Private Gaming Libraries/Clubs/Fraternal Organizations

[MrFrumble]

I've had this idea bouncing around my head for a while and I think it has to do with my conflicted view of collecting. On one hand, I love old video games on the the other I know that I have more games than I really have time to appreciate (especially with two young children in the house.)

So, as the culture around video games matures and gains a historical perspective do you think that we will ever see private organizations that are related to gaming. I think that I have heard mention of private Arcades in the past but I'm not sure if I have ever heard of more general institutions related to home gaming and gaming culture. This could been seen as just a place to game with your buddies all the way up to a Boston Athenæum for gaming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Athenæum

The advantage of this over just having a bunch of games in your house is that it is a team effort. A place you can head to for a couples hours without having to schedule with friends ahead of time. A true sense of community. The roadblocks to making this happen would seem that you would have to have enough people in one area to make it viable. It takes time, effort, and money to maintain a physical space.

Is this just a pipe dream or something that could happen?

[Duke.Togo]

I've heard of bars that mix in video gaming, but that is the closest thing to this that I know of. I could see going to one of those that had classic console games for play.

Not sure how you would organize a club without major funding or a generous benefactor, but it would be awesome!

[techwizard]

like duke said you would need major initial funding, but once you got going you should be able to keep it afloat with a not-for-profit system. use membership fees to cover most or all costs, supplemented by donations. it would be difficult to get started but if you can get a good membership base it should work.