Game center in African country

[ojoski]

Hello all,

This is my first post ever!  I actually stumbled on this site whilst reseaching on how to start a game center.  Could any one help walk me through the steps to start?  From details surrounding start up cost, planning, estimations, operations and marketing (basically the know hows to start and ran a SUCCESSFUL and LUCRATIVE game center).

I guess you may need some info about me and my plans - here you go:

*I live in the US
*Plan to start my game center in a west African country (my home country)
*I am designing my game center using a shipping container and not a building - I have acquired land and rent space for this
*I plan on using solely ps3s
*The location of the game center is very close to a heavily densed community with schools and churches surrounding the site
*I planned on starting with 6 consoles and 10 28/32 inch tvs

Where do I start? Please let me know your thoughts ASAP - I plan to open by end of March 2012.  Thanks all

[Alomax]

Friend, you just asked for a step-by-step instructions on how to build a business?  There are entire schools dedicated to teaching people how to do this.  The best you can hope for here is some good advice and suggestions to specific questions.  As for your specific project, this is so far outside the bounds of my experience I couldn't even begin to offer advice aside from the most widely general things.  Not only is Africa a completely different demographic/culture/laws, a shipping container? Do you plan on moving it a lot? I've no idea what's happening here.

[RsteeleAUG]

I don't mind giving him the process we went through to get started. However I have advised him to check with the country he plans to open in in regards to laws and codes.

I have had conversations with someone that planned to open a center in the Ivory Coast and they ran into some copyright issues with using the games in their store in that area.

I see very little different in the shipping container vs. the "rolling video games" trailers or "video game truck" franchises that are here in the states....minus the wheels. Just be sure to keep it cool enough anything over 80 degrees and those systems are going to COOK. (and that's not good)

[Gord]

*I am designing my game center using a shipping container and not a building - I have acquired land and rent space for this

I did up a plan for this scenario a couple years back, though it was intended primarily for marketing to park outside a new venue under construction and marketing a outdoor venues.  Use in disaster area entertainment relief operations is a possibility, but highly unlikely.

Where do I start? Please let me know your thoughts ASAP

Buy a container, bolt down everything into it (TVs to the walls, safety straps to secure chairs during delivery, consoles to the walls, get an electrician to wire it up with an electrical underwrite to confirm it's safe, bolt on some air conditioning units (holes will need to be cut), and add a customer friendly door as the cargo bin doors are a pain to open once its set up.  Go down one site one, and I recommend getting an oversize 40' contained for extra headroom but shipping costs will increase.  Confirm 120/240 volt requirements and get a transformer as needed.  Battery backups is suggested do sanitize the power so that spikes and dips don't damage the merchandise.

I make no suggestions as to the legality of the operation once it's there, but I suspect that you want a cargo container for security because the area you want to set up treats laws more like suggestions.

[ojoski]

THANK YOU "RSTEELAUG" and "Gord"!

Things are moving fast in Ghana (the nice cool and peaceful country in W-Africa).  I inquired about all the laws and there are no issues there.  Now, will any of you two be willing to share the inventory you use?  As in I know the basics obviously - from the gaming systems, monitors etc. 

However, Im wondering if there is anything I may be missing before I purchase all the materials/inventory I need.  Were there items you bought after your initial opening?  As in, items you may not have thought of that seem important now? Oh and I don't mind any extra things that provide aesthetic value.

I am willing to call and share my email address to have a one on one discussion.  Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!