Mana Bar May Come to Your City Some Day

Next time someone tells you video games are antisocial, keep Mana Bar in mind. The video game cocktail lounge, which opened in Brisbane, Australia last March, is doing well enough to expand. Guy Blomberg, one of Mana Bar’s owners, posted an “ask me anything” thread on Reddit, in which he revealed the plans and fielded other questions. Although the expansion is still limited to Australia — first Melbourne, then possibly Sydney in 2011 — the owners are open to franchises around the world.

Some key points from Blomberg’s discussion thread:

• He guesses that the bar draws a 3:2 guy-girl ratio on average, though it really depends on the type of game being featured that night.
• The bar hasn’t seen any violent incidents or stolen property since it opened. Blomberg has previously pointed this out to refute opponents of violent video games.
• No firm opening date for the Melbourne bar yet, so Blomberg suggests waiting to book a flight. (Yes, people flew from the United States for the first bar’s opening.)
• The name “Mana Bar” is now trademarked in the United States, Australia and Europe, so they’re definitely serious about making it a worldwide brand.
• If you are serious about opening your own Mana Bar, Blomberg is seriously taking inquiries via e-mail to yug@manabar.com.au.
• If someone wants to open a Mana Bar in Los Angeles, I’ll go. But don’t let that stop you.

[via Reddit]