MEGAbytes

Glasgow just got a little bit better with this wee gem.
Ben and me loved the choice of video games, the laid back style and the coffee was pretty ok. (To be fair you go this café for the games, not for A+ coffee).
Retro games were everywhere, and it was great to use a PS1 again without having to make a guilty eBay purchase. Also I am a social gamer, I have always liked going round my friends house and having a party. Being in the café has that same sort of feeling, a mutual appreciation for the fun that video games provide.
Plus points for not making the café look to ‘geeky’ I would be happy to take a friend who was interested in gaming but knew nothing about them (or even my mum!) which I don’t feel I can do at other game cafes I have been to before.
Well done MEGAbytes, I hope you continue to do well!

What could be better than coffee, cake and computer games?
Answer: Not much.
Yes, this place is a grand mix of the nerdery of games, and the WHEEEEEE of caffeine. I’ve never understood why this combination hasn’t been done before, and MEGAbytes is showing that it works.
When I was in, it was late on a Friday and it was packed, so there’s a definite audience here.
Gamers love caffeine. It’s a fact. Why? More caffeine means more awake time to play games! Later opening hours, organised tournaments, and tons of games mean that MEGAbytes hits the spot on most fronts.
I sat with my latte and chose to have a blast on Super Mario Bros 3 on an old school NES. My latte was nice, and slightly warmer than normal, which is a great idea, because you tend to get sucked into the game you’re playing when you keep losing…
Yeah, I remember being a lot better at the game than I was on this visit… but obviously the café turned up the difficulty to keep people there and buy more coffee. Obviously. Can’t have been anything to do with me being older and NOT GOOD AT VIDEO GAMES ANYMORE. That’s just wrong!
*cough*
Anyway, this is a great concept and I heartily approve. I’ll try some of the food next time I go. Once I get onto the next world on Super Mario…

I genuinely don’t know if I’m being a bit patronising with this 5 star award, as I am giving this as much for effort than anything else. The folk behind MEGAbytes have done fantastically well to get this up and running, and you definitely get the impression that there is more to come here once things get settled and extra funds start coming in.
A successful Kickstarter funding gave them the cash to get up and running (full disclosure, Bri put in for this), and they’ve spent some time making sure they got a good venue. The wait has meant that they’ve got a pretty good space. Yeah, you have to know where it is (basically next door to the Slaters entrance), and while they may not get a lot of passing trade I think a lot of people will make their way there. It’s a nice and bright space, which is a great thing. It’s an inviting space that you would want to spend a lot of time in, either on your own or with friends, and is a pleasant change form the subterranean, dark feel of a lot of other places of this nature. There are quite a few separate areas to sit, so if you want to chill out and relax it’s a good option, especially in that part of town. I didn’t try the food or drink, so can’t comment on it, but if you like sandwiches and paninis then you’re in luck.
In terms of the gaming side of things, one wall is full of arcade machines, and the consoles are on the other side. There is 1 pinball machine, 2 gun shooters (who knew Operation Wolf 3 existed!), a Star Wars pod racer game, and about 4 or 5 traditional arcade cabinets. The biggest name in there is StreetFighter 2 — not one of my favourites, but it’s definitely a draw. All of the games were priced at 50p a shot, and they give change!
The console side of the house is very much on the retro side of things. They have a good selection of consoles on offer, although it looked like only a few were plugged in to the TV’s at one time — I’m not sure what the process would be to change them over. It looks like all of the classic games are there, so if you fancy a bash at Sonic, or playing 4 player Goldeneye battles then this is the place to come. You get the feeling that tournaments are going to be brilliant here, bringing everyone together and bringing that communal feeling that you get with a good local multiplayer game.
So, where do I think they could improve? Hopefully in time the roster of arcade games grows: this probably isn’t cheap, and is totally dependent on what’s out there, but it would be good to see a few more things popping up every now and then, and a couple of genuine classics would be amazing. In terms of the gaming side of things, I think the focus is possibly too retro console based — this Amiga gamer would love to play some of the old stuff (Sensible Soccer!), and it would be good to play some newer games as well. What would be cool in time would be a projector and an opportunity to play some things on a large scale (I’m thinking Wii Sports, or even better FIFA tournaments — get the latter one right and you could pay for the cost of a PS4 in about one or two events). My fear is that if it sticks to the classic Mario/​Sonic/​StreetFighter side of things it misses out on the current breed of gamers that perhaps aren’t that fussed about going backwards.
These are fears that might drop the star rating in time, but at the moment I feel these guys deserve recognition for getting up and running and encouragement to keep on going. Whether it’s a quick £2 run through some of the games in a lunch time, playing some of the board games over a coffee, or organising a tournament then it’s definitely worth your time. The folk running it are also lovely, which is a huge bonus. Give it your time, and hopefully they will be able to 1up pretty quickly!

This place has only just opened its doors and already it’s looking really promising. When we arrived they were still installing their coffee machine and there was no real sign above the door, so maybe a repeat visit is in order once they’re fully set up.
However, here’s what I already know. They have a respectable selection of paninis on offer (the usual suspects, ham and cheese, tuna melt, that kind of thing) which are also available as toasties or rolls. They offer toast with a range of toppings which is something I feel more cafes and coffee shops should be able to do but never seem to bother with, so that’s pretty cool. Tasty looking cakes and pastries, teas, coffees, soft drinks. All at a pretty reasonable price. I got a tuna melt with a filter coffee, it came to £5 and the panini showed up with crisps and a salad.
Buying food also gets you an hour’s gaming for just £1. Normally gaming is £2 per or £5 for the day (with a fair usage policy during busy periods). The focus here is on retro gaming — SEGA mastersystem, SNES, PS1, etc. All my old favourites were available along with a few I’d always wanted to try. We ate our food and quickly moved to a sofa for a game of Tombi — out hour went very quickly.
The staff were super friendly and helpful and they’re clearly very knowledgeable about the games. This café feels like a real labour of love and it’s the exact kind of local business that I want to support. I’ll probably be back next weekend. Maybe I’ll bring my own memory card and get a bit further with Tombi.