 - 00:25

  +1

  You should combine it with a pub. People like playing games with their friends while drunk.

  • 

    kerfuffle on 31/03/2018 - 04:42

    +1

    Already exists; it's called Spawn Point

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  assface on 31/03/2018 - 03:54

  +12

  lol sydney cbd. i hope you have deep pockets. just another pipe dream. thread closed

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  coco1458 on 31/03/2018 - 06:33

  If you can entice uni groups to hit up your esports place every single night of the week, then you might be onto something but Sydney cbd… those pockets need to be pretty deep

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  TheBilly on 31/03/2018 - 10:08

  I dont know man… I feel like its forcing 2 separate things together. I.e. an esports venue for major events and an internet cafe. Internet cafes are dying out, and with an esports venue for a major event it will get tendered when the event comes and your venue can easily be not suitable over some non technological detail. If you dont cater to major events, then effectively its just an internet cafe with good PC's. I used to play ALOT of WOW, when I was at cafes most people were just doing PVE and so did I. But for PVP Id do it at home with my own setup and all the kicking and screaming.

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  jace88 on 31/03/2018 - 10:08

  Isn't this just a LAN cafe?

  Biggest issue is how do you get enough cash in the door.

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  pegaxs on 31/03/2018 - 10:14

  Back in my day, these were called “Internet cafes” (which was weird, becuse they never had the cafe part, only computers.) and people hardly used them back then.

  Unless you couple it with a liquor license and sell food and beer onsite, I doubt it will gain much traction. As others have said, in the CBD would be horrifically expensive to operate. Maybe an area near where the type of people who would frequent a place like this, a shopping centre, near a uni or something like that may be a much more enticing location.

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  marklee84 on 31/03/2018 - 11:17

  Thanks for the feedback thus far. There is no doubt that given the costs of operating in the city, there was some need to adjust the business case to attempt to get the space viable. The space will be kitted out to provision for grassroots tournaments, but it isn't going to be large scale akin to the majors that we're seeing pop up around Sydney. It's going to be built with a couple of things in mind:

  • Arena space to act as a centre court equivalent, amongst the esports PCs. In combination, it should facilitate tournaments/leagues in a more efficient manner (e.g. ability to play 4-6 matches at a time) with centre court facilities having the ability to be streamed/recorded for Twitch or Youtube.
  • The business case warrants a location in the city as public transport is optimal (Wynyard, TH and Central corridor), plus it has the advantage of being within a large population that are already there to work. Consequently, given the proximity to the working population, I do believe it can fulfil a role similar to the KGV Rec Centre for indoor sports (soccer, bball) or Domain for outdoor sports but instead to facilitate esports competitions.
  • It will also be underpinned by a more casual design to be inviting for people to come and hang out with mates (akin to airal3rt's comment above). In combination with the central location and the fact that a tradition LAN cafe is empty during the day, it could be a working space for the casual/freelance workers who want a central base where all they need is wifi and that they're welcome in the space for the entire day.
  • The sky is the limit in terms of the types of events that could be run in the space. Eg, a League of Legends night (Overwatch the next, etc etc) where gamers can come in casually, meet new players, form teams (speed dating/matching) and ideally become competitive. Or even themed newbie nights for people like me who've tried to get into to LOL years ago but failed miserably. Not to mention viewing parties, etc. Any event that will get the buzz going in esports!

  All of the above led me down the path of designing a space in a central location. It is certainly a speculative venture, I don't doubt. I have been, however, thinking hard about how I can play a role in developing the esports community alongside the endemic brands out there and make it even more accessible to grassroots. Appreciate the comments thus far!

  For the more detailed Qs/comments:

  garetz 10 hours 26 min ago
  8600k is ideal for gaming, you wont get anything extra upgrading to a 8700k, especially if you overclock. Your money would be better spent upgrading your 1080 to a ti. Also add a ssd, 2tb hard disk will be your biggest bottle neck.

  I have been leaning to a 8600K, but I'm unsure if I'll be overclocking given the need to trade off the lower capex with higher energy costs. On your comment re SSD, the PCs are nearly 'always-on', so will the 2TB HDD really be a bottle neck to achieve in-game max performance?

  airal3rt 10 hours 8 min ago
  I like the idea, however that said the proliferation of eSports has also enticed many people to invest in gaming PCs at home so a LAN cafe may struggle to carve out a niche, several in my area have closed over the last few years.

  240hz is likely overkill, you're fine with 144hz monitors.

  The original theory behind providing 240Hz is to replicate as best as I can, the esports professional's experience and make it available to all. Capex is high, granted, but I've been in discussions with major brands to see how they can support this initiative. Really appreciate your offer to help out. I'll PM you.

  Diji1
  You should combine it with a pub. People like playing games with their friends while drunk.

  Agree with you wholeheartedly. Some of my best gaming sessions were certainly when alcohol played a role (for better or worse). I have considered and I may pivot if demand is there and if it outweighs the risks, but the overarching priority is to make the space all inclusive for esports, which will inevitably encompass under-aged patrons. Not to mention the risk of getting a pale ale all over the mechanical KB! As kerfluffle pointed out, you should check out Spawn Point on Clarence St. A cool underground indie bar with a few consoles and retro games to play with mates - they have esports viewing parties for major events too.

  • 

    monkeybusiness on 31/03/2018 - 11:57

    +2

    I think you need to work out who your target market is.

    You say you want to "replicate the corporate lunchtime soccer/basketball experience" the CBD. Well let me tell you, I work in the CBD and I regularly go to the Domain for casual lunchtime soccer and have occasionally gone to KGV for bball as well. I sound like your target market.

    The problem is that for a working professional, I go out at lunchtimes to get away from a screen for an hour and most importantly, to get exercise. Moving to another screen playing Esports totally defeats that purpose. And in typical ozBargain fashion, going to play casual soccer doesn't incur a cost.

    The other problem is the dynamic of "casual". Casual soccer and bball works because I can come and go anytime. I need to rush back to work and I can join a game for 30 min instead of an hour and no one in the group will bat an eyelid when I leave. In Esports this isn't possible. When you are in a competitive scene and in middle of a game, you just can't leave.

    Your other alternative target market could be just another internet cafe/ LAN. We all know how they are going and you got nothing to differentiate yourself where the typical customer is predominately students that got all the time in their hands.

    I hope you got deep pockets as rent itself would be your killer outlay in the CBD.

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  SimpleRoger on 03/04/2018 - 12:30

  Honestly most people just play with their friends at home, now with discord, and skype and all that.