It is the year 2017, the first-ever Tekken 7 tournament held by Tekken-Two-Five-Four and Ace Pro Gaming. Mickey has just won his first-ever organized tournament, Davy came 2nd place while Solomon “Shoryuken” finished third.
This tournament was held in a place common to many people especially the youth, situated in Nairobi’s Central Business District area is a gaming lounge called Tric Gaming Café.
Walk into Commonwealth Tower, go to the sixth floor and witness an experience a normal gaming lobby with 55inch screens and play station consoles. On the side, you will get a snack corner that serves light snacks and drinks. Tric Gaming has continued to hold a huge number of visitors daily playing casually.
Leave Tric Gaming then head to Kenya Cinema and you will be welcomed at Score Gaming lounge that also houses some of the best and up and coming FIFA players in the regions. The gaming lounges have been in existence with a model that heavily focused on casual play only.
What’s Next?
Gaming lounges are slowly positioning themselves as performing centers and gyms for Esport players in Kenya. They have the right model to steer, grow and sign a lot of players from various backgrounds. These lounges have the right revenue and business model to sign players that would be competing in various tournaments and leagues across the nation. Let us take a look at Horizon Gaming which sent in a team to compete during the inaugural inter-University competition held during the first quarter of this year.
In any normal sports, performance centers and local gyms are key to the growth of a competitive edge. The esports landscape in Kenya holds a powerful resource from these great gaming lounges.
As we continue to grow and develop our local leagues and series, we hope to see players competitiveness grow and develop further.
No comment yet, add your voice below!