Sorry it took me so long, but here are the results for last thursday’s MvC3 Battle and Brew:
@Beenee: I live near there, what games do you play? I’m not going to the tournament though.
I live near the GA border in Franklin NC. I see that battle and brew is only about 2 hours away. Might try to make it down there on a Thursday for the exp. I believe that is the closest scene to me. What time is it usually over.
I’ll take the opportunity to return the thanks. Revival was my first time out, and everyone there really made it as enjoyable as it could be. It was great meeting everyone, and getting to put faces (and skillsets) with names. I forgot Extra thanks to Stacy, ShadowAce, and Pokchop for being friendly and patient with this new face and making me feel really welcome.
Too many other new names to list, but props to damn near everyone there for the play, the advice, and the friendly banter. Hope to see y’all again!
soul calibur and mk9, primarily. i dabble in sf and after UMVC comes out, i’ll start taking that seriously.
Yo I just got turned on to this thread by anotak. I live in the Lilburn/Stone Mountain area if anyone is lookin for someone to practice with, I’ll be trying to make it to the Battle & Brew stuff and the revivals.
Anyone in the Atlanta area down to session some MvC3? I just attended my first tourney at B&B and had a blast and now I’m itching to get better for future B&B’s and Revivals. I currently live in Lagrange but I commute a fair bit to the Atlanta area on weekends.
I’m not sure where exactly to post this to get a full response, I’ll try here.
Hello all. My name is Kyle Farach and I plan on starting an arcade in Atlanta, Georgia within 2 years. I am a senior at Florida State University, graduating soon with a certificate in entrepreneurship and a BA in Business Management. I simply love arcade gaming along with the social environment and competitive spirit it creates. Today, and for many days, I will need the help and feedback from the fighting game community.
I NEED YOU to help me answer questions about what is needed to create a top tier arcade experience.
I have many questions, but here is my idea. Instead of strictly an arcade lair of competitive gaming, I’m starting to see the advantages that a BAR coupled with an ARCADE create. By widening the squeezed market of competitive video game players (which I’m starting to see grow?), a bar gives an arcade an older, club/lounge twist. People can relax at happy hour and grab a brew or get smashed on Friday night. From research, the newly established INSERT COINS in the Fremont East District of Las Vegas has seemingly blended the two elements together. Their success is obvious. Check them out if you haven’t already.
But yes I have some questions. Please feel free to answer broadly or get as specific as you need to for the following topics.
- General thoughts or concerns
- Video game selection
- Music
- Atlanta Culture
- Business
Please let me know if you have any QUESTIONS and I will get back to them as soon as I can. THANK YOU for your help. 
Well, I’m sure as you already know, the arcade scene is dying all over the US, but I personally still go to arcades a few times every week so I wish you the best of luck on starting one here in GA.
As far as the video game selection goes, I’m game tech now and have been at a few other arcades. We’ve always kept track of how much each game makes and it’s always been that 2-4 player racing games (such as fast and furious and hydro thunder), rhythm games (like Dance Dance Revolution and In the Groove 2), and fighting games (like Marvel vs Capcom 2 and Capcom vs SNK 2)…these usually made the most money (I’m not including redemption games because we’ve always categorized the games as either arcade games or redemption games). One of the things I would say is most important is to make sure you hire people (as far as game tech goes) that actually are gamers themselves. I’ve been to a lot of arcade places where the people in charge of fixing the game really do a half ass job and they only fix the game so that it’s playable to your people who might play the game once or twice and move on, but it’s almost completely unplayable to your hardcore games because usually the buttons (or pads) don’t work most of the time.The regular game techs I’ve seen usually won’t completely take a game apart and clean it thoroughly to make sure everything is working great, because they just don’t care about the games that much. Even when they do try, sometimes it just takes someone who’s a gamer to do it right.
Last advise I would give you is to host tournaments there. I’m thinking more along the lines of Dance Dance Revolution than fighting games, just because games like DDR are best played on the actual machines (your never get that experience playing at home). But there are communities for all different types of games so create tournaments for any game and I’m sure if will bring out a good crowd. :tup:
@green_mario: I definitely think you have the correct approach going into this as I also was considering making something similar(more of a LAN center). The biggest thing is making sure that it’s affordable, I think it’s going to be impossible for you business to flourish if the machines are pay per game. You might want to just make some “home-made” gaming machines that just use a 360/ps3 and the game. That way you don’t need as many machines because you can just switch the game out. Also, I wouldn’t limit yourself to just fighting games, as you will need all the business you could possibly get. And yes the Bar is pretty much require these days as it will be your main avenue of profit. I would suggest a modest fee of pay to play either by the day or hour(something not too expensive) and focus on making the profit off of food and drinks.
Also, were you a melee player? I may have seen you before.
I read a post in FGD from an arcade owner talking about the best games for arcades, and I think he said the most profitable ones were DDR and pinball. I know georgia has a decent rhythm gaming scene, except Peachtree Cinemas doesn’t repair its damn machines.
Man it was hotter in vegas than hotlanta. The matches was serious at evo. I hope we all want to level up after seeing the top 8 of every game played at evo2k11. Our scene in Ga is on the edge of busting out as a power in all games in the fgc.
Infinite Spawn: Don’t be reverse fc’ing Destiny on SRK!
Eshi: Screw Peachtree Cinema’s we got the real man’s game in Kennesaw with decent pads.
Green Mario: If you’re opening an arcade you need to get an ITG2 cab upgraded to r21 and know how to keep the pads strong (Do this and you’ll have loyal customers that will continue to support you), some recent shooters (Shooters make bank believe it), a few really cheap old games think Pacman, and maybe Golden Tee if you notice you’re attracting the older crowd. Guitar Hero pulls it’s weight well to but you HAVE to adjust the lag or its a dead machine. Racing games add variety.
You need to know that even though fighting games are awesome they are a high risk investment, you have to be careful cause the cost of the cab is high and the price to play is low and if you don’t maintain top condition you will lose your audience quick. Also with fighters upgrading every year you’ll have to either buy an upgrade kit or a brand new cab and it gets expensive. One last note: always remember with fighters that you are competing with home consoles and it’s an uphill battle. Bottom line: Play it smart and pick and choose a few fighters but never go heavy in that direction until you have a solid foundation and you see an interest in your customers.
MOST IMPORTANT RULES TO HAVING A SUCESSFUL ARCADE
- Machine upkeep: If a game you loved had input lag or broken controls would you want to play it?
- Listen to your core customers: If there is interest in something pay attention it could be your next big profit.
- Rotate out older games: Alot of people have short attention spans and you’ve got to pull them back with the new hotness. Don’t be the arcade still rocking Time Crisis 2, House of the Dead one, or Tekken 5.0
Good times hanging out with Ben again.
@Green_Mario: Many of the good points have been made – Machine maintenance, rotation, and selection are of the highest importance. There are a few great examples of establishments, out there, which illustrate that people are willing to pay extra per play for games if they’re recent and well-kept. Folks are also willing to drop heavy coin on food and drink during a ‘free play night’ or somesuch. I’m no MBA but, coming from someone who put a number of years of employment into an arcade, I speak from experience in saying you’ll likely benefit from considering hosting such events.
Additionally, don’t dismiss redemption machines as kids’ stuff. Just consider your audience. Everyone plays skee-ball, in example. If you’re looking for something a bit deeper, games like Sega’s Derby Owner’s Club and many of the usual golf stand-ups can easily be converted into ‘adult’ redemption games. Adjust the payout ratio to your liking, and load it up with beer tickets or something similar. Alternatively, make the tickets redeemable for more ‘adult’ prizes, or additional game credits.
As has been stated, one or two classics are never a bad idea to keep around. You’d be surprised how much an old Namco cocktail table/‘glass top’ can pull in when kept near bar areas. Do resist the temptation to install any touchscreen trivia on the bartops though. Those are almost always poor investments.
Popular rhythm games (DDR, PIU) are always good earners, but use common sense when placing them. These games are reliant upon their music, so you want to keep them somewhere that they won’t either be drowned out by the house music, or annoy the patrons who don’t necessarily want to hear rhythm game tunes.
Pinball machines are fairly consistent earners, but know what you’re getting into. They’re considerable initial investments, and when something breaks down (and it will), pinball machine repair is EXPENSIVE. Stay prepared. Whether pinball or something else, nothing will lose an arcade customers like borked machines.
Stay on top of market trends. Know what’s new, what’s hot, what people want to play. If necessary, poll your customers regularly!
Hey guys all the footage from last Revival is up on youtube
Reox8888: lol 0.00% FTW! 
Eshmasesh: Yea, P’tree is dead. They recently put a new monitor in extreme, but the pads are still bad. Most of us drive to kennisaw for ITG now. People also say that there is a new DDR X machine in stone mountain at Stars and Strikes, but I haven’t drove over there yet.
Someone play Melty seriously before this coming Final Round.
bumping this message i guess. stiiiill looking for any takers.
SSF4: AE Tournament at Battle and Brew Thursday at 8pm. Don’t be late and bring sticks for both systems if you can. If anyone can bring a setup, please message me.