Game Over Café: A new food and gaming playground in QC

Vintage video game machines stand against a wall in Game Over Cafe in Quezon City. Photos: Bong Sta. Maria

Gaming cafés and restaurants have become widely popular in Manila in recent years. Usually situated near schools and universities, these places offer board games that customers can use for free as long as they order food or beverages.

Boasting a first-of-its-kind concept, Game Over is a new gaming establishment on Xavierville Avenue, an area in Quezon City frequented by students from nearby schools like Ateneo, Kostka, Miriam, and U.P. It has quickly gained a following—they opened just last May, but soon as the open sign was flipped, a group made their way to one of the video game couches, ordered some beers, and wasted no time in gearing up Chun Li and Blanca for a Street Fighter match.

The concept

Co-owner David Glenn said that all of the Game Over’s partners are gamers. These guys love gaming as much as their customers do, and it manifests in the electronic playground that they’ve carefully put together.

This spacious, brick-walled joint is dotted with things that every geek will love to feast their eyes on: posters of the Millennium Falcon and Middle-earth, Game of Thrones replicas, and vintage gaming and limited-edition consoles like Game Boy, DS, and PlayStation.

This spacious, brick-walled joint is dotted with things that every geek will love to feast their eyes on.

Looking at all the displays and game waiting to be played, it’s easy to imagine all the competitive noises, the (hopefully friendly) banter, the sighs of frustration, and the howls victory that could happen when people start playing.

The games

Game Over also has a wide selection of board games, from old-school classics like Clue, Monopoly, Sorry!, and Mastermind to adventure games like Descent: Journeys in the Dark, Dungeon!, and Trajan. All one needs to do if they want to play the board games is order P200 worth of food. There’s no time limit.

The rates are higher if you want to use one of the two video game couches for PS4 and Wii players. The big couch, for instance, costs P950 (consumable) with one hour free. A fee of P500 will be charged for the succeeding hours, and will no longer be consumable from here. The two small couches, on the other hand, are P350 consumable and P150 for succeeding hours.

There is a separate computer room for games like Counter-Strike, DotA2, Hearthstone, and Rainbow Six Siege. “If they want other games, they can request and we can install it, since we have very fast internet,” Glenn said.

Some of the games available at Game Over Cafe

There are also two vintage, working Madonna arcade cabinets, which will surely trigger some nostalgia, with games like Marvel vs Capcom and SNK vs Capcom. Those who grew up in the 80s would be thrilled to know that this place also has a working Family Computer that you can play with, as long as you order some food (Game Over’s P200 rule is also applies here).

The kids will be able to play, too with games like Monopoly, crowd favorite Jenga, and UNO part of the collection. Glenn pointed out that they notice more families visiting, especially on Sundays, to play the board and video games.

Those who are there to do some drinking aren’t left out either. The full bar offers beers, shots, wines, and cocktails that are perfect matches for drinking games like Drunken Tower, Drinking Roulette, Sobriety Test, and Cards Against Humanity. At around 10 p.m., the lights are dimmed, giving the café a more late-night bar vibe.

The munchies

Headed by chef Kap Ernest de Guzman, the kitchen serves food that customers can munch on while playing. Some of the must-try items are the Salmon Persillade Rice (P280), the XO pasta, Fettucine Alfredo, and the bursting-with-flavor, cheese-loaded Pizza Overload (P310), which is great for groups. There are even some quirky additions like salt and pepper shakers shaped like controllers and coasters that look like floppy disks.

Clockwise from left: the Fettucine Alfredo, the Game Over Burger, the Salmon Persillade Rice, the XO Pasta and the Pizza Overload.

For dessert, try the Mango Panna Cotta, which is as attractive as it is delicious, and the Tiraccino, a wonderfully textured hybrid of tiramisu and cappuccino.

So many details of this place are pulled off smoothly. There are so many nostalgic features to enjoy here, from the vintage consoles to the classic board games we used to play as kids, but the place itself is just starting out, an exciting concept that is just beginning to emerge. — BM, GMA News

Game Over is at 31 Xavierville Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City.