The I-Cafés As Gaming Centers

The i-café as gaming center means a computer shop offering online and LAN (Local Are Network) games to its customers on per half-hour basis. Only a small percentage of i-cafés at present do not offer gaming as one of its services and eighty (80%) percent of the current revenues of i-cafés are coming from their PC gaming services. Gaming i-cafés can be found in almost all areas of the country because they are a lot easier to operate in terms of manpower required in tending its operation. An i-café owner only need someone (normally himself) who knows how to play online and LAN games to operate a gaming shop.

Aside from the hourly rate that his customers pay for the usage of the computers, an i-café owner can also earn from selling prepaid game credits to them. Depending on the popularity of the games installed on his computers, he can earn 10 to 15% of the amount of prepaid game credits sold to his customers. Game tournaments and other promotional gimmicks can be resorted to in order to sustain the customers' patronage of a gaming i-café.

While gaming is indeed well-patronized, the ease at which the business model is run causes it to be subject to excessive competition. Price war is very common among i-cafés located near its other. Rate as low as ten (PhP10.00) per hour is not uncommon in many areas nowadays. This below break-even rate causes the high attrition among the new entrants to the business especially that gaming commands high maintenance expense on computer hardware.