A new social place for gamers is coming soon to Lexington. A local business called Fusion Gallery is opening itself up as a LAN, or local area network cafe early next year. 

LAN cafes have become quite the cultural phenomenon as they provide a place for friends to come together and play video games with each other. It also provides them with systems more than capable of running any game they would want to play, which is a large problem many PC gamers face.

Not owning a state of the art computer can sometimes mean you can’t play certain games that could be harder on the computer, and buying a state of the art gaming computer can cost upwards of $2,000. Therefore, many people that can’t find the money laying around to get a super computer use LAN cafes instead. 

The basic premise of the LAN cafe is to provide the player with state of the art hardware and a fast internet connection and the player rents out a computer for however long they want to play. 

This phenomenon has yet to see much success in the U.S. mostly because gamers in the states are so accustomed to staying home and playing on their own system. Fusion’s LAN cafe will give Lexington’s gaming community a place to thrive. It also creates a social experience and a certain comradery that staying home and playing Xbox can’t provide. 

Fusion Gallery just finished the beta test of its LAN cafe and is now ready to put it into action. Per owner Chris Carr, they are going to be closing their current location and opening a new one in a better, more central location. 

Carr also says that he plans for the cafe to be open reasonable hours, closing around 11 p.m. or midnight once they reopen. They will also have a place for all gamers whether they be PC, Xbox, or PlayStation users. 

Playing on the consoles and PCs at Fusion will cost gamers $5 an hour or $15 for an all-day pass.

Once opened, Fusion LAN hopes to offer Lexington’s gaming community a central hub to gather, and could potentially facilitate the emergence of eSports in the bluegrass.