Play at 24 computer stations
Realm for video gamers
By Phil Villarreal
Pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.13.2008
If it's Thursday, you can usually find 26-year-old convenience store clerk Steven Shepherd hunched over a computer monitor at Arena Gaming, battling through the virtual realm of Azeroth on "World of Warcraft."
On his days off, Shepherd spends hours at the East Fort Lowell Road establishment playing "Warcraft" or "Savage 2: A Tortured Soul." After paying $20 for a day pass, he surveys the 24 computer stations and settles into one of the plush desk chairs.
Sometimes Shepherd doesn't leave until closing time, which is 10 p.m. on weekdays. And how could you blame him? He's got instant thrills and heroism pumping through a powerful, custom-built gaming rig onto a glistening 19-inch widescreen monitor.
He can glance to his left or right to swap war stories or ask for and dispense tips from fellow brothers in arms. If he was so moved, he could slip away from the PC into the console room, where two Xbox 360s and two Wiis beckon for some "Halo 3" or "Super Paper Mario" action on 37-inch HDTVs. And when Shepherd gets hungry, a Philly cheese steak and a soda are just a click away, thanks to a computer program that lets him buy snacks and have them delivered to his chair.
"It's just a great place to relax," Shepherd said, taking a break from "Warcraft" to swivel away from the screen and talk to a reporter. "It gives me something to do on my day off, gives me a break from my regular job. There are no distractions, and you've got food and whatever you want here."
Shepherd grew up pumping quarters into stands at arcades and sees Arena Gaming as the evolution of the idea of social gaming.
"I think it's a replacement," Shepherd said. "It's nice that you can play as much as you want; you don't have to keep putting quarters in. It's more comfortable and you get better customer service."
"Arcade," though, is a dirty word to Arena Gaming owner Scott Martin, 32, who opened the store in June along with his wife, Nancy, and another couple, David and Winnie Fung.
"I don't even like being associated with arcades," Martin said. "They make you think of a place with loud music playing, teenagers everywhere and drug deals or whatever going on — no supervision. No customer service. It seems sort of seedy."
Martin prefers to think of Arena Gaming as a pub — somewhere for buddies and loners with a common interest to indulge their hobby, socialize and let off some steam. What they can't do, however, is order a beer. Arena Gaming doesn't have a liquor license.
Together, the Martins and the Fungs put up more than $100,000 to buy the equipment and get the business started. Martin says there's always someone playing, and sometimes crowds pack the room, forcing them to turn players away.
"You can just kick back and relax," said Anthony Marinaccio, 26, who plays "World of Warcraft," "Guitar Hero III" and "Call of Duty 4" at Arena Gaming. "This is a great place, not just for kids, but college students, to take off, come over here and chill out for an hour or two."
Hosts of KFMA 92.1-FM's "The Frank Show," on which Arena Gaming advertises, have been known to stop by for some action.
Matt Stagi, who is known as Stagz McNasty on the show, visited the place a couple times a week late last year and early this year, playing "Call of Duty 4" so much that he decided to buy the game.
Stagi, 29, said he liked "being able to go out there and try the games, try out what the place was like and experience it."
Stagi said he noticed a parallel between Arena Gaming and arcades.
"They both kind of have similarities, obviously," he said. "Being able to be there and hang out with friends."
Martin hopes to attract more groups of friends to make the business profitable.
"We're breaking even right now," Martin said. "Business ramps up at the ins and outs of a month. We're getting more people every month."
Martin worked as a systems administrator for First Magnus before taking the plunge with Arena Gaming. He grew up playing Atari 2600 and Nintendo games and said the idea for the store long sat in the back of his mind. He first got the notion while vacationing with Nancy in Seattle, where he found a similar business.
"I needed to do it before I got too old," said Martin, who says there are 10 or 15 places like Arena Gaming in Phoenix but his store is the only one in Tucson. Martin says his first goal is to get Arena Gaming on solid financial ground and then eventually expand to other locations.
He said gamers can save money by hanging out at his establishment, even though he'd rather trumpet the communal aspects of the experience.
"You don't have to buy the games, nor the PC, nor the Internet connection to go along with it," Martin said. "We take care of the upgrades and patching of games and computers. . . . We're kind of like a sports bar. You can watch a game at home, but you can go there and be a little louder and more raucous. Or like movie theaters. You can buy it and watch it at home, but sometimes a movie is just better in theaters."
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