Venatious in Capitola Mall has the BIGGEST Games in the County

By Brad Kava 

Venatious sounds like what it is. A video game that makes you voracious for action in a gaming arcade on steroids.

The Latin word means desire to game.

For a gamer brought up on machines that cost a quarter and featured the likes of Ms. Pac Man, walking into this darkened store in the Capitola Mall is like the difference between a Little League Field and the Oakland Coliseum.

The 10 screens are 63-inch Plasma TVs in front of cushy couches and Schwarzenegger-stuffed arm chairs. There are candy and energy drinks, like at a movie theater. The games are mostly action, but feature everything sold in any store, from Mortal Combat to Minecraft. It even has the Sims and the Guitar Hero games.

So why pay to play games you could play at home in the store?

"For one, they are bigger," says manager Mike Lenchik, 21. "You also get the whole social thing here. You can play against other people here or with other people. People come with friends and you yell and cheer with each other."

On Friday (7-10 p.m.) and Saturday (6-9 p.m.)  the store stays open later than the rest of the Mall and it becomes gamer party central. Pizza and three hours of gaming go for $25 those nights. The rest of the time, games are $12 for the first hour; $3 for the second hour and $5 for every hour after. 

Fridays and Saturdays and Sunday mornings are their busiest times. And, yes, the players are about 80 percent boys. Their current favorite games are Black Ops 2, Legal Legends, Halo 4 and FIFA. Girls' favorites are Minecraft, Sims, Guitar Hero and the zombie killer game, Left for Dead. 

The store's been in business for three years, although several people interviewed thought it was new. Although near the center of the Mall, it is dark inside and apparently easy to miss. 

Lenchik, the manager, said the owner is also low-key about the store. He has another job and doesn't want them to know he owns it, he said. 

He built it with the intention of franchising the operation, but so far this is the only store like it anywhere.

What do you gamers think of Venatious?