A brand new video gaming lounge in Steinbach is providing one thing that up till now was solely spoken of wistfully by earlier generations of players: a spot to compete face-to-face and construct relationships primarily based on the love of the sport.

Ground Zero Entertainment on Main Street was packed on a Tuesday night, exhibiting the demand for one thing some might have thought disappeared with the rise of on-line gaming. Its proprietor believes it’s the solely providing of its sort from Saskatchewan to Northern Ontario.

Lok Mak opened the gaming lounge June 15 after beginning renovations only one month earlier. It hosts players utilizing its high-end computer systems from 12 p.m. to 1 a.m. (or later) every single day.

Snacks and drinks – hen fingers and juice are the highest sellers — are there to maintain the players fueled as delectable aromas waft in from the neighbouring Lee’s Village Restaurant, which Mak additionally owns together with computer-building and accent retailer PC Studio.

Mak moved to Canada from Hong Kong, the place gaming lounges had been vastly in style.

“Me and my friend, we would spend days in a place like this,” reminisced Mak.

“I remember just before we came over, we spent three days straight right there. And how that worked is when time’s up, parents say OK supper is ready, I say OK I’ll see you guys later. I’ll be back in two hours.”

So Mak is aware of the draw for this sort of enterprise, which is why he made the funding. He additionally noticed the recognition of gaming leagues that meet in momentary places.

And plans are within the works for enlargement, together with gaming consoles and probably tabletop video games.

And the draw isn’t just the entry to nice {hardware} to play your favorite recreation; it’s largely in regards to the folks not fabricated from bits and bytes.

“This is a place not just about gaming; this is a place about meeting new people, socializing. You won’t be able to get that at home. I understand you can sit at your computers, maybe even a better computer than here, but meeting online you have a headset. Interaction, you want to have that with others,” defined Mak.

That interplay can get rowdy with a crowd that’s usually made up of a bunch of youngsters.

“Sometimes it’s quite funny,” laughed Mak.

“And for me, I’m quite happy. I also get to meet new people. I’m having some new friends.”

Tia Reimer works at Ground Zero and agrees with Mak on what makes a bodily gathering place to recreation so necessary.

“You’ll have multiple people in here who don’t know each other. And then all of a sudden it’s like ‘hey, are you playing Valorant? OK, let’s play.’ And then they’re best friends by the time they walk out,” stated Reimer.

It can also be an possibility open each night for youngsters that may have hassle discovering issues to do this match up with their pursuits.

“Alcohol, drugs, street racing, the numbers are going up. They need to have something for teenagers to do,” stated Mak.

He added that choices just like the skatepark, film theatre and bowling are good, however stated he wished to convey extra leisure choices like video video games which are vastly in style to them, and has a chalkboard within the entranceway for requests on his future expansions.

Mak stated the opening was successful with loads of foot visitors from folks checking the lounge out, but it surely took a number of weeks for these relationships to construct up the place new associates now meet repeatedly.

People from throughout the area together with Winnipeg are actually making the journey to Steinbach, however the automobiles they search are on screens.

Booking particular person and get together instances can be found on Ground Zero Entertainment’s web site, which describes featured video games. Everyone is invited to log onto their very own gaming accounts to play whichever video games they like.