The road to Reload: Northbourne Avenue just levelled up

Posted on 6 December, 2014

Gamers rejoice! Reload, Canberra’s first ever eSports and video games bar opens today. Not only is it the biggest video games bar in Australia, but it also contains large screens, gaming consoles, pinball machines, arcade games, and high-end PCs; all without the wait time and small spaces that have been a defining feature of other gaming bars throughout Australia.

“We’re fortunate in Canberra to have much more floor space that the others,” say owners Jim Andrews and Ravi Sharma.

“We will ensure that customers get a good chance to play the games on offer rather than be waiting around indefinitely—and we’ll be perfectly set up to screen big eSport events and stream our local tournament action with an in-house shout caster (commentator). No one else in the country is doing this at the moment.”

Both Canberra locals, Ravi and Jim have been heavily involved with the local eSport scene through the Barrack LAN café for years and were never going to consider anywhere else as the location for their bar.

Something of which is lucky for our little city, because eSports look set to hit Australia with a lot of force over the next few years. As Ravi and Jim explain, ‘awareness of eSports is only just now gradually coming to the mainstream’.

“It’s been the preserve of an in-the-know few for the last few years,” they say.

Ravi Sharma is pretty happy with the new digs for Reload Bar and Games – opening today!

“The $1 billion acquisition of Twitch.tv by Amazon.com and the $10 million prize pool at the DOTA 2 International this year have really turned some heads. We think there will be many more eSport oriented businesses opening soon.”

So now for the million dollar question.

Does one need to be familiar with eSports to enjoy hanging out at their bar on a Friday night?

Ravi and Jim are quick to assure that Reload is a bar that will be enjoyed by all, no matter their gaming experience.

“Aside from being a hands-on environment the venue will be a visual spectacle.

“We’re planning to create an atmosphere that will take you into another world the moment you step through the doors. We think that many people will get a kick out of just watching all the action. It will be particularly interesting for those people who may have never really been exposed to eSports and want to see what all the rising global buzz is about.”

They anticipate that it will be PC games such as League of Legends, DOTA 2, Starcraft 2 and Counter Strike that will be draw in the biggest crowds for both viewing and participation. But they’ll also cater to the healthy, local competitive scene for console titles like Smash Bros on the Wii/Wii-U, as well as Street Fighter on the Xbox and Playstation.

Reload officially opens today and they’ll be pulling out all of the stops with dedicated streaming Twitch feeds, system-linked shooters, retro stick fighting, Guitar Hero, Smash Bros, Mario Kart, and of course their video-game themed cocktails—Princess Peach for Nintendo fans,  A Final Fantasy, Miss Fortune, Master Chief, Sonic the Hedgehog, and one for anyone who has lost an Xbox to overheating—the Red Ring of Death.

With the Northbourne nightlife having seen a pretty dramatic slump in the last few years, its not yet lost all its lives. Reload may be just what the city strip needs to revitalise Civic. Even if you don’t know anything about eSports, and are not familiar with the button combos for Street Fighter moves, check it out anyway because you may just find yourself pleasantly surprised (we promise not to tell anyone how much fun you have either rocking out with Guitar Hero!).

The essentials

The place: Reload Bar & Games
Where:  Sydney Building, 36 Northbourne Ave, Civic
When: Open to the public from Saturday 6 December and will be continue to open Sunday to Wednesday, opening hours not yet determined.
Web: www.reloadbar.com.au

Feature image of beer pong arcade courtesy of Shutterstock.