Perth's weekly video game bar, Respawn, is relaunching upstairs at The Game Sports Bar in Northbridge.
Founder, Perth DJ and gamer Frank Macri, describes the Friday night club Respawn as 'the only place in Perth dedicated to geeks, gamers, nerds and pop culture fans'.
It started operating out of Joondalup's Boulevard Tavern in 2014 and when that venue closed, moved in 2015 to the upstairs area at The Game.
"It was created as a place for people to go, be themselves and have a good time rather than the usual nightclub space where they might not fit in or enjoy – to just go and have a drink and party without having to deal with the douchebags," Macri says.
After feedback from patrons that the nightclub could be distracting to the gaming, Macri closed temporarily to create two distinct spaces and will relaunch on April 7 with Club Respawn and an arcade bar.
"People can choose they want to do, party, play or both. Even if people aren't massive gamers, they can still have a good time, couples can split up to dance or play," Macri says.
"We do a lot of cosplay tournaments and theme nights with prizes for best dressed, and we give discounts for people who do dress up."
Barcade will feature the gamut of gaming options, including Playstation 4s, Xbox 360s, retro arcade machines, Nintendo 64s with Donkey Kong, as well as free board and card games – think Uno and Cards against Humanity.
It will also now feature a pool table and new cocktail menu stuffed with nerd references, such as the Halo-inspired Master Chief Mojito made with gamer staple Mountain Dew.
Sample party night themes have included MarioKart Traffic Light, Marvel versus DC, Star Wars versus Star Trek, Pokemon, Digimon, Super Smash Bros and Resident Evil.
The 18+ relaunch party is on Friday, April 7 at 8pm. Tickets are $15, or $10 for students – the usual cover charges.
Macri also mentioned the venue welcomes birthday and function bookings and can organise private booths and drink deals.
Visit their Facebook page for the details.
