New center offers network gaming in Cary

If there's one thing cooler than gaming at home with an ultrapowerful console and home theater setup, it's gaming away from home with an even more powerful console and home theater setup.

That's the philosophy at Cary's new-school gaming arcade, RUaGamer LAN Gaming Center. Following its grand opening a couple of weeks ago, RUaGamer is already attracting a diverse clientele of hard-core gamer types, families, couples on date nights and, of course, hordes of game-savvy teenagers. Arcades and teens, after all, have gone hand-in-hand since the days of pinball and pool.

LAN, by the way, stands for Local Area Network, a system that essentially allows multiple players to participate in the same game using separate PC or console stations.

That's the big draw in a place like this - show up with a few of your buddies, or even a dozen, and play cooperative or competitive team-based games. Instead of standalone arcade video games, LAN centers offer home videogame platforms - consoles and PCs, chiefly.

Such gaming centers have been around in various incarnations for years, but it's only recently that the technology, and the potential customer base, have caught up with the concept.

At $6 per hour, RUaGamer is a relative bargain compared to the other outfits that pass as arcades these days.

Local kid-friendly places such as Chuck E. Cheese, Adventure Landing or Frankie's Fun Park offer standalone arcade games that can cost as much as $2 per game. You can drop $40 in these places before the door swings shut behind you.

Owner Jeff Torello has created an alternative gamer destination with RUaGamer.

With 32 Xbox 360 stations, 20 networked PC stations and a 100-inch projection screen for Wii games, RUaGamer is an impressive foray into next-generation arcade thinking. And that's not even counting the performance stage, complete with scaffold lighting and a 120-inch projection screen, designed for full "Rock Band" or "Guitar Hero" action.

Torello has all his gamer geek credentials in order. A former engineer for Intel, Torello saw an opportunity in the gaming center market and grabbed it.

"I've been in the industry for 15 years and have seen other LAN gaming centers around the country," he says. "The concept for an advanced version of one has been rolling around in my head for a while."

At a recent open house, Torello's vision came to life for the first time as hundreds of visitors joined up in one big happy beta test.

Quite a sight, actually.

The 4,000-square-foot facility was filled with players digging into dozens of games. Onscreen, two 'roided out urban gladiators duked it out in the latest "Street Fighter." A paladin battled a rampaging bear in "Dragon Age." Racers squared off - in force-feedback rumble chairs and lap-mounted steering consoles - on the European circuit tracks of "Forza Motorsport 3." Over in one corner, the Pistons played the Heat on "NBA 10." In another, a staff member was - oddly, serenely - fishing. Virtually, of course.

RUaGamer requires parental release forms for players under 18, and has a strict zero-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol.

The facility is supervised by adults, and parents can choose which games they want to block for their children upon signing up. For instance, parents can restrict the player's account to only E-rated or T-rated games. (These game ratings are similar to the MPAA ratings for U.S. films).

"I would like to have a successful business where people have fun," Torello says. "A place for teens or college students or adults looking for something inexpensive to do after shopping or dinner.

"Everybody can play games at home, but no one can play it right now, around here, in a social club-like atmosphere."

RUaGamer has a break area for parents, with TV and an Internet-enabled PC. The snack counter offers soft drinks, coffee and the usual variety of gamer grub chips, candy and the inevitable assortment of energy drinks.

The hours are noon to midnight Sunday through Thursday, and noon-to-whenever on weekends. Torello says as long as gamers want to keep playing, he'll keep the doors open.

Down the line, Torello hopes to expand his game center in several directions.

"We're looking at having new-release showcase parties where players can try out games before they hit stores." he says. "We're also planning lock-in tournaments where groups of gamers compete with each other in multi-hour marathons, sometimes against groups at other gaming centers."

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