Young people in China and Asia are increasingly abandoning traditional gaming parlors in favor of modern, affordable gaming hotel models.
Zhu Hao, an office worker in his 20s, recently booked a hotel in Shenzhen to relax on the weekend with a few friends. They played games until dawn, ordered food on site, and relaxed with massage services.
“It’s boring to play alone,” Zhu said, adding that he likes to stay at these hotels on weekends because his parents can’t nag or bother him.
Zhu and his friends stayed at Jinnang E-Sports Pan-Entertainment, one of hundreds of hotels in Shenzhen that cater to gamers. The hotel offers dormitory-style rooms with up to five bunk beds, equipped with modern gaming rigs with large screens and comfortable chairs. To keep gamers energized, the hotel has a dining area with a variety of instant noodles and snacks.
Similar niche hotels are springing up across Asia, from Hong Kong to Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, thanks to the boom in gaming culture. There are more than 21,000 of them in China alone, according to research firm Niko Partners. The trend reflects a shift in lifestyle among China’s young people, often referred to as the “lay-down generation,” who prefer to spend their leisure time with friends.
Zhang Zijun, manager of a nearby rival hotel in the Yueta chain, said the younger generation is not really concerned with saving money. They just want a reasonable price and a comfortable space to play games with friends.
Zhang said the target customers of gaming hotels are office workers in their 20s and 30s who are passionate about video games. Zhang’s hotel has a total of 40 rooms, with an average occupancy rate of about 92% and 100% on weekends. Most of the guests are men, but there is also a room with pink walls, chairs and LED lights designed specifically to attract women. The hotel’s public spaces are often empty as guests stay in the room until dawn playing games, with some groups staying for up to eight nights.
“They just stay in the room and order food,” Zhang said, adding that the cleaning staff left the group room with two giant trash bags.
While in the US or Europe, gamers often play online. In Asia, people have a habit of gathering with friends in public places. Gaming hotels have boomed during the Covid-19 period when Internet cafes had to close. After the pandemic, traditional gaming cafes have had a hard time competing because in hotels, the cost of sharing a room for four people costs about $14 per person per night, much cheaper than paying by the hour at the cafe.
To catch up with the trend, many hotels have invested heavily to attract gamers, for example, the E-Blue Esports Hotel in Zhongshan has a modern design with blue LED lights and capsule-style bedrooms that make the space look like something out of a science fiction movie. Each room can accommodate four people, the cost for three nights of playing is about $200 and the facility is almost always full.
Manager Li Wei of this hotel said that not all facilities attract customers because the competition is fierce. Within a 3km radius, he found more than 10 rival hotels and one recently went bankrupt and had to be transferred to another.
Despite strict regulation of video games to combat gaming addiction, China still identifies e-sports as a driving force for economic growth. In August, the game Black Talk: Wukong created a big buzz for the country’s gaming industry. According to a report by CTrip, the gaming accommodation market generated about $2.7 billion in revenue last year.
Fosun International, the group that owns Premier League club Wolverhampton, is also planning to open its own gaming hotel. A representative of the unit said it wants to target young customers – those who love e-sports.
“One of the most effective ways is to combine e-sports, hotels and cultural tourism,” the representative said.
Similarly, in Malaysia, Kevin Wong, CEO of esports organization SEM9, bought a three-star hotel in Johor Bahru and renovated it to accommodate gamers. Immediately after it was advertised, occupancy rates doubled to over 40%. Wong is currently in talks with several other hotels in the country to transform their models to attract gamers.
Korea wins PUBG Mobile world championship for the first time
Strong golfers attend prestigious tournament in Singapore
Medvedev, Zverev win impressively at ATP 500 tournaments
Athlete sets Guinness record by pushing 3 children to run marathon
US Pickleball Federation to introduce yellow cards