Internet Cafe Simulator

Pros

• Fast load times
• A great way to learn about tech business
• Customizable security features

Cons

• No low-power mode yet
• No online gameplay. It would be nice to network with other net cafes. Maybe allow character creation with your own interests and budget, then have your character show up as a customer for others.
• Basic assets. Hopefully as the devs patch in more content or add DLC, we'll have a lot more furniture, computer components, and even customer types.

What Kind of Game is Internet Cafe Simulator?

Internet Cafe Simulator is a business management simulator (business sim) where you manage a net cafe and interact with customers.

The core concept is simple: charge money for internet access, then try to get a bit more money from additional services. There are arcade machines, bitcoin miners, unique furniture options, and even gaming computers.

You start out with a few thousand dollars to create make your business thrive. It's up to you to create prices and manage your extra goodies for greater sales.

This game is hilarious. It needs more polish to compare with other meme sims like Goat Simulator or Untitled Duck Game, but the potential is there.

You're managing an internet cafe, which is still a thing in some countries. There isn't much of a point to them in small towns in the West or areas where computer access is easy, but they're great for big cities without a lot of privacy.

What Are Internet Cafes, Anyway?

Depending on your age and country, internet cafes are either not as necessary or a weird thing of the past.

As you can see in this game, a net cafe is like a lounge with booths or table dividers for people to use computers. They're usually restricted to just allowing web access with no downloading or installing--obviously, some people try to hack.

Smartphones and mobile devices make it easier to access the internet. Before mobile devices took over, playing games and checking the web at a net cafe was a natural way for nerds to connect--though a lot still stuck to themselves.

Sometimes you need a bigger screen, or you might be traveling and you want to let your phone charge while checking the web. Even better, you can use a computer without hurting your neck by staring down at a phone--assuming your computer chair posture is good!

Finding Net Cafe Strategies

If you've never been to a net cafe and want to run a business closer to what works in real life, there are a few modern internet cafe countries and cultures to consider.

Japan and Korea still have decent internet cafes to consider. In Japan, internet cafes have gone beyond just internet use and socializing; a cost of living and employment crisis has turned net cafes into motel-like homeless shelters.

Setting an internet access fee is just the beginning. Depending on how future patches of Internet Cafe Simulator happen, you may want to look for amenities and augments that make internet cafes viable beyond just selling internet access.

Here are a few extra sales to keep an eye on for the future:

• Vending machines
• Coffee shops
• Snack shops
• Bakeries
• Compact chain restaurants
• Paid showers
• Paid storage
• Small electronics sales (USB drives, SD cards, etc)

Suggestions to the Devs

More interests and more stuff!

With any business simulator--especially with a storefront simulator--having more items to use, manage, and sell is always great for replay value.

Visitors could be generated with predetermined wants and needs related to an internet cafe. Maybe they need to use the bathroom and won't stay online long if they need to go elsewhere, and having bathrooms to maintain can keep your cafe comfy.

Some people may want specific snacks, and those snacks should have expiration dates! Following purchase trends and stocking up on what people want versus taking a risk on new or unique products should be in any customer-facing business simulator.

What about specific types of internet access? Maybe you could risk turning a blind eye to people who want to do shady business on the net by either selling VPN access or accepting payments to ignore their activities.

That could come with a penalty. A regular customer could be arrested. At the very least, you'd lose their regular visitor income. More severely, you could suffer a fine, temporarily lose internet access if it's severe enough, or suffer legal penalties.

Maintaining security to fight against bullies or rowdy customers could be an investment as well. Throw in potential thieves with a chance to be caught as well.

Making money should be harder in-game.

The core of any store simulator is to continue making money and continue investing for success. After a while, large sums of money stop mattering since it's not real life money that you can make real life purchases with.

Instead, make it harder to make money. It can be hard to decide on starting rent/lease costs, so consider approaching the issue by using specific city averages and baking that into the game concept.

How? Allow more starting cities! Using Japanaese areas such as Akihabara, Sendai, Hachinohe, or Kitamae will give you some current rates. After that, choose major cities in your home country and the countries of game buyers or reviewers (hi!) for inspiration.

To stretch this out into DLC or future release format, start with major cities only. Tokyo, Seoul, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Beijing, Lagos, Mumbai, Moscow, Hong Kong, and Melbourne are good choices.

Want an iconic net cafe city in an area that still has internet cafes? Choose Yokohama, which has a relaxing series called Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou about an android-powered quiet country cafe.

The crossover and collaboration opportunities are endless, and allowing easy modding for personalized internet cafe memes are right there. Especially if you can tie in VR support to play VR Chat in your internet cafe.

Internet Cafe Simulator has a lot of potentially and is based on a really good concept. It just needs more items to interact with and more economic challenge.

Keep an eye on this game, because a few simple patches--nothing more but database entries and maybe a few item skins--can make this a sleeper hit.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Fast load times
• A great way to learn about tech business
• Customizable security features

Cons

• No low-power mode yet
• No online gameplay. It would be nice to network with other net cafes. Maybe allow character creation with your own interests and budget, then have your character show up as a customer for others.
• Basic assets. Hopefully as the devs patch in more content or add DLC, we'll have a lot more furniture, computer components, and even customer types.