I manage purchasing for a small entertainment venue group—roughly $120K a year, or maybe $130K once you count shipping and replacements. Most of that budget goes to Ice Games, not because every product is the flashiest option, but because they can deliver a full room: arcade cabinets, pool tables, table tennis, board games, and card decks. Over the last four years, I have made enough buying mistakes to fill a small warehouse.
The biggest mistake? I assumed the most impressive machine would always be the biggest draw. A $12,000 simulator sat idle while an $1,800 air hockey table had a line every night. Since then, I start with the question 'what kind of venue are you, really?' There is no universal answer. The right setup depends on your space, your customers, and how much maintenance you can actually handle.
There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Game Room
Before you order anything, put your venue into one of four categories:
- Traditional arcade or family entertainment center
- Bar or restaurant
- Office or mixed-use space
- Amusement park or seasonal attraction
If you are not sure which category fits, the last section walks you through it.
Scenario 1: Traditional Arcade or FEC
If your floor is mostly games, revenue per square foot is the number that matters. I used to think premium machines were the safest investment. My experience says exactly the opposite: availability is the draw. A machine that is down for repairs does not make money.
When we bought our first batch of ice games arcade equipment, I spent too much time on button layouts and not enough on service access. Open the back panel before you order. Ask how long parts take to arrive. Check whether the coin mechanism is standard. Those questions have saved us more money than any purchase discount.
In hindsight, I also should have planned more walking space. People will not line up for a game if they feel cramped. Two mid-priced games that are easy to maintain usually out-earn one glossy simulator that the technician has to visit every other week.
Scenario 2: Bar or Restaurant
Bars and restaurants have a completely different set of constraints. Limited floor space, customers who are holding drinks, and a vibe that depends on people talking to each other.
I used to recommend a pool table as a default. Now I recommend it only if you have at least 10-12 feet of clear space beyond the table. A 7-foot table is the right size for most bars; a full 9-foot tournament table belongs in a dedicated pool hall. If the space is tight, the table becomes a wall decoration.
What earns its space in a small bar: a sturdy multi-game table, two or three classic arcade cabinets, and a shelf of card games. The garbage card game is a favorite in our venues. In the version we use, players set out a row of ten cards and try to fill positions Ace through 10 by drawing and discarding. It looks confusing on paper, but people pick it up in one round and end up playing four or five rounds in half an hour. That is exactly the kind of social time a bar wants.
Board games work too. The Ice board games line is wider than people expect—strategy games, party games, and titles that fit on a small table. We put a shelf near the bar with about ten options, and the bartenders get asked about it every night.
Scenario 3: Office or Mixed-Use Space
This is where I give advice that sounds backwards: don't lead with competitive video games. Our first corporate game room had a racing simulator, a fighting game, and a full bar. People used it for a week. After that, the expensive electronics became decorations. The games that survived were the ones that let people talk while they played.
If you have room, a table tennis table is a strong centerpiece. Buy one that meets official dimensions—2.74m long, 1.525m wide, 76cm high. The ITTF sets that standard, and if you buy something noticeably smaller, it feels like a toy.
Board games are the real workhorses in an office. Keep a mix of fifteen to twenty titles, from brain-burners to twenty-minute party games. Put them where people can see them, not in a drawer. Stock a few standard card decks too. If you have ever searched 'how do you play sevens card game' before a game night, you know why: sevens spreads fast once one person gets it.
When we signed the corporate client, we had two weeks to get the room live. Normally I would compare three vendors, but there was no time, so we went with our regular supplier. It worked, but I should have pushed back on the timeline. Rushed buying creates blind spots.
Scenario 4: Amusement Parks and Seasonal Venues
If you operate a high-volume park, your equipment has a different stress profile. In a place like Carowinds amusement park, one holiday weekend can generate more plays than a neighborhood bar gets in a year. Durability is not optional.
Ask about the build of the control panels, the strength of the play surfaces, and how screens and printers behave in heat. If a machine is rated for indoor use only, do not put it under a pavilion that gets damp at night. In hindsight, I should have checked humidity ratings on some of our older units before placing them near a pool area.
Do not assume the most expensive version is the best for a park. Sometimes a simple, sturdy game becomes the reliable moneymaker while a complicated simulation eats technician hours. I want to say the warranty on our Ice Games units was two years, but don't quote me on that—the paperwork is in a drawer somewhere.
How Do You Play Sevens Card Game?
Since sevens keeps coming up in offices and bars, here is the short version I use.
- Use one standard 52-card deck. It works best with 3-5 players.
- Deal the whole deck out as evenly as possible. You can look at your cards.
- The player to the dealer's left starts by playing a 7. If they do not have one, pass to the next player until someone can play a 7. That 7 starts a pile.
- On each turn, play either a 7 to start a new pile, or a card next to an existing pile in the same suit. For example, if the 7 of hearts is out, you can play the 6 or 8 of hearts. Then players keep working outward from there.
- If you cannot play, you pass.
- The first person to run out of cards wins.
That is the whole game. People assume sevens is complicated because several piles are running at once. In practice, it is mostly a patience game with a competitive ending.
How to Decide Which Scenario You Are In
Walk through your venue and ask three questions.
First, does the game itself need to make money? If yes, you are closer to Scenario 1 or 4. Treat the equipment as an asset: research repair availability, planned downtime, and expected lifetime.
Second, is the game there to keep people sitting and ordering? If yes, you are in Scenario 2. The star is your beverage turnover, not the machine, so favor games that are easy to start and easy to stop.
Third, is the game there to help people connect? If yes, you are in Scenario 3. Social games and co-op options often beat pure competition.
If you sit somewhere in between, that is normal. Most venues I deal with are mid-sized; if you are running a 100,000-square-foot entertainment complex, your maintenance operation is a different animal.
The right lineup is the one that fits your space, your customers, and your maintenance plan.
If a supplier says there is one perfect model for everyone, treat that as a warning sign. Our current mix is roughly five arcade units, two pool tables, one table tennis table, a shelf of board games, and a drawer full of card decks. I expect it will change next year—it always does.
