Setting up a LAN Gaming Center. Need advice !!

[Nisarga Dutta]

Hello,

This is the first time posting here at Digit Forums, so I do not know under which section to post this.

I am planning to open a Gaming Center/Cafe in my locality (HYD), and have a few questions/doubts regarding it. Below are the questions. And reply or advice is welcome.

> What kind of permissions/licenses are required to open a gaming cafe ? and is it possible to keep it open 24hrs ?

> Is it also possible to serve hookha and food in the gaming cafe it self ?

> The starting number of computers would be 10, so do I have to buy 10 copies of a game, say CS-GO ? or is one copy of CS-GO enough for me to install on all 10 computers ?

> CS-GO requires steam to be installed, so does this mean that I can use my own steam account on all 10 computers at the same time ? if so could I launch and play the game accross all the 10 computers at the same time ?

> Are there any gaming cafe admin softwares available that I can use to monitor the computers and also assign the time for each customer ? and also will it auto logout the customer from that particular computer if his time runs out ?

> The main focus of my gaming cafe will be in having lan parties or tournines on regular basis, and for this LAN is good enough. But if a customer wants to play online, that system would need internet access and if 10 computers needs this, then what kind of internet speed should I look out for ?

> Since the gaming cafe is mainly focused on multiplayer, what kind of games do you suggest apart from CS, LoL, Dota, CoD, Fifa ?

> lastly, can tournies be conducted with sponsorship, like from nvidia ?

This is all that I can ask for the moment. Your answers and suggestions would help me setting up the cafe. Apart from the above, any kind of advice or suggestions are welcome.

Thank you and happy gaming !

 

[Desmond]

> What kind of permissions/licenses are required to open a gaming cafe ? and is it possible to keep it open 24hrs ?

You will have to apply for a business license under the Shops and establishments act. I am not sure but I think you need to get the required forms from the local municipality. As for keeping it open 24 hours I am sure that there must be provisions for that as well since I know some establishments that operate 24 hours.

> Is it also possible to serve hookha and food in the gaming cafe it self ?

If it's legal in your region then I guess hooka can be served. But check what is legal in your area first.

> The starting number of computers would be 10, so do I have to buy 10 copies of a game, say CS-GO ? or is one copy of CS-GO enough for me to install on all 10 computers ?

On Steam, every game is licensed to run on one machine. The library can be shared but only one person can play a game at a time. That being said, you will have to create 10 accounts on steam, one for each PC and purchase the games for each of those accounts. This is the setup I have seen in some Zapak centers.

> CS-GO requires steam to be installed, so does this mean that I can use my own steam account on all 10 computers at the same time ? if so could I launch and play the game accross all the 10 computers at the same time ?

Like I said above, you will need 10 accounts, one for each PC. Plus you will have to purchase the games on each PC separately.

> Are there any gaming cafe admin softwares available that I can use to monitor the computers and also assign the time for each customer ? and also will it auto logout the customer from that particular computer if his time runs out ?

There might be a few but I am not aware of any specifics. If you could invest the money, you could get a custom built software from some small-scale local software development company.

> The main focus of my gaming cafe will be in having lan parties or tournines on regular basis, and for this LAN is good enough. But if a customer wants to play online, that system would need internet access and if 10 computers needs this, then what kind of internet speed should I look out for ?

It would be better if you get a leased line internet rather than mainstream internet. Some good leased line internet providers are Tulip and Tata (not Docomo). That being said, I don't think you need much bandwidth per PC, I think 1-2 Mbps per PC should be sufficient for online gaming/browsing, since most players would probably prefer to play LAN. So across 10 PCs I think a 30-40 Mbps leased line should do.

> Since the gaming cafe is mainly focused on multiplayer, what kind of games do you suggest apart from CS, LoL, Dota, CoD, Fifa ?

These will be quite sufficient IMHO. CS, LoL and Dota 2 are already the most popular games out there.

> lastly, can tournies be conducted with sponsorship, like from nvidia ?

Yes. You could try contacting the sales department of Nvidia or any other companies and request for sponsorships for organizing tourneys.

 

[Nisarga Dutta]

Hey,

Thanks a lot for the reply !

 

[bssunilreddy]

There used to be a Gaming Cafe at Nagarjuna Circle, Banjara Hills. We used to play a lot there 10 years ago.

But I think a Gaming Cafe is not a profitable business as almost everybody are buying either PCs or Consoles now.

The time of gaming cafes has ended buddy sadly.

Research and invest properly. Otherwise you will loose a lot of money.

Sent from my ASUS_T00K using Tapatalk

 

[TheSloth]

and many people have internet at home. So LAN doesn't hold as much value as it had 6 or 7yrs back. Unless you are providing exceptional gaming experience at your cafe, where first has to be really good configuration of each PC.

this might help Deaths in Internet cafés - YouTub
(dont go for the title)

 

[janessa642]

You will have to apply for a business license under the Shops and establishments act. I am not sure but I think you need to get the required forms from the local municipality. As for keeping it open 24 hours I am sure that there must be provisions for that as well since I know some establishments that operate 24 hours.


If it's legal in your region then I guess hooka can be served. But check what is legal in your area first.



On Steam, every game is licensed to run on one machine. The library can be shared but only one person can play a game at a time. That being said, you will have to create 10 accounts on steam, one for each PC and purchase the games for each of those accounts. This is the setup I have seen in some Zapak centers.



Like I said above, you will need 10 accounts, one for each PC. Plus you will have to purchase the games on each PC separately.



There might be a few but I am not aware of any specifics. If you could invest the money, you could get a custom built software from some small-scale local software development company.



It would be better if you get a leased line internet rather than mainstream internet. Some good leased line internet providers are Tulip and Tata (not Docomo). That being said, I don't think you need much bandwidth per PC, I think 1-2 Mbps per PC should be sufficient for online gaming/browsing, since most players would probably prefer to play LAN. So across 10 PCs I think a 30-40 Mbps leased line should do.



These will be quite sufficient IMHO. CS, LoL and Dota 2 are already the most popular games out there.



Yes. You could try contacting the sales department of Nvidia or any other companies and request for sponsorships for organizing tourneys.

wow detailed answer with good suggestions.. as the business is good