Get a IIDX and I’ll definitely be interested
I’ve been looking for a place to play Melty Blood around here for a while. If there is MBAA there, you’ll prolly see me there a lot.
All hail the mighty chilly cheese burrito, for it will bring you business. That’s Harwood and Grapevine Hwy right? Man that’s real close by.
I would open an arcade in Dallas, opening it in a suburb is cheaper but not as likely to generate a serious following.
Have you considered opening it as part of a PC Cafe too? you should try talking to owners of internet cafes around koreatown (west dallas), arlington/gp, and garland/richardson. these areas seem to have the most cafes.
i would do more homework and look at the best arcades like stargate or animation town (vv). talk to the owners ( cmutt and autobotclown respectively ) and get their opinions about opening an arcade.
personally, that shit is a terrible idea because all of those games are coming out on consoles. unless you plan on having consoles in a room (which is more of a lan party than an arcade), i dont think youll be able to turn a profit at all. but if you’re not doing this for profit, consider what will make people come out as often as possible to have fun and not just play video games at home. that is what the arcade experience is about. 
Ok so I’m a student at the local college in hurst, and as an assignment I’ve made this chart saying if it was a good idea for it to be open and why. Most of the reasons I had gotten was that there was nothing to do in the area, it’s a perfect opportunity!
Of no offense to arcade UFO, it was in a shitty area. sure it was near a college but so are we, just the fact people actually want this is all the reason to open here.
and as for the idea of home consoles, I have an article I want you all to read. I will post the link later, but I’m not worried about that. People want social interactions not online play, sure it’s nice but ultimately you want to see the person and talk trash to him “social interactions” my friend; that’s what an arcade is all about!
We’ve thought about all of this a lot.
We believe our location will work out because it’s almost right between Ft Worth and Dallas so it will be easier for people from both cities to make it out. I know for some driving 30min might be a bit of a hassle, but the next closest arcade is in Austin about 4 hours away. Which is really the whole reason we’re opening one here.
It’s also right next to TCC and a couple of apartment complexes, not to mention it’s right next to 2 bookstores and a college bar.
Shin Kurenei: Unfortunately we will not make it into a PC Cafe. We’re not big on PC games and there used to be one around here, but failed after about a year because no one really went.
I can understand the console argument, however, I go to an arcade for the competition and the atmosphere.
When I play SFIV online, it really just feels like I’m playing a computer since I can’t see or, for the most part, talk to them.
Which is really what this arcade is about. There’s really not anything to do around here and we want to make a fun place to just come and hang out.
Hey Ex, post a link to the article so they will understand more.
lol, wish you were more specific, we’re read a lot of articles xD
Here’s the one I’m assuming you’re talking about.
That one is good, but i’m talking about the spoiled console owners and the fall of arcades!
I’ll have to post it later, I’m still not at home.
I’ll edit my first post once I do
Arcade UFO is right between the University of Texas and Hyde Park (click and read this).
“In recent years, Hyde Park has been revitalized. As Austin has grown, Hyde Park’s proximity to the University of Texas at Austin and downtown has made it popular with faculty, graduate students and young professionals as well as increasing the value of houses in this area. As of 2007 the median house price in Hyde Park was $309,902 and the median price per square foot was $240.”
Hmm, median house price in Arcade UFO’s area is $309,902 . . . sounds like a really shitty neighborhood to me. Guess you should do actual research instead of pulling facts out of your ass.
Better be careful in our “hood” though . . . faculty, graduate students and young professionals can afford guns and we are in Texas!
look like I said of no offense, I wasn’t going after your area’s gross worth or anything; hell why else would I have traveled down there to compete!
And if it sounded like I were stabbing at you arcade I apologize, also I wasn’t pulling facts out of my ass, it was an opinion. I was just trying to shine some light on our side to a recent poster; that is all. Like I said and will say again, I apologize!
I am very sorry about what Fresh said, he really didn’t mean any offense.
We both love UFO, you guys are the reason we are even starting one up here. We want to bring everyone up here the same experience we had when we went to your arcade.
Thanks for clearing that up guys, but "it’s a shitty area, no offense"
is the equivalent of saying “that girl is so stupid, bless her heart!” as if blessing her heart makes it any less of an insult.
Saying an area is shitty implies that the area is poor or crime-heavy, when of course UFO’s area is neither. Maybe you were trying to say “off-the-beaten-path” or “not on a main street”, but remember that words can only be taken at face value on the Internet. It doesn’t matter what you were thinking when you wrote it, what matters is what other people will read that as.
I don’t mind UFO being critiqued, but when something patently untrue is written about the place, I am obviously going to defend it.
I completely understand, I’d be defensive too.
I think he was trying to say it was hard to find is all, it’s still no excuse for saying it like that.
I understand completely, it’s the same notion as looks can be deceiving. It goes for anything that belongs to anyone, if anyone voices there opinion on it of course you’re going to defend it.
I didn’t want to come out and look like a jackass “too late” but I didn’t mean to offend, honestly I look forward to visiting your arcade again. I’m sorry for the preceived insult Poonage.
=(
arcade in dfw would not work.
I see a sad face, I am curious as to why it would not work?
To make your arcade succeed in dallas, your going to need to cater to both sides of the spectrum. To focus strictly on the hard core players will get you no where. Along with your fighting games, you will also need depending on the location a few racing games (Doesnt matter which) a couple shooters and some old school like pac man or centipede, galaga etc. (King of fighters / SvC Chaos can be pretty popular amongst the hispanic populous, so you may consider any kof series or svc. they will come to play, and let friends and family know you got it haha.)
If you find a location where there are alot of family / kid traffic, invest in a few kiddy games, with what you seem planned redemption games would be out of your view, but, keep that in mind as that is extra regular traffic you can generate.
But mainly as mentioned in previous post, location is important. If you guys have a spot in mind, scout it out alittle bit, ask surrounding bussineses how traffic is, get alot of information before you set your heart on a spot. The more information you can get about the surrounding area the better.
Cyber Zone / Game Town failed due to Jasons inability to follow through. the last location we had in dallas failed because he never delivered his promise of brining back the fighting games.
PS: In compromise, instead of having a full blown pc cafe, have 1 pc there for internet use. Also, serving food / drink would be agood way to generate more income, you may have to take more steps, but afterwards, serving simple foods like hot dogs, chips, drinks etc, is a wonderful source of income. Just don’t get too over complicated with the food.
greg knows whats up!
I take it you had an arcade once apon a time? I really appreciate the info, I agree with what you are saying but not only are we trying to appeal to hardcore; but the casual as well. we intend on getting more machines but unsure of which to get; hence why we are asking.
Thank you for the feedback.