Gaming venues have become increasingly popular over recent years and few as much so as [ALT] Gaming Lounge in Nottingham. We sat down with James Williams, general manager at [ALT] to get some insight in to what makes the venue so attractive to a growing audience and what experience he's gained developing it.
Hi James, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Why don’t you start by telling us a little more about what you do?
James: I'm James, General Manager of [ALT] Gaming Lounge in Nottingham, which is a bar serving great food and drink with gaming as unique hook, from complete n00b to pro esports player we've got everything covered. I probably sit somewhere in the middle of that, unless it's Football Manager. The bar is quite unique as it has a lounge space for casual gaming with food and drink & a 32 station arena with top of the range PC's, PS4 & Xbox Ones.
That’s awesome, how did you end up there?
James: It's basically anamalgamation of my last two jobs, which was running Insomnia Gaming Festival for what was Multiplay & running a very successful bar in the centre of Birmingham. They were going through a fair few issues with the old management and needed a fresh experienced set of eyes on the bar, and well here I am.
Can you tell us a little more about your time before joining Multiplay?
James: I studied Event Management at university, carried out my placement year at Sheffield United Football Club and stayed working there, taking a full time position when I finished. This was more on the catering side than events, but my skills were completely transferable. I then went freelance for a year or so running major events catering such as T in the Park, Six Nations and other festivals/sporting events before ending up at Edgbaston Cricket Stadium, where I quickly learned Cricket Fans drink a lot of beer. I took quite a gamble by leaving there after 4 years with no future prospects lined up, Purecraft Bar & Kitchen was opening in Birmingham and needed someone to run it and it was the perfect fit, until 8 years after gaining my degree in Event Management the job at Multiplay was brought to my attention :)
What sort of players use the bar?
James: All types, from kids wanting to get their fix of Fortnite/Minecraft to adults wanting to roll back time playing Streets of Rage/Halo 3 etc. The Arena is full of players playing all the current major esports titles like League of Legends, Overwatch, CS:GO, PUBG whilst the lounge has over 100 games to choose from; Overcooked, FIFA, Rocket League, Mario Kart are the most popular but some people just come in to enjoy the atmosphere with some great food and some gaming themed cocktails. We also have a very very hardcore appreciation society for Beat Saber on the Vive, with some of the highest scores worldwide being set.
What parts of your job do you most enjoy?
James: When the bar is full and the atmosphere is fantastic, genuinely enjoy the look on people's faces when they realise what they have walked into when they come for the first time. We've recently had teams for Overwatch and League of Legends who have done well so the buzz when they get a win is fantastic. I think also the surprise of customer's when we serve them some food and/or milkshake/cocktails as they don't expect this quality from a gaming bar.
What parts of the job do you find most challenging?
James: Its not as common anymore but when it goes quiet and there are only a few customers in the bar. Updates are also a big pain for us, no major game doesn't have an update at least once a week and these can very from a 25mb to 20gb, which when you've got 20+ PC's to launch them individually on can be a big issue! Stocktaking; no one enjoys that, if they say they do, they're a liar. Finally won't go into too bigger detail on this but occasionally people have a few too many and make a mess in the toilets, someone has to clean/unblock them..
The less glamorous side of the job
What’s your favourite event been that you guys have run?
James: For Multiplay; Every single Insomnia, the feeling when everything you've given blood, sweat and tears for over several months comes together can't be matched. Particular highlights for me were fulfilling my dream when I went to university of running a music festival at i61 and also being the project manager on Leaguefest at i58, an amazing event for over 4000 League of Legends players, featuring one of the best Pro:Am's there has ever been. At the bar; GetRekt for the Destiny community, as a guy with over 2000 hours on Destiny 1, it was great to host an all day/night event for a truly wonderful community, they loved us as well as we put on lots of themed cocktails and food for them across the day/night and the staff all commented how much they enjoyed themselves.
What are your staff like?
James: At the bar; GetRekt for the Destiny community, as a guy with over 2000 hours on Destiny 1, it was great to host an all day/night event for a truly wonderful community, they loved us as well as we put on lots of themed cocktails and food for them across the day/night and the staff all commented how much they enjoyed themselves.Passionate, if you don't enjoy going to work, what's the point? We have a wide ranging span much like the customers with a couple of non-gamers & some really hardcore players, but I think one of the most admirable things is how they all work together to deliver a great service to our customers.
James with the team
What do you do to help yourself develop and what do you do to help your staff develop?
James: I love a spreadsheet, its amazing how you can find information by digging into the detail a little bit further, I also listen to quite a few development podcasts, read a few management advice books & watch TED Talks. Playing games is important too, not just to relax but to also help customers when they're struggling with certain parts & also strike up some conversations. Staff development has always been something I've been passionate about as I've had some great leaders who I've learnt a lot from so I feel it's important to pass it on, this is done by putting extra trust in them to carry out tasks alone, working with them to solve problems and playing to their strengths whilst looking to improve their weaknesses.
Do you see any developments or trends in the future of esports and gaming that will change what you’re doing?
James: Esports isn't going away, it's getting bigger and bigger monthly, I think for the UK scene something based around FIFA is quite important, its the national game and provides an access point for a casual watcher. It's been great to see the London Spitfires & the atmosphere at the ESL:One & CWL events in Birmingham earlier this year was like Champions League nights at Anfield or the roar of the Twickenham crowd behind England. For us; mobile gaming is becoming bigger as technology gets better and better. It's also no denying how big Battle Royale games are going to be for the future, we've recently been taking part in a PUBG national qualifiers and 15 out of the 100 finalists are from ALT , 7 Duo's & one very very good single player.
What career guidance would you offer eighteen year old you?
James: Don't doubt yourself & never ever be afraid to take a risk, if it doesn't pay off you'll learn from it.
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