PlayStation rental houses boom in Jakarta

PlayStation rental houses boom in Jakarta

By Hera Diani

JAKARTA (JP): The economic meltdown, which is yet to
completely recover, has had its good side. It has at least
inspired people from all walks of life to think about different
ways to make ends meet in order to weather the economic struggle.

In the early days of the crisis, which started in mid-1997,
many Jakartans, including movie stars, singers and those who had
just lost their jobs, risked investing in the street cafe
business, which has since lost its appeal.

Over the past few months, the capital has witnessed a new
business trend which has been mushrooming rapidly at places near
schools, university campuses and housing complexes.

The local entrepreneurs call them "Play Station Rental". And
yes, they are all in English.

The businesses offer PlayStation enthusiasts a chance to play
a wide range of games on the provided television sets and
PlayStation players for between Rp 2,500 (30 U.S. cents) and Rp
4,500 per hour.

One can see a flock of the game centers, for example, near the
Gunadarma University and along several alleys off Jl. Akses UI
Raya in the Kelapa Dua area in the southern part of the city.

"It's a profitable business," Sari, the owner of the Gamezone
game center located on the site, told The Jakarta Post early this
week.

The number of places in the area running this type of business
totals more than 20.

A similar sight can be seen near a university campus in the
Kemanggisan area of West Jakarta.

People residing in housing complexes in the capital can now
see at least one newly opened PlayStation game center in their
neighborhood.

The capital one needs to run the Japanese electronic game
rental outlet depends on the targeted monthly earning. With a
four-meter-by-four-meter space, carpeting or a set of cheap
chairs, four PlayStation players, which cost about Rp 1 million
each, four televisions at about Rp 3 million each for a 20-inch
set, and about 300 CD games at Rp 5,000 each for pirated
versions, one can make some Rp 3 million a month.

A person does not need a permit to run the business, nor pay
any taxes.

Operational expenses include electricity, wages for an
assistant and repairs for game sticks or players if they break
down.

Most PlayStation game centers are packed with teenagers,
particularly on weekends. Hands are busy on the sticks and eyes
are fixed on the screen as they play the popular virtual games of
various action and sports situations.

Games such as Tekken, Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo, Sensible
Soccer and Metal Gear Solid have become the most favorite games
available and many rental operators must have several copies on
hand to please their customers.

Sari and her husband, a company employee, modified their five-
meter-by-six-meter garage to run their new business, which was
the first in the area, two years ago with a Rp 35 million budget.

The capital was used to purchase 10 20-inch TV sets, 10
PlayStation players, complete with sticks, plus some 700 CD
games.

Setting the rental price at Rp 2,500 per hour and open for 24
hours, the business in the family's garage grew rapidly with an
average income of Rp 400,000 per day.

Although Sari's Gamezone is still the most popular PlayStation
game center in the area, the growing number of new competitors
has affected her daily revenue.

"We now get about Rp 150,000 a day as there has been so many
new competitors around here and people have their own
PlayStations at home," Sari said loudly over the noise of games
being played in the garage, which has been painted in blue.

Some other operators, including students of nearby Gunadarma
University, have rented houses for about Rp 5 million to Rp 9
million a year from locals to run their business.

Student Yulius Riza, for example, and one of his friends
pooled their money to invest in a business in the area. In
September last year, they opened their BUM PlayStation game
center with nine player sets.

"Within a span of five months, we have gotten our money back,"
he said.

By charging customers at Rp 3,000 per hour during the day and
Rp 2,500 at night, the two students can earn between Rp 150,000
and Rp 270,000 a day.

The main target of the new business is quite clear: Gunadarma
students, who spend an average of three hours playing the games.

"Sometimes they can play up to five hours at a time," Yulius
said.

Febry, a freshman at Gunadarma who also owns a PlayStation
player at home, acknowledged playing games at the game outlet
almost every day.

"I come here to spend one to two hours during my break between
classes," he said.

For high school students, the games often become a sort of
addiction.

Fahrian, Lani and Akbar, students from SMP 111 Junior High
School in Kemanggisan, West Jakarta, said they often stopped by
the nearby Tekken PlayStation game center after school at about 5
p.m.

"But only for two hours at the most," Lani, who also owns a
PlayStation at home, said on Wednesday.

"It's more fun to play together with friends," he said,
pointing to Fahrian and Akbar.

Gunawan, the owner of the outlet, said that parents often came
to pick up their sons who had played for hours.

"Sometimes teenage boys play up to five hours," he said,
adding that he charged Rp 4,500 for the first hour and Rp 4,000
for each hour afterwards.

Gunawan, a bank employee who started his business one and a
half months ago with Rp 33 million to buy eight players and TV
sets, hoped that he would break even within seven months.

He spent another Rp 12 million to rent the five-meter-by-six-
meter space near the SMP 111 and Bina Nusantara University for
the year.

Currently, he makes at least Rp 150,000 per day.

A similar outlet called PlayStation Rental is located near
Gunawan's.

Here, some parents were seen picking up their sons.

"College students and adults often come here too, especially
on weekends," said Jack, an employee of the outlet which has five
game players.

"We earn about Rp 100,000 a day," he said.