While killing time in Ybor on Saturday before the jalapeno eating contest, Kara and I decided to head into Gameworks (1600 E 8th Ave # A147, Tampa, FL 33605, (813-241-9675). I’d been in both this and other Gameworks before and recall it being a lot of fun. It’s amazing how things change.
Perhaps I’m spoiled from having an XBOX360 at home, but I really expect more out of one of the most well known arcade franchises on the planet. Their slogan is, “Eat, Drink, Party and Play.” While I can’t attest to either the eating or drinking, the Party and Play portion of their marketing is over-hyped garbage. Where are all the good games? Where’s the variety of games? Why aren’t the games all working? Why aren’t there any newer titles?
There’s a few specific complaints I’d like to address.
- We spent over half an hour in there and saw everything there was to see. It’s a much smaller place than what you’d expect, especially considering the size of the building it sits in.
- They get you with the Gamer Card. You pay $20 for a card. $2 of it goes to “Activation”. The other $18 goes to your games. But what games? Not every game takes the card. Infact, just over half of them did. The rest take tokens. How half assed is that?
- If you don’t want to buy a Gamer Card, there is no way to use tokens in the card-only machines. Thus, if you want to play any of the newer games, you’re forced to buy a card.
- Several of the games were broken down. House of the Dead was missing a gun. An air fighting game was broken and sealed off. Another racing game I went to wouldn’t respond. It looks like these haven’t been maintained very well.
- Speaking of racing games, why is more than half the floor filled with them and they are all incredibly low quality? The staples of the racing world, such as the Cruisin’USA/Cruisin’ World series are no where to be found. They have one Need For Speed game and it’s horrible. It’s more bumper-cars than tactical Need for Speed racing, such as Carbon or Hot Pursuit.
- Why is there only one pinball machine? and why do you only get one credit at a time? Seems like both a waste of money and a lack of options for those of us who love pinball.
- I didn’t see a single game in there newer than 2007. There have been dozens if not hundreds of games released since then. Why hasn’t Gameworks adopted them?
- While I’m examining their business model, why haven’t they adopted the “rent-a-console” idea? The Hip Hop Soda Shop does it. A lot of other arcades do it. You go in and pay-per-time to play the newest console games. They can lock down the consoles and each console has a different game. Why isn’t this something Gameworks does? It’d be a cashcow and a good draw, but that’s not how Gameworks wants to roll.
- There’s no rockband/guitar-hero style game. This is the most popular game genre right now. Why not cater to it?
- There’s no classics either. No Pacman. No Joust. No early arcade games that draw in the nostalgia factor.
- There’s only one fighting game, Tekken, and it’s one joystick felt really loose. Where’s Mortal Kombat? Soul Calibre? These are first rate titles with many sequels. Why not offer them?
My frustrations with LameWorks could go on and on. I’m avoiding this place until they update their games and their policies.
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Kristen F, 1 year ago
Below you will find a an email I sent a few days ago. I was contacted by a Regional Manager named Frank 305-798-XXXX that is all the information I have for Frank. Well needless to say, he said he had received all three emails I had previously written and spoke to the wait staff and came to the conclusion that I was a LIAR! He did not say that once but basically three times. Then I made a statement with it and hung up on him. I am not accustomed to being called a liar. I work and attend NKU and will soon be transferred to UC in their PhD program, I have more than enough access to many people and will tell everyone my about my experience at Gameworks, not too mention all my social media contacts.
A little about my background, I worked almost 25 years in the food and beverage industry and know for a fact that when a complaint is a generally well know fact, it allows for individuals to cover their tracks, I covered my butt in the past a time or two, against major complaints from customers, but never to the to the point of basically calling them liars. But one thing I can say, being in the business for all those years, I have a wide assortment of friends that are food and beverage industry owners, not to mention access to their employees. I will tell everyone I know about the spotty experience I had at Gameworks.
I tried to deal with this issue three times to come to a win-win resolution. However, now I will just deal with it on my own. I don’t need any more contact from your company or subsidiaries, it is apparent your organizational leadership is running amok. Might want to teach your upper managers about conflict resolution and how to deal customers relations.
What a shame that 2 out of every 5 people I have spoken to about my experience at Gameworks, had absolutely nothing good to say about Newport on the Levee Gameworks.
Guess, I am not alone-in the disappointing experience that Gameworks provides. So, based on your reputation and my knowledge base on personal associations-that’s is all I need.
What a fiasco!
Kristen F
—– Forwarded Message —-
From: Have a Nice Day
To: guestrelations@gameworks.com
Sent: Mon, February 22, 2010 6:14:53 PM
Subject: a very unsatisfied customer
Receipt details: Feb 14’10 1:14, check 3563, check ID 601. 237 Stacey Server
I have been a customer of Gamework’s for a long time and have enjoyed my experiences until February 14, 2010. One very important issue, they were out of Ribs-they sold out the day before, lack of organizational and managerial leadership. I entered Gameworks about 12:30 pm on Sunday Valentine’s Day. I noticed that there was only one server, I told her I was not in a hurry. I ordered my food while I asked her 4 times when could I have my game card, it was a promotion that day, I had to ask an expediter, to get the cards, after an hour and half I got the cards.
During the time me and my little girl were playing games, our table was given away; our coats, food, and drinks were still at the table. When I asked the women to find another table she became very irate, I asked her is she noticed that our stuff was sitting right there, she said she did not care. I asked the manager to get my table back. He sat her and her two small children at the bar, the mother was drinking heavily. During this time, she and the bartender were bad mouthing me-very unprofessional for the bartender to do. Needless to say, my experience at Gamework’s went downhill quick.
I just left, I will not be treated like that from any bartender who has no respect for his companies patrons. I then came home and wrote an email, I accidentally sent my email to the Columbus store, I did not notice Newport on the Levee drop down option. The GM from Columbus called me within 48 hours and was very apologetic and assured that I would be given gift certificates for 3 more dinners and 3 game passes. And assured me he would speak to the GM at Newport on the Levee and see what had happened. However, they have yet to arrive. Plus, I would like to know how is it that your company can sit patron at the bar, not in the bar, but right at the bar with small children and serve the parent alcoholic beverages-who is obviously highly intoxicated to begin with?
During the time I was there, the restaurant became chaos quickly, one server. Trash, dirty dishes every where, people standing waiting to get a tables. One women I saw waited 20 minutes while waiting for her table to be cleaned. The young working kids just running around the store, not really doing anything to help the server. majority of the young working adults were hanging at the host station, not even bothering to help see the restaurant was kept in good working order. Now I have spoken to several other employees at different restaurants on the Levee and they state that it “is business as usual”, that is sad to have that type of reputation.
A very upset customer,
Kristen F
GoodLookingBastard, 2 years ago
Unfortunately, the coin-op arcade console is becoming extinct. Arcades are becoming obsolete as home consoles have caught up and even surpassed the technical capabilities of arcade boards. Arcades have been hurting for the past 10 years, and a fuckton of the mom-n-pop places are going out of business.
The reason that GameWorks doesn’t have any games newer than ’07 is because there aren’t many that have come stateside.
Besides, online gaming has made it so that you don’t have to leave the couch to kick a stranger’s ass in Street Fighter.