#InspirationFriday: Beta Beta Bar

Look I’ll be upfront about this, I’ve worked on some promotional stuff for the people behind Beta Beta Bar. I even made a crowdfunding video for the actual Beta Bar, but I didn’t want Inspiration Fridays to become a platform for promotion or unwarranted praise. It is a place to showcase some of the work that is done around the world, express a message from it, or simply inspire.

So this comes (purposely) nearly a month after the closure of their crowdfunding campaign so we can explain independently from the pledges how this should be an inspiration for people out there.

Beta Bar, or as it currently stands Beta Beta Bar is not a unique concept. This is not in relation to a “gaming bar” but more the reasoning why it has formed. The previous carnation of a gaming bar in Melbourne was Manabar. The problem was that it wasn’t maintained as heavily compared to the other Manabar located in Brisbane. This isn’t an uncommon failure for many businesses. They reach a certain point where they are ready to expand, but then there’s always the first location and the “secondary”, which just happens to take the backseat on most decisions.

So after a long dwindling interest in the bar, the Melbourne Manabar closed. But many of the patrons were disappointed, and so too were the co-founders of Beta Bar. During the weeks that passed after the closure, work began on creating a new gamin environment which was ready for the 21st century (opposed to the Manabar).

This is what I think is the crux of this inspiration is the application of such a visual propelled concept. Applying your idea to the scenario that best suits.

I went to the Melbourne Manabar, and admittedly I am not a gamer, but I definitely did not feel I should be there. The setup wasn’t functional especially when the idea of both gaming and a bar is to evoke socialising. Beta Bar however, (and I am trying to keep this at a minimal promotion) is very well thought out. It isn’t accountants saying, “more games equals more money” but rather, “better social experiences will mean more fun”.

And it’s weird to think of a gaming bar as a concept until you actually go to one. Your first initial idea is of stereotypical gamers, who speak another language and will alienate you. But you go and it’s almost like going out to experience game nights at home (if that made any sense). Yet this is not the experience you should be feeling. Which again raises the point of Beta Bar that has this excellent layout that allows non-gamers, and experienced gamers to come together and enjoy the night out.

Which touches on the most important point, again, being that you need to cater to your audience by being functional. So just think for your next project that requires a certain level of interaction by an audience “how functional is this?” and “are there better ways to get results that are practical?”