In 2022, who is still opening a video shop?

Will you go to the offline video game to play games?

For many people, this is a very old -fashioned concept. When it comes to going to the store to play the host game, the memory will jump to a place where some people are noisy and dim, and press the handle in the "big buttocks" TV. The situation seemed to belong to the era of the previous Internet, which was a flashy of the cracks between arcade decline and the rise of the rise of Internet cafes.

This year, this seemingly old offline entertainment form has ushered in a wave of small Renaissance. If you are in the north, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and open keywords such as PS5, Switch and other APPs such as Meituan, Public Comment, and you will find that dozens of hundreds of names are the main game shops. Even if you live in small counties, there is a probability of leaving home. Not far away found it. They may be opened by the streets and shopping malls, and the more common situation is scattered in the apartment building near the business district. The charging price ranges from 2030 to hundreds of yuan per hour.

Many store owners will publish daily operations to video platforms such as station B. One of the most voices they face is questioning: Why do you spend more than ten times more than when you were a child, and go to the store to play in the store to play the host with not too high costs. game? Can I still make money now?

Poisonous eyes (ID: domoredumou) talked with several host game shop owners. "Looking at a group of people playing games, they will be infected by a happy atmosphere." It is the feeling they generally mentioned, but no business can really "generate electricity with love."

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"When I was a kid, I especially loved to go to the console store to play" Alloy Blockbuster ", because the PS2 version can be renewed infinitely, and the always on the arcade must be invested by coin ... This memory has nothing to do with me now." The owner "I am NPC "(Here," NPC ") I returned to my hometown for more than a year after graduating from university. It has been less than two months since opening the store.

Different from the guessing of the onlookers, few shopkeepers will invest in their own real gold and silver out of emotional factors such as "realizing childhood dreams".

The game memory of the post -90s shop owners is similar to most of my peers: I played "Little Overlord" when I was a kid. 》 Wait for online games to attract attention. "When I was a kid, my dad bought the" first computer in the village ". But until recently, I understood the difference between host games and computer games." Say.

Switch, which has sold more than 100 million this year, has inspired a group of shopkeepers, which have many "party games" suitable for friends gatherings. The owner's "one day's game hut" (later referred to as "one day") operated the host store for more than a year. After buying Switch in 2017, he could often successfully "Amway" to friends, and gradually gave birth to the idea of ​​opening a store.

From the perspective of "one day", "it is because of Switch that this industry can be opened. This is the first game console that can make social work as the main function. Many games on PS4 are too hard -core and light. It will definitely not work by relying on them. "

A common cognition of the owner is that the functional positioning and service population of offline host stores have changed a lot compared to 20 years ago. "In addition, one more entertainment option is provided. The purpose of many customers is not even a game, but to have "space to stay together." To some extent, the nature of the host shop is not essentially different from that of KTV and cafes. Their competitive targets are not the living room of players to play the game console, but emerging entertainment venues such as script killing, dense room escape, and baseball halls.

"One day" console game shop. Photo interviewee provided

Correspondingly, no matter what platform, the more popular games in the console store are also mainly social attributes, such as "Mario Party", "Huster Kitchen", "FIFA", "NBA2K", etc. The popularity of the game is compared to the 2021 TGA annual game "Two Things".

More than one shop owner believes that "Two -Personal" is a key factor in offline hosting stores that can bloom everywhere, and many customers come to experience it. In the "NPC" store, only "two people can do" with "those who can be called a popular game". It will be reduced a lot.

"Dream Dream" tells the poison eyes that "Two people" have many advantages such as moderate difficulty, good work, and each level provided freshness. The direct result of these advantages is that customers will play for a long time, "" "" Both of them can play for three or four hours, and I have seen play for 9 hours and 10 hours. The other average of 20 minutes will change the game once. "

"It's not difficult" to open the host shop

The threshold for opening a console shop is not high. The hard investment is only equipment, rent, etc., and there are many shop owners who control costs within 100,000 yuan, but not everyone can open smoothly.

The owner's "Friday Game House" (hereinafter referred to as "Friday"), the business license was completed in mid -March. By the end of March, the platforms were launched, but they caught up with the notice of the operation of public places for public places. He and the epidemic began. Half a month later, he went to the store to pack up as usual. On this day, another local shop owner who wanted to open a store made an appointment to visit. On Friday, the other party told him that "the building was blocked" and could not come up. Essence After verification of "Friday", he had to accept the fate of being blocked with the shops that had not opened. Fortunately, the delivery window was not completely closed. He temporarily ordered all kinds of daily necessities. He covered the newly bought quilt on the carpet of the private room at night. beat."

Three days later, he felt a little better, and he "sinking his heart to play the game" and calmly passed the week when he was restricted. During the unblocking, he posted a video titled "Escape from the host store". But by the end of April, Jinan had a larger -scale epidemic. This time he was named at home, so he kept tossing until mid -May that the shop finally officially opened.

"Friday" console game shop. Photo interviewee provided

Driving in the apartment building, the online -buying app's online diversion is almost the only customer source channel. Perhaps it is to miss the recommended window period of the new store. It may be the worst video shop in the country, "he said.

It is also indispensable for the new industry to take a detour. "Dream Dream" has been working in a logistics company for many years. The boring and repeated life gives him a "impulse to self -realization" and inspired by friends. He wants to combine VR and host games. But it didn't take long for him to find that the VR game had to debug each group of guests in advance, and he had to accompany and continuously solve the problems such as "unable to find a gun", "how to change bullets", and "dizziness". Single people cannot guarantee the service. He can only sell the equipment to the equipment, and lose money without profit.

Young shop owners may also face strong resistance from their families. The opening of the "NPC" requires parents to provide funds. His family has a tradition of entrepreneurship and investment in a small city with a population of more than 3 million. "In fact, it is a small number to take 80,000 to my house, and it will not hurt the bones. It is very annoying that they don't understand me at the time, as if I do anything wrong."

"NPC" opened the store for "Tu Yile". Nevertheless, he made a 7 -page PPT explaining the prospects, budgets and estimated profits of the video game shop to his parents, and successfully convinced his family. Opening the peak season, his turnover in the past two months exceeded 15,000 yuan, but he felt that there were too many guests who were also troubled and would "delay to play games".

Those who come to play games

In the "NPC" store, the guests who have been to the most "strange" may be a junior high school student. After entering the small private room, he turned on the equipment, and then took out his mobile phone to play games such as "Glory of the King" and "The original God" and other games. , Consumption for more than 100 yuan, continued for 4 hours, and did not touch the handle throughout the afternoon.

"NPC" console game shop. Photo interviewee provided

"Everyone will encounter it." It is suitable for any industry, and some customers may allow shop owners to "rise blood pressure." "One day" encountered "one hour, and you can change the game for 40 minutes." When you leave, you will ask: "Where do you think these games are fun?"

“周五”则比较排斥“白嫖”行为，有过一位母亲带着小学生模样的孩子来店里，这本是令人欣慰的游戏能发挥亲子娱乐功能的体现，但到第二次时， The mother left the child in the shop after 3 hours of fees. For the third time, the "Friday" couldn't help reminding the children that it was over time. When the child called, he knew that his mother went swimming himself, and he would not be able to pick it up for a while.

There may be reasons for unpleasant encounters, but most of the reasons for happiness can be summarized: the atmosphere. There are not many guests who go to the host store, but do not exist. A 35 -year -old guest came from the "one day" shop and spent 109 hours of customs clearance. "They can afford the host, and it is impossible to afford it. It may be to play with the atmosphere of communicating with others while playing, which is not the same as playing alone at home."

"One day" console game shop. Photo interviewee provided

"Dream Dream" has also seen guests who cleared "The Soul of the Devil" for two consecutive days, "playing from morning to night, just drink water without eating." He collectively referred to those impressive customers as "interesting souls". For example, a third -born pregnant woman often comes to the store. Essence She also met a doctoral student through the host store. The two often sat together to enjoy "Wild Dart 2".

There is also a girl customer who looks like she has cleared "Double People" in the "Dream" store. The conversation learned that it was her fifth time she cleared this game and was with different boys every time.

The love of a certain thing is often infected with people around the surrounding people. The game console store can provide the shop owner and guests at the same time, which is a space that carries love.

"Friday" console game shop. Photo interviewee provided

A netizen of the same city who did not know each other contacted "Friday" and said that he wanted to provide your own PS5 for free. "". The device did put it in the "Friday" store for three months, but no one had played it. "Friday" attributed this to the business of its own store. The relationship with the guests is almost common for friends. When the first month of opening the store lacks the source of customers, there are only one couple who often go to the "Friday" store. They can go to four or five days a week. In the evening, it will be more than the time to close the shop. Sometimes, "Friday" simply waited for them to go out, and asked them to close them when they were going.

Harvest and fatigue

The business is not good in the first three months, and a group of people will be lucky every day. More often, he could only sit in the empty shop, watching the dazzling game box in a daze.

When walking on the way to the store the next day, if he flashed the idea of ​​"no one will come today", he would regret it. For him, the biggest fun of opening a store lies in the person who can observe the shape.

People cannot avoid projecting their realistic personality into the game. Some people are willing to explore in the game, discover and try their best to solve the mystery, and some people are more passive. They will always ask teammates where to go and what to do. Some people like to complain, and some people are gentle with their companions. These different game behaviors may not have any meaning, but "Friday" feels that "the biggest gain of opening a store is to see all kinds of people, the difference between people makes me feel interesting."

"Friday" console game shop. Photo interviewee provided

The "popularity" of different people to do one thing is always the soul of a shop. "One day" believes that one of the reasons that he can operate relatively success is that he has accumulated a wave of old customers in the early days, and the old customers will continue to introduce new guests. The harvest of a store is "generally ten years can you know so many people, and you know so many people in one year."

In the past two months, "One day" is busy with the new street store with double preparation area. A video comment has touched him very much: "This is an era when you can live well without meeting, but it makes me a little thought about it a little bit. Encounter with people. "The main reason for the expansion is that the store is too small," I can't provide you with a place to sit down and chat and discuss games. " He felt that the positioning of the new store was closer to the coffee shop or theme club.

"One day" console game shop. Photo interviewee provided

Of course, for the owner himself, the more people you serve, the more tired you will. "It is much tired than going to work, it is 007." "One day" said that when he did it for 8 or 9 months, he also experienced a stage of "particular collapse, physically and mentally exhausted", which mainly comes from frequent updates. The dual pressure brought by the video and stores, after carrying it, the operation has entered a virtuous circle.

At the beginning of the entrepreneurship of the "White Cave Game Club" in Wuhan, it was operated by a corporate operation. One of the partners (later referred to as "White Caves") said, "I think of being tired, tired, and tired." They have opened 3 VR experience stores and 1 main console game store, and expansion is an inevitable choice for corporate operations: "Opening a store can not support the team at all, only a number of stores are profitable at the same time. You can get money to the money. "

White cave video game. The photo is provided by the respondent

Running up the business, "White Cave" can only see a child of up to 3 years in a week. He described the store as "a process of weight loss". Before the second store opened, he had 150 pounds. "Later to 130. On the busiest holiday, "keep coming, lined up, and processes the appointment", which will make him "the whole person's state of a day is stunned."

The future in "inner volume"

The income of an offline video game shop depends on many factors such as popularity, price, and time period. Too good single monthly turnover is only 3,000. The basic law that is generally recognized is: earning "hard money", with an upper limit of income.

"This is the video game industry. Don't continue. There are 20 cities with a population of 10 million people. "

"One day" console game shop. Photo interviewee provided

In fact, the growth rate of similar shops surprised many shopkeepers, and "inner rolls" is also a high -frequency word when they communicate with each other. I sent a private message on station B and asked about the experience of opening a store in one day. At most, "there can be thirty -eight or eight a day". There are only 2 stores a year ago in Qingdao City, and now there are nearly 40.

Another typical city is Chengdu. After the Spring Festival this year, the number of offline host stores in Chengdu is around 40. By July, it rose to more than 100. "White Cave" first saw the peers, and the public commented that there were so many when they counted them one by one: "The roll is to die, the family is more than one roll. The words in Wuhan have always been a lot. Several console shops. "

Under the fierce competition, occasionally something makes people laugh. "Dream Dream" shops will be reported anonymous every time. The law enforcement officers can only take a few days of business. Essence He asked his friends to help, only to find out that the reporter was another shop owner who opened a store not far away. "There is a feeling of being aware of it. As soon as we close the door, customers will go to her." At present There is no corresponding regulatory system, so it can always pick out some business loopholes as "entertainment venues". The analog script kills, as early as 2020 the overall market size of the drama killing exceeded 10 billion yuan. The Ai Media Consultation data shows that it is expected to reach 23.9 billion yuan at the end of this year. It was not until June this year that the country introduced the policy for the first time to include it in the country to incorporate it into it. Supervision.

Considering the hidden concerns of supervision, the offline host store is relatively far away. The closer real problem is that popular models and popular games may not support the industry to have long -term vitality. "The script kills can often update the script, but the game has a long production time, and not every game is as good as" double people "." Dream Dream said. "One day" means that if the next -generation game consoles do not have strong social attributes, "this industry will decline."

"One day" console game shop. Photo interviewee provided

Because of the earliest enrollment of white caves, the advantages accumulated in the experience and technology of the VR game store. This is also the core competitiveness of their company's operation. Is decoration, location, or TV screen larger. Everyone uses PS5. What is the difference? "

White cave video game. The photo is provided by the respondent

If the experience is similar, the direct means of fighting out of the siege will remain "price pressure", which will undoubtedly increase the risk of opening a store. There are also many people who will send a private letter to the "white hole" to ask about opening experience. He firmly believes that this is neither a "profiteering industry" nor to bring any individual improvement. Essence

"I asked me to ask for a store, and I suggest not to open the store." "White Cave" was helpless. "There are no less than dozens of people, but I did not persuade someone."

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