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Jeff Utu, left, and Robert Cox have 17 high-definition televisions set up at NWX Games, most of them hooked up to Xbox 360 consoles. There are a few Nintendo Wii consoles, but Cox says the market is being driven by online multiplayer play, an area in which the Xbox 360 excels.
Rob Kerr / The Bulletin
Game on!
NWX Games aims to be a place where kids can have high-def gaming fun while parents get some work done on the laptop — or maybe play a Wii game
By Andrew Moore / The Bulletin
Published: November 03. 2009 4:00AM PSTThis past spring, the recession claimed the careers of brothers-in-law Robert Cox and Jeff Utu, both of whom ran audio-video companies specializing in the design and installation of high-end consumer entertainment systems.
With families to support, the two scrambled for ideas. Cox had always wanted to open an old-fashioned arcade, filled with vintage video games from the 1980s, like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, but scratched the idea when he learned the game machines cost roughly $3,000 apiece.
Sitting outside Riley’s Market in NorthWest Crossing earlier this summer, Cox said he watched a pack of children bike by and had his “aha” moment: a family-friendly video game arcade that would cater to kids.
With financial backing from a family member, Cox, 35, and Utu, 36, recently opened NWX Games. Rather than an arcade, however, it’s more like a video game lounge, with plush beanbags plopped on the floor in front of 17 high-definition flat-panel televisions. Most of the televisions are hooked up to a Microsoft Xbox 360 video game console, with a few plugged into Nintendo’s Wii console.
The setup is still a hefty investment: Cox estimates he spent $9,500 on the Samsung-brand televisions (which he purchased from Costco in Bend). The consoles cost roughly $300 apiece, and the video games another $30 to $60 each.
The result, Cox jokes, is he now has “a great relationship” with local video game retailers Best Buy and GameStop.
Cox is not the first to open a video game lounge. He’ll have competition from CAT 6, a locally-owned video game lounge located next to the Regal Old Mill Stadium 16 theater in Bend that opened in 2007 and features a similar arrangement of consoles and games.
Cox believes there are plenty of people in Bend to support two game lounges, and hopes his focus on family-friendly games and the lounge’s NorthWest Crossing location will draw new customers.
Of course, he’s also right next to Summit High School. Cox said he’d be silly not to offer some of the more hard-core video games teenagers like to play, but said he’ll be vigilant about following the video game industry’s ratings system, which classifies games based on the amount of violence and adult material, among other things.
Video games continue to make up a growing portion of the modern entertainment budget. In 2008, Americans spent $22 billion on computer software and video games, according to the Entertainment Software Association. In addition, the ESA reported 65 percent of American households play computer and video games and 38 percent of American homes have a video game console.
Q: How is your video game lounge family-friendly?
A: We have brighter colors, we’ll have age limits, but we’re trying to create an environment where parents can bring their kids (and the parents can use) the (free) Wi-Fi and have a cup of coffee while their kids are playing, have an hour to get some work done. There’s a big crop of kids in NorthWest Crossing, so we’re trying to cater to parents, make them feel comfortable here.
Q: Bend is known for its outdoor recreation. Any chance parents won’t approve of their kids spending time indoors playing video games?
A: Well, there’s not a lot for tweens to do on the west side. There’s golf and outdoor sports, but those are really summer things.
Q: Did you try to get a bank loan to open the business?
A: We were going to, but then we got private funding from a family member, so we got to avoid a lot of red tape.
Q: You charge $7 an hour, or $4 an hour for two players if they play the same game on the same TV. After a few visits, a customer will have spent the same amount of money if he or she purchased the game at retail. Will that be a hindrance to growing your customer base?
A: We’ll have monthly memberships ($79 for unlimited play), but the fun part is playing with your friends, knowing your friend is right next to you. The Xbox 360 is really geared more toward online, multiplayer play, which is what is really driving this market. The Wii is a great family thing, so it’s kind of designed to get the whole family around the same TV.
I was originally thinking of having all Wiis, but we got to talking to kids and they like the online play, which is what is driving all these game centers. So the pull is the social aspect of playing together, and also being able to play on nice (televisions).
Q: Lots of young parents grew up playing video games. Any chance you’ll market to them?
A: I’m a golf fanatic, and Jeff is a fanatic for all sports, so we’re hoping to do some sports tournaments. We also want to do a date night, and maybe even a poker night, just have the dads in and let them play (cards) while their kids play some games.
Andrew Moore can be reached at 541-617-7820 or amoore@bendbulletin.com.
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