My Dream
I’ve wanted to own an arcade since middle school, and nothing has changed. I’ve been walking past this empty building every day for the past several weeks, and it’s really put some big ideas in my head. Basically, it’s a 6,000 sq ft building with a 4,000 sq foot warehouse in the back. After stopping, looking, and thinking numerous times, I’ve finally come up with a good use for the building. It has a name:
ÜberLAN
Imagine: You walk in the front door and are presented with numerous couches, beanbag chairs, and a few big TVs playing movies and shows nonstop. People lounge around with laptops and handheld consoles, and every once in awhile get up to get a drink from the energy drink bar (stocked with every kind of energy drink you can imagine) against one of the walls. It seems pretty tame, but then the lovely receptionist offers to take you on a tour.
You walk into the back room (warehouse) and it’s the 80s again. Blacklights, electronic music, and arcade machines. Everything is there from classic Donkey Kong to Street Fighter to DDR. Change machines are spaced amongst the machines, but they’re hardly needed because everything is just a quarter. There’s also a separate room in the back with 6 treadmills and an entrance to 3 private showers. More on that later.
Heading back into the main room, you head up to the second floor. In this room are four 42" TVs, each connected to an XBox 360, PS3, and Wii. The receptionist mentions that older consoles and game libraries are available to check out from the front desk. Also in this room are 20 PCs (hooked up to GigE of course), each preloaded with every modern FPS and MMO you can think of. Unused computers are locked, and the only way to get in is via the fingerprint scanner on each station. Each one also has a pair of headphones, ensuring a much more quiet atmosphere.
The 3rd floor is identical to the 2nd floor, so there’s not much to see here.
<end imagination sequence>
It would be great: A colossal Arcade and gaming center. Profit wouldn’t really be a goal, I’d prefer if it was more like a YMCA. Anybody can use the first floor, but the second and third floors would require membership. Members have an ‘hour bank’, where they can purchase time on the PCs. Each hour would probably cost around a dollar or two. There would be a number of ways to earn free hours though:
- Middle and high school students who maintain a 3.0 or higher GPA would be entitled to 10 free hours per week.
- Remember the treadmills? Spend half an hour on one at greater than 3 MPH and receive one free hour.
- Every new member you refer who goes on to purchase 10 or more hours would result in 10-20 hours being credited to your account.
No one under 13 would be allowed, and school kids have to be out by 11 PM. Hours would likely be from 2 PM to 4 AM.
Well, I think it would be cool.
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Now find someone to finance it.