It’s the rite of passage for gamers of all ages: a visit to Timezone, where arcade games, sports challenges and those bizarre learn-to-dance machines come together in an oasis of fun. The LAI Group, which established Timezone in Australia, traces its roots back to a suburban garage in 1958, from where the business grew providing pinball machines to fast food joints before expanding into jukeboxes, arcade games and pool tables.
The first Timezone opened in central Perth in 1978, and by 1993 there were around 50 Timezone locations around the country. Come 2012, international expansion saw Timezone grow to 230 venues across the Asian region.
After neglecting Australia in favour of the Asian market, Timezone has turned an eye back to its roots, while also looking to connect with the new era of online gaming. We spoke to Timezone Australia general manager Kane Fong about the Timezone experience in 2014.
Tell us about the history of Timezone in Sydney.
Timezone has a long and rich history with Sydney dating back to the 1980s. Locations have come and gone over the years but Timezone has always had a presence here and will continue to entertain Sydney for many more years to come. In the Sydney and Newcastle area we currently have five Timezone locations and growing.
What kind of customers do you cater for? What experiences do you offer them?
At Timezone we cater to a large range of different ages and tastes. Whether you are a serious gamer playing Maximum Tune 4 and want to mod your car to the max to compete in our national tournaments, a family who wants to play head-to-head against each other and see who can collect the most tickets or be the master at air hockey, all of our locations ensure we cater to your needs. We are in the business of family-friendly entertainment and therefore take pride in providing facilities that are safe, clean and fun.
How is Timezone adjusting for the new era of online gaming? Is it difficult to compete with the technology in home gaming these days?
Although the online and home game market has given customers more options, we do not see ourselves as being in direct competition with the home console market. Our mission is to deliver an experience that is unique and not easily replicated in the home environment, that encourages people to congregate together physically in the real world and share an experience.
Why do people continue to visit the cinemas when many have a large screen TV at home and access to the latest movies? The reason is that we all as humans have a need to come together to socialise and share experiences that bond us closer. For this reason we will continue to provide facilities that allow our customers to do just that for years to come, regardless of the advances in home gaming technology.
What are the latest highlights in Timezone attractions this year?
Our stores have had a lot of great games and attractions added this year. Some highlights are the addition of our Typhoon motion simulators and many new-release ticket games and Skilltesters; we are also looking forward to delivering the latest release of Maximum Tune 5 later in the year. If you haven’t been into a Timezone location recently you will be amazed by some of the great new products we are introducing. We have some exciting developments in the pipeline, which will redefine the definition of a traditional Timezone location – I cannot give away too much at this stage but it is a matter of ‘watch this space’.
Timezone has locations in Sydney CBD, Charlestown, Hornsby, Liverpool and Tuggerah.
