KUANTAN: They have come a long way since the 1990s heyday of video games and have seen consoles evolve over the last three decades.
Six months ago, avid gamers Rahmad Azril Dzulkafli and Muhammad Saiful Adli Jamaludin took their hobby to the next level by setting up an outlet in Semambu here, offering online gaming enthusiasts a new way to play on the Playstation 4(PS4).
As the electronic sports (eSports) gaming market rapidly gains popularity in the country, the duo, both 27, have formed a team to participate in tournaments and allow team members to utilise the outlet as their training ground.
Rahmad, who first mooted the idea to set up the premise, said he noticed that outlets offering such video gaming services were common in major towns and discussed with Saiful about his plans.
This was especially so as both had a huge passion for eSports and also extensive knowledge about video game consoles, systems and games.
The Temerloh-born Rahmad, who works in a logistics company in Gebeng here, said they dug deep into their savings and took a loan before starting the business with a capital of nearly RM50,000.
The seed money was used to renovate the premises, buy LED television screens and gaming consoles.
"When we started the business, we wanted to offer customers a similar feel of playing the games from the comfort of their homes, so instead of chairs we opted for bean bags.
"Then we decided to install carpets so customers will feel more comfortable when they sit on the floor as it helps create a lively atmosphere.
"Unlike cyber cafes which are usually frequented by youths to play games, here we have families and the elderly dropping by to challenge each other to various games.
Sometimes, we have fathers bringing their sons during the afternoon to enjoy an hour of gameplay," he said, adding that the premises also have sofa sets catering for customers who wish to play on bigger-screened light emitting diode (LED) televisions.
Saiful said since game consoles cost more than RM1,000 each and not many people could afford them, the outlet allowed gamers to play for just RM5 onwards.
"Both of us are from middle income families and used to exchange games as it was quite expensive especially when we wanted to buy the latest ones.
"I remember saving my pocket money to buy the games...nowadays there are also many people out there who want to play these games but cannot afford to buy so that is where we come in," he said, adding that there were plans to slowly expand the business to other neighbouring districts.
Saiful, who is self-employed, said three months after setting up the outlet, Rahmad and he decided to utilise the popularity of eSports competitive video gaming to form their own team under the banner "Game'Zo" and send members out for tournaments.
"Since there is a lot of interest out there, we decided to give it a shot. Members will have the chance to polish their skills at our outlet and take part in eSports competitions which usually offer lucrative prizes.
"Team members will have an agreement with us before they are registered for tournaments. We recently organised an eSport tournament and received a strong turnout, and many kept asking us when the next tournament is going to be held.
"Such tournaments helps us groom new gaming talent, and even the Youth and Sports Ministry is supportive of such eSports events," he said, adding that participating in such activities will in some way help youths stay away from bad activities.
Second of three siblings, Rahmad described their journey of a thousand miles to achieve success began with a single step through the opening of the gaming outlet, followed by the setting up of an eSports team.
Last year, eSports Malaysia (eSM), the governing body for competitive gaming in the country, planned to establish an eSports Academy to educate and produce world-beaters in a bid to fly the Jalur Gemilang high.