Many gamers are often confined to the four walls of their room with minimal social interaction with other players except through a screen.
Guildhouse, a lounge and event venue in downtown San Jose is changing this stereotype by becoming a safe haven for gamers to meet and have fun.
Kevin Wick, Guildhouse founder, had a vision of bringing gamers together.
“The inspiration for Guildhouse was my time as an entrepreneurship major from 2008 to 2014 at San Jose State,” Wick said. “I had a really great experience in the dorms, my friends would bring their PC rigs over and set them up in my dorm.”
He said he wanted to replicate the experience he and his friends would have during local area network parties.
Local area network gameplay includes two or more players playing the same game through the internet.
Wick said the opening of Guildhouse was a long and tumultuous road. He obtained the venue in October 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed its opening.
Guildhouse opened its doors in August 2021 and gamers from all around the Bay Area flocked to see the new lounge.
Wick said the venue will often host San Jose State’s esports teams and practices and Friday socials for the Spartan Gaming Club.
“I have been there a lot, it is a fun, clean, safe place and the staff is nice,” said Baine Loughran, SJSU justice studies junior. “It is a few minutes walk from campus. I hope they get more business.”
Aside from Friday night socials, Guildhouse also hosts private parties, LAN tournaments for games including Halo and League Of Legends, and even a corn hole tournament from time to time according to Guildhouse’s website.
What separates Guildhouse from other lounges is the size of the place. It houses more than 20 PC rigs for customers to rent. There are also TV stations for people to rent console games, ranging from Super Nintendo to the Xbox One X.
There is also a VIP lounge upstairs for gamers who want to have a private party.
The bar inside offers a unique menu with drinks named after video game characters or sayings including the “Johnny Silverhand” (Keanu Reeves’ character in the 2020 video game Cyberpunk 2077) and the “Mana Potion.” A mana potion is a reference to numerous RPGs including Final Fantasy and World Of Warcraft that helps restore the players’ powers.
Guildhouse also hosts “Tap Takeovers” on weekends where local breweries showcase their products according to the business’ Instagram profile.
Wick said an upcoming change to the venue will be a side parlor-like room that will act as an extension of the lounge and will house even more PC rigs.
Another major event Guildhouse holds is a weekly Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament. Gamers of all ages come and duke it out every Wednesday to see who’s the best player.
“It is awesome to come out here on a weekly basis and see people in the Smash community playing in-person again,” Kelsey Glenn, a commentator for the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments said. “When COVID-19 hit, we lost our home to host Smash tournaments. The owners and staff here at Guildhouse have been really forthcoming about their desire to welcome the Smash community.”
As for the future of Guildhouse, Wick sees the place becoming a hub for socialization, e-sports, and athletics.
“I'm calling it an e-sports athletic and social club. People understand bars and restaurants, they understand video games, but they wouldn't understand like a social club based around video games or a place where you would go train in e-sports to go on and play in bigger competitions,” Wick said. “And I see us as the middle ground between the amateur level and professional level in the future.”
