Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Taiwanese Internet Cafes see ligth at the end of the tunnel

DigiTimes had a story about possible revival of Taiwanese online game industry. According to the article, Internet cafes in Taiwan have had troubled time for past few years. Regulations and home electronics have eaten the markets. Now there is a chance for growth again. New online games are bound to increase the demand for Internet cafes, because it is more fun to play games with friends than alone at home.

To my personal understanding, regulations that prevent opening a cafĂ© near school seriously hamper the business because without good location user amounts drop remarkably and profitability takes a deep dive. On the other hand, I don’t believe that home electronics play especially big role in the demise of the Internet cafes. Chinese family environment can be quite pressuring for kids of all ages and therefore it is natural that they benefit from Internet cafes as they can have their personal space there. Just like the DigiTimes article said. It is more fun to play games with friends (outside home).

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