Spawn bar

Spawn Point: Australia Opens Gaming Bar

“It’s like a sports bar…but for gamers!”

How do you spend your weekend? I’m sure it’s full of craft beers, good friends, and videogames. Sounds like a perfect combination, right? We all enjoy crashing at a friend’s place and staying up late enjoying company but what if you no longer needed to play games and drink alcohol at a private residence?

Ben “BeStRaFe” Mudie founded Spawn Point, a new gaming bar based in Sydney, Australia. Think of it as a sports bar, but for gamers! Strategically located right beside Redoak, a popular microbrewery, Spawn Point plans to open in August.

Who knew there was a market for that? And who’s ready to relocate to Australia with me?

Good Brew, Consoles, and Games

I perused Spawn Point’s Facebook page and seriously became overwhelmed with excitement and sadness. The bar features older consoles, like the Nintendo 64, Gamecube alongside new consoles too.

Naturally, Spawn Point attracts gamers looking for a relaxing environment to enjoy games and a good cup of brew, however Ben Mudie also hopes to cater to patrons who may only be interested in sharing a beer with friends rather than playing videogames.

The Concept

The Mana Bar, a popular gaming bar of Melbourne closed its doors fairly recently. It is believed Mana Bar failed due to low turnout numbers. Many Mana Bar lovers hoped another bar would be able to take its place. Spawn Point came at a good time, eh? Inspired by Mana Bar, Spawn hopes to defy all odds and be a successful, gaming bar.

Gaming Bars in the U.S.

Apparently, the U.S. has a line of well-established, highly successful gaming bars in almost every state (I had no idea!). And no, I’m not talking about Dave & Buster’s, I mean real gaming bars, exclusive beers, and atmospheres that will put any regular bar to shame.

For example, Player 1 in Orlando, Florida has been dishing out booze and games since May 2013. According to their Facebook Page, they have over “30 classic arcade games, classic and modern gaming consoles, motion gaming dance floor, cash tournaments, and the best Craft Beers, Lagers and Ales from around the world.”

More and more gaming bars are popping up too. Consider Geek Bar: this bar pledged to create an zero-discrimination  space,  catering to LGBTQ/gamer girls. Hoping to combat homophobia found in online gaming, Geek  Bar advocates for gamers to come together through gaming, look past differences, and learn to accept others for who they are. Thanks to Kickstarter, Geek Bar received $44,538 out of their  $9,750 goal–woah. I’m 100% positive we will see more gaming bars globally and locally.

In other words, you don’t need to travel as far as Australia to get your fix of games and beer.