Thirty-eight-year-old Ajit Thapa, who has been an avid gamer for the past 10 years, comes to Amol Cyber Café regularly. “I remain busy with work and family responsibilities, but I somehow manage to find some time for gaming every week. It helps me unwind and de-stress myself,” he says. He also won a virtual FIFA tournament six years back.
Majority of the gamers in the Café are boys in their late teens, but the age of the regular gamers ranges from as young as eight years to individuals in their early forties. Female gamers are pretty rare.
“Many people, especially parents, don’t approve of computer gaming, citing it to be too addictive. But it’s not entirely right. Playing computer games all the time might of course have bad effects, but when played moderately, gaming helps increase focus on things,” states Ram Krishna Magar, owner of the Café.
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Prashant Dev, a BSc CSIT student at Islington College, seconds Magar’s claim. “Games not only improve creativity, it also enhances our concentration. In fact, gaming is what made my base in the IT sector,” he says. Although he mostly plays computer games to pass his time, he disagrees with the ‘popular’ opinion that playing games hampers one’s studies. “It’s totally up to you to balance your time between playing games and studying or doing other necessary things,” he says.
The cyber only provides multiplayer gaming facility with games like DOTA 2 and Counter Strike.
“DOTA is a strategic game. You need your plans and work according to it,” says Maheshwor Simkhada, a regular gamer at the cyber. He has been playing computer games since his childhood.
“This cyber provides a competitive environment for all of us gamers, and majority of gamers here are really brainy, too,” says Ankit Thapa, who considers himself a game geek. He also assists young gamers, often guiding them through the required tricks to play the strategic games.
Many gamers are selected to represent the gaming center in various gaming competitions in the Valley, too.
Visitors at Amol Cyber Café point out its computers, fast Internet connection, impressive power back-up facility, and relatively cheaper rate as the main reasons for its popularity. Owner Magar proudly shares that all the 40 computers in his gaming center barely go empty from seven in the morning till nine in the evening.
“Besides, I understand my responsibility, too. I don’t allow schoolchildren in uniform to enter here. I don’t let them in during school hours either, even if they aren’t in uniforms. Smoking is strictly prohibited here as well,” says Magar, citing these as some of the reasons why the neighborhood has no qualms about his gaming center.
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