Howie’s Game Shack- Gaming Bliss for Southern California residents

Gaming cafes have sprouted like mushrooms all over the U.S., but unfortunately, a lot of them don’t have what it takes – not enough PCs, gaming consoles, and games- that is why it ain’t surprising that most of them pack up shortly after they first opened. Well, Howie’s Game Shack does not intend to be a part of that growing statistic and from the looks of it, they ain’t headed in that direction.

Howie’s Game Shack (thumbnails above) is located at Mission Viejo, California. An hour of gameplay at Howie’s will set you back $4, but players intending to spend a few hours can also purchase a day pass for $15. First time visitors create an account by swiping their right index finger on a biometric scanner and depositing money. Your finger serves as your ID for further deposits and purchases. And if you get hungry, they also sell bottled waters, pizzas, and energy drinks that aims to replenish the tired gamers.

Running this shack isn’t cheap. According to its owner, Howard Makler, mentioned that expenses for electricty alone reaches and at times exceeds $10,000 a month. He also has to continuously upgrade obsolete computers and components. “Every 18 months, I basically have to throw away everything and buy $700,000 in new computers,” says Makler.

Well, so far, business is good. Apparently, this joint has been attracting so much attention from people and not just from the gaming community. You would think that it would be easy to find a seat with 200 computers but space is scarce since families and groups of friends habitually comes in here to have a grand gaming time playing notable MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and City of Heroes. But if MMOs ain’t your thing, you can go ahead and play in one of the shack’s 45 Xbox 360 consoles.

The center is also home to parties and special events such as NCSoft‘s “Meet and Greet” event on 13 May 2006 wherein cheap gameplay and prizes were given away to loyal gamers.

Surprisingly, parents are also growing fond of this place. With the rising costs of day care, parents view Howie’s as a cheaper alternative. Dads and/or Moms handing out 20 dollar bills to their kids and instructing them to go and play at Howie’s for a few hours isn’t a rare occurrence here. Of course, gaming cafes cannot compensate for the “education” being given at day care, but it appears that parents in Mission Viejo thinks different about it.

So, do you frequent gaming cafes or would you rather play within the comforts of your home or that of a friend’s? Tell us all about it through your comments.

Gaming cafes have sprouted like mushrooms all over the U.S., but unfortunately, a lot of them don’t have what it takes – not enough PCs, gaming consoles, and games- that is why it ain’t surprising that most of them pack up shortly after they first opened. Well, Howie’s Game Shack does not intend to be a part of that growing statistic and from the looks of it, they ain’t headed in that direction.

Howie’s Game Shack (thumbnails above) is located at Mission Viejo, California. An hour of gameplay at Howie’s will set you back $4, but players intending to spend a few hours can also purchase a day pass for $15. First time visitors create an account by swiping their right index finger on a biometric scanner and depositing money. Your finger serves as your ID for further deposits and purchases. And if you get hungry, they also sell bottled waters, pizzas, and energy drinks that aims to replenish the tired gamers.

Running this shack isn’t cheap. According to its owner, Howard Makler, mentioned that expenses for electricty alone reaches and at times exceeds $10,000 a month. He also has to continuously upgrade obsolete computers and components. “Every 18 months, I basically have to throw away everything and buy $700,000 in new computers,” says Makler.

Well, so far, business is good. Apparently, this joint has been attracting so much attention from people and not just from the gaming community. You would think that it would be easy to find a seat with 200 computers but space is scarce since families and groups of friends habitually comes in here to have a grand gaming time playing notable MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and City of Heroes. But if MMOs ain’t your thing, you can go ahead and play in one of the shack’s 45 Xbox 360 consoles.

The center is also home to parties and special events such as NCSoft‘s “Meet and Greet” event on 13 May 2006 wherein cheap gameplay and prizes were given away to loyal gamers.

Surprisingly, parents are also growing fond of this place. With the rising costs of day care, parents view Howie’s as a cheaper alternative. Dads and/or Moms handing out 20 dollar bills to their kids and instructing them to go and play at Howie’s for a few hours isn’t a rare occurrence here. Of course, gaming cafes cannot compensate for the “education” being given at day care, but it appears that parents in Mission Viejo thinks different about it.

So, do you frequent gaming cafes or would you rather play within the comforts of your home or that of a friend’s? Tell us all about it through your comments.