This Redditor Just Opened an Awesome eSports Bar in NorCal
Redditor Kevthehumanboy posted to the League of Legends subreddit nine months ago detailing his dream to build a truly decked out eSports bar in San Jose, CA. A whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears later, AFK Gamer Lounge is ready to open on April 17.
In many Asian countries, PC and gaming bars are far more popular than they are stateside.
South Korea in particular serves as the Mecca for venues that merge gaming and nightlife, due in no small part to the common practice of such venues being directly funded by game development companies and sponsorship organizations.
In America, they have no such support system in place.
Rather than being funded by larger interests, American game bars are almost universally funded and built by a single person or small group with a persistent dream and a sizable list of loans.
Whether because they're stuck in the old ways, or they simply see it as too risky or costly an investment, gaming companies are more than content with simply making games without offering dedicated places to play them.
As long as they're reeling in massive amounts of revenue from DLC microtransactions, pre-orders, and digital distribution platforms, why bother with risky maneuvers like buying real estate, hiring construction crews, and obtaining liquor licenses?
Because the demand is there. Oh, it is definitely there.
Social media is where the money's at these days. Just ask any big-name developer trying to shove always-online functionality and poorly-suited multiplayer modes down your throat.