Video games and the latest gear – check! An extensive food and alcohol menu – check! Blazing club music to play to – check! An all-around great place for wicked good fun – Crazy Giant Check!
That’s what you get in the newly opened Imperium E-sports Bar and Video Game Lounge!
Tron inspired interiors in Imperium
What’s e-sports, you say? E-sports is the all-encompassing term for competitive video gaming. But according to owner Raphael Gancayco, it represents much more. E-sports is the idea that competitive video gaming can be as real a sport as basketball, or football or any Olympic event.
Raphael is a passionate gamer who’s been immersed in the world of modern competitive video gaming in the US. He told us that a League of Legends tournament was held in the Staples Center! And that some countries even have classes for gaming! Other countries consider some video games as official sports. And this is what Raphael wants to bring to the Philippines – the recognition of video gaming as a sport. He believes that Filipinos can make a huge impact on the global level, and he wants to help achieve this dream by providing a venue where the Philippine gaming community can come and hone their craft.
The Controller is to a Gamer, what a Club is to a Golfer.
And so Imperium was born! The first e-sports bar in the Philippines! Imperium is the ultimate gaming scene! Visitors get to use the latest gaming equipment and then some.
1) They’ve already got the recently released PS4, Xbox One and Wii U set up at the bar counter. They also have 4 PS3s and 3 Xbox 360s at their lounge area. You can enjoy the PS4 and XBox One for only P120/hr/console and the Wii U, PS3 and XBox360 for P100/hr/console. Some of the games I saw/remember were:
- Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3
- NBA 2K14
- FIFA 14
- Injustice: Gods Among Us – Ultimate Edition
- Tekken Tag Tournament 2
- Call of Duty: Ghosts
- Street Fighter x Tekken
- Super Street Fighter 4
- Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
- Probably a whole lot more.:)
Check out their sweet console set up at the bar!
Get comfy and play with friends at the lounge area!
Play on your own or with others, Imperium's got the facility for you.
3) Watch the latest e-tournaments via LCD projector, or any of the 11 flat screen monitors. And if you want to watch a game the owner or manager doesn’t know about, they are very much willing to turn it on for you!
Watch the latest e-tourney and cheer to your heart's content!
4) If you’re not a gamer and just want to enjoy the company, relax and pick your poison from the wide selection of drinks they have at the bar. Or grab a snack when you're famished! Or you could even dance to the trance/club tunes if you really wanted to.
Video game case menus. It was Raphael’s mom’s idea. Clever!
Even the drinks are nods to pop culture icons!
5) The ideal venue for gaming communities to socialize and collaborate, aspiring players to train and learn from the best, and organizers to hold tournaments or events.
Note: There’s a P100 door charge that’s completely consumable.
Imperium’s grand opening was just last Dec. 12. And we were lucky enough to be able to visit during its soft opening. It was fun playing FIFA 14 on the PS4 while drinking ice cold beer. We cheered at every goal we made and it got loud! We heard the people at the lounge screaming just as loudly. Just as Raphael envisions, Imperium has the potential to be a lighthouse for Filipino gamers.
Me and sports enthusiast, Martin Mendoza, playing a game of FIFA 14. Even my non gamer girlfriend, Bettina Bacani, is enjoying a round of Street Fighter 4!
So whether you’re a hard core or casual gamer; a console or a PC user; a player or a spectator; or simply looking for a drink at a nice bar, Imperium is your haven!
Train, play, drink.
Imperium E-Sports Bar is located at unit 6B, 2nd floor of Metrowalk, Meralco Ave, Pasig City. They’re open from 5pm-2am. For the latest news or list of games and events, go and like their Facebook page!
Photos by Max Aficial
I look scary in blue light!! @__@
ReplyDeleteno you dont!:)
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