Mainstreet Games to rent XBox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii on hourly basis
There are not many places in International Falls for young people to spend time together doing activities they enjoy, according to a new business owner.
And that is why Vincent Zurawski, owner of Mainstreet Games in downtown International Falls, opened the video game cafe geared to the area’s young adults and gaming enthusiasts.
“We started this up because the kids in town don’t really have anything to do,” Zurawski said. After the bowling alley closed down, he said they considered something similar, but decided on the video game cafe instead.
“There’s only a handful of businesses like this in the United States,” he said. “This is something that’s pretty big in Europe, Japan, China, and those places.”
It is a type of modern arcade, using the latest technology in place of the stand-alone games and pinball machines of decades past.
Ten XBox 360, Wii and Playstation 3 video game systems are set up in the corner downtown building for gamers to play together or try the latest game releases in the shop.
“Even though they have the ability to play each other over the Internet connections, nothing really beats the face-to-face communication they have in a place like this,” he said. “It gives them some place to go and congregate and hang out with each other.”
The gaming systems are available for rent on a one-hour basis. Costs vary depending on the number of players on each system.
One of the highlights, and something gamers may not have access to on their home systems, is the “Rock Band” experience. The popular music game series, where players use controllers shaped like guitars, drums and other instruments, is set up on a stage with rock-concert-inspired lighting available.
“It gives the experience of actually being on the stage and actually playing,” Zurawski explained.
Parents are able to control the types of games their children play while at Mainstreet Games. Each minor is required to have a parental consent form which will allow them to select the maturity level of games they wish their child to play. Most of the games run from ages 10 and up ratings.
Zurawski said anything for the new XBox 360 Kinect has been very popular since they opened. With Kinect, no controllers are used. The system reads the player’s body to make movements in the game.
Eventually, Zurawski said, the store will open up for birthday parties and other special events. He said he hopes to work with the police department to have a public service presentation, with those in attendance given free time on the machines.
Mainstreet Games will also buy and trade used video games. As its stock of used games was small at opening, it will be trading for store credit until they develop a selection of games to trade.
“If people have used games, we will give them fair market value for them,” he said.
The business has the capability to clean and fix games for all systems except the Playstation 3. Mainstreet Games also does video game system repair on all current systems.
It also sells model kits and chess games and have a large catalog of collectibles for special order.
And computer repair and sales are offered. Information technology specialist Duane Etienne said he is able to do nearly all types of repair on a variety of computers. The business sells two models of computer — one a base model and another with more features and space.
Etienne also designs and hosts websites out of Mainstreet Games. He said he specializes in e-commerce, or online sales, websites.
Mainstreet Games is open from noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; noon to midnight on Friday; 9 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Hours are expected to change seasonally. The phone number for Mainstreet Games is 373-1100.
