ESC Games has developed a new avenue of group entertainment.
The New York City-based company has opened a multiplayer video game theater in New Jersey's largest shopping mall, the Westfield Garden State Plaza. The ESC Game Theater allows up to 30 people to compete against each other—individually or in teams—using handheld touchscreen controllers and a movie theater-size screen. A live host provides instructions and commentary.
Video game tournaments, like those held by Electronic Sports World Cup and Major League Gaming, can draw thousands of visitors, and ESC Games hasn’t wasted time in organizing its own competition. The theater's inaugural tournament, the Robot Basketball Season 1 Championship, will be held on December 17.
Gamers or anyone else curious about this new attraction can visit the theater three days a week. It's open Thursday and Friday 4pm-9pm and Saturday 2pm-9pm. Tickets are $5 per game session, which usually lasts 10 minutes.
