About Town: The New Social Network

Local Battles Gaming Center  is the place that parents of children who like to game walk into and say, “Why didn’t I think of this?” Think of it as your family room on steroids, except you don’t have to clean up the mess.

Local Battles is the brainchild Samuel Lim who developed the business model as a final project for his entrepreneurial class in Business School.

The concept behind Local Battles is to merge internet cafes with console gaming. Discovering that his model had merit, Lim convinced his sister, Esther Loor, and her husband, Jonathan Loor, to partner with him and make the business a reality. Their combined vision is to move people away from the isolation of sitting alone in front of a computer and create a gaming arcade where people of all ages can gather with like-minded people in a safe environment to play video games, make social connections and create community within the community. Since opening its doors on November 5, membership has grown to include 1,500 members. (Membership is free.)

We’d say business school has paid off.

At Local Battles you won’t find any PC’s—just flat-screen Xbox 360 consoles where kids (from grammar school to graduate school and beyond) can choose from among the shelves of Xbox 360 games and play for a pre-determined amount of time. What a great idea! Rather than going out and buying the popular Xbox 360 games for $50 or more, you can come here to play them with friends and other people who like to game for a fraction of the cost.  

Lim and the Loors knew they wanted to open their business in Fort Lee, and although they looked at available space on Main Street’s business district, they determined that they wanted to be located in a more residential spot in an effort to attract the attention of local foot traffic. When they saw the vacant space next door to on Anderson Ave., they knew they had found their home.

Aside from the foot traffic from Fort Lee School No. 4 and Whitey Lang Park, the often long waits for a table at The Big Red Tomato has captured the attention of both middle-schoolers and their parents. Parents who feel comfortable leaving their middle school aged child alone have sent their ‘tween next door to Local Battles while they wait for a table and enjoy conversation. Some have even enjoyed a quiet date night dinner while their middle schooler has enjoyed gaming next door and eating The Big Red Tomato take-out later at home.

What’s most impressive about Local Battles is that a parent has more control over what game their child is playing than they do if they send their child to a friend’s house. How many eight-year olds have played Mortal Combat because their friend’s older brother or father has the game and the parents aren’t paying attention while the kids are in the family room? At Local Battles parents must sign a consent form authorizing what games they allow their child to play. Games can be limited to rated E (Everyone); E+10 or a parent can give permission for their child to play Teen rated games. Every time your child chooses an Xbox 360 game to play, the staff will check the parental consent form to make sure they have permission to play that particular game.

Sam, Esther and Jon strive to create a neighborhood atmosphere and are a strong presence within the site. Sam is the manager and is always present on site. Esther is an elementary school teacher, which is evident in how welcoming she is, especially toward the younger children who come in. However, after spending a considerable amount of time with her, we’re confident that she has that firm but fair teacher tone she can pull out of her pocket on a moment’s notice if she needs someone to snap to attention.

Esther told us that each time of day draws a different crowd to Local Battles. The hours after school until dinnertime attract the middle school crowd. Early evening draws a high school crowd, and evening brings in the college/young adult crowd. Weekend afternoons are growing in popularity as a time for fathers and their young sons to come in and enjoy some fun time together.  

One of the main attractions at Local Battles is their monthly Salty Battle tournaments. The tournaments were initiated to build a community within the gaming community. The tournaments, designed for older players, are centered on Teen Rated Marvel fighting games such as Super Street Fighter. Assisting the Local Battles team with hosting these tournaments is Chris “Phire” Scott who runs Chocolate Lemon, a gaming-related content site. The tournaments are also streamed live onto the internet by Axel, developer of 8WayRun.com.

Gamers from all over New Jersey and New York come to these tournaments, something that was evident the evening we visited. The next Salty Battle tournament is scheduled for July 22. Local Battles also hosts sports game tournaments such as their most recent NBA 2K11 tournament.

It’s hard not to be impressed by Local Battles. The atmosphere is positively charged, and there is a strong sense of community. But don’t take our word for it. Take it from an eight-year old who accompanied us and gave the following review:

“The most awesome place I’ve ever been in my life. I’m definitely coming back with my friends and having my birthday party here.”

‘Nuf said.

Local Battles offers a number of packages to choose from:

• $4 for one hour of play
• $10 for 3 hours of play
• $20 for 7 hours of play
• Midnight Club: $5 from 12 a.m. – 3 a.m.

Don’t worry about feeding your hungry gamer—there’s a concession stand where snacks, microwavable food and soft drinks are available.

Local Battles also hosts birthday parties and private events. They’re also offering a four-week summer camp program for children ages 7 to 12. Esther has developed the curriculum for the camp to extend the camper’s reading, writing, math and technology skills. Each week focuses on a different subject area designed to enhance a particular skill:

RESEARCH AND READING: focuses on cultivating non-fiction reading skills and learning research skills.

TECHNOLOGY: learn how to use video streaming technology.

CREATIVE WRITING: explore and write your own narrative piece incorporating video game elements.

MATH: get some good ole’ basic skills practice along with developing critical thinking skills.

Local Battles is open Monday through Friday 3 p.m.-3 a.m.; Saturday 1 p.m. – 3 a.m.; and Sunday 1 p.m – 12 a.m.

You can follow Local Battles on Facebook and Twitter.

Local Battles is located at 1207 Anderson Avenue, Fort Lee. 201-820-4100.