David GearhyGamer’s Dining Theater
If you’ve traveled, you’ve perhaps come across an interesting trend where bars offer a tabletop arcade game. Known as “barcades” these are spots where video games and beer meet to attract a sizable number of patrons. Unsurprisingly, Square Enix has jumped aboard this trend and is now taking it to a whole new level.
For those in the dark, Square Enix is the developer and publisher of many popular Japanese video games such as the long-running series “Final Fantasy” and “Dragon Quest.” At the beginning of this month though, the company turned its attention to something else in the name of a peculiar restaurant called Storia Café.
Located on the west side of Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo, Japan, this stylish restaurant doubles up as a gaming arcade where diners enjoy their sumptuous meals while watching other people play video games. Although the idea sounds a little unconventional, it stands to become a success given that similar e-sports bars and restaurants are now becoming more and more popular worldwide, particularly in the United States.
So don’t be surprised next time you see a gamer struggling to kill a monster dragon on the restaurant’s screen while you’re out dining.
