Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The Game is not over: A Business of Joy and Danger


Videos Copyright Nejude Al-Ibrahim, 2009

Smoke wafted through the darkened room amid the sounds of racing cars, gun shots, and cheering fans. People seated in front of LCD screens with faces expressing happiness, anger, or competition.

Welcome to “Viva”, one of the many Playstation Cafes springing up around Cairo. For customers, these cafes offer a fantasy world of gun battles and high speed chases that lure players of all ages, eager to beat their highest scores. But for owners, the Playstation Cafes offer something much more tangible: fast and easy profit.

The flourishing business of Playstation Cafes encouraged Mohamed Zahran, a former accountant at Misr Car Trading Company, to resign from his governmental job and establish a PS Café in Dokki close to the Arab Academy campus.

“I used to get about 1200 pounds per month from my previous job, and now I earn more than 5000 pounds from the café,” said Zahran. “Of course I had to pay a lot to rent the place and buy the equipments but I managed to collect my money within 6 months.”

But it’s really the extra features and services that determine how much customers are willing to pay to play.

“The air conditions and the comfortable couches are essential to lure the customers and push them to play for 6 or 8 hours,” said Osama Ibrahim, a supervisor in one of Mohandsean’s PS cafes. “There are other important features such as the LCD screens, the food and drinks, the private rooms, and the smoking or non-smoking areas.”

Price can vary from between 5 to 40 pounds for one hour of playtime, depending on the neighborhood and the features included in the fee, Ibrahim added. Extras such as food and drinks cost additional cash.

Ibrahim advised to give more attention and control on the private rooms because some of the customers use them to roll and smoke hash cigarettes.

While Playstation Cafes draw a wide variety of players, owners say that students are the best clients because they usually spend more time at these cafes.

Zahran recommended that those interested in opening a PS Café need to find a place close to an academic institution.

“Most of players love to gather at night. But when the café is close to an academic institution, you guarantee a lot of customers also during the day time.” said Zahran.

The spreading business of PS cafes encouraged the National Sports Council to establish the Egyptian Federation for Electronic Games which aims to prepare the electronic games’ players for international competitions. The Federation also arranges championships that offer prizes and money to the winners.

According to a recent poll by the Egyptian Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center, only 27 % of the youth are practicing traditional sports.

That’s raising concern among some critics that mushrooming Playstation Cafes around Cairo could be taking a negative toll on young and old players, both psychologically and physically.

Save but not Safe:

In a very small PS Café in Sayida Zainab neighborhood full of children, 10-year-old Omar was playing Pro Evolution Soccer and telling his friend how great the last match between Chelsea and Liverpool was in the Champions League. But the boy who said that he loves football so much is actually practicing the game only with his fingers.

“I asked my father to buy me a Playstation, but he doesn’t have enough money for it,” said Omar while he was trying to counter an attack from his friend. “So, I have to save some money during the week and come here to play on the weekend.”

Unlike Omar, Moatassem Alzanaty a 27-year-old export sales executive at Ceramica Cleopatra Company was able to buy his PS console. But he said he still prefers to play at a café to interact with other passionate about the games.

“There is no fun to compete against a machine at my home,” he said. “The PS café offers a chance to clear my mind, meet with friends and have some fun together,” said Alzanaty. “The PS cafes now are very similar to the Billiard cafes during the 1990’s.”

But experts warn that the current obsession with video games has its drawbacks.

Professor Hisham Bahary, a psychologist at Ain Shams University, warned that spending time at PS cafes decreases social interactions with family and friends.

“Psychological studies proved that video games prevent the development of social interactive skills and lead to depression,” said Professor Bahary. “Also, we can’t ignore the negative effect of violent games.”

Spending too much time at the PS cafes hasn’t only a negative social and psychological effect, but also a physical one.

“Spending many hours in front of the PS screens causes a lot of problems for children,” said Professor Elham Hosny, a pediatrician at Ain Shams University. “It might affect the eyesight, the nerves, and the bones, as well as fatness if they are not practicing any sport.”

But despite the risks, café goers and owners say that PS Cafes are unlikely to shutter their doors anytime soon.

“There is a third generation of PS consoles and the fourth is on its way. And there is always a new game or a new edition,” said Osama Ibrahim. I think the game will not be over soon.”

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