'Shockwave Cafe' Offers Unique View Of Internet
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
WaveOne, a Warsaw Internet Service provider, is offering a unique experience for people looking for a new kind of computer encounter.
The Shockwave Cafe provides users the chance to play computer games against each other on an incredibly fast network rather than playing against the computer itself. It also provides a fast way to surf the 'net.
"This is a dream I've had for over two years. The biggest thing with the Shockwave Cafe is Internet games. You can play, say, Warcraft 2, against your computer, but it's better to do it against eight of your friends," said Phil Lewis of WaveOne.
"We got talking to some of the kids about this. Some of them would take their dad's computer to a friend's and put a network interface card in it and spend an entire weekend playing Doom or Quake 2 against each other. It's totally absorbing."
But Lewis doesn't see the Shockwave Cafe as just a place to play games; it is also a place to experience the Internet without having to go online at home.
"The only way people can learn this stuff is by doing it. They don't know the first step. So they need a place to go," Lewis said.
"There is no faster experience you can have with the Internet than right here."
Lewis also said people can come in and learn the basics of the Internet and web design. Companies can also come in and train their employees.
"The Internet is the first useful thing that people can do with a computer," he said. "Always before you would have, if your job involved numbers, a computer for business reasons. Most employers are highly suspicious of anybody who spends too much time on their computer, because they think they're playing around. The computer is kind of seen as a glorified toy.
"Now with the Internet, people are getting online because they realize that whatever you want to do you can do it on the Internet. E-mail is the most efficient means of communication man has ever invented."
Ryan Kreager, a sophomore at Warsaw Community High School, is spending his vacation with his brother and another friend playing Quake 2, where players chase each other through a dark maze and try and kill each other with futuristic weapons.
"This is much better than playing against the computer," Kreager said, "It's a more intelligent enemy."
WaveOne charges $6 an hour for members to use the Shockwave cafe and $9 for nonmembers.
The price seems to please customers. "If you spent an hour at an arcade, then you'd spend more than $6," Kreager said. [[In-content Ad]]
WaveOne, a Warsaw Internet Service provider, is offering a unique experience for people looking for a new kind of computer encounter.
The Shockwave Cafe provides users the chance to play computer games against each other on an incredibly fast network rather than playing against the computer itself. It also provides a fast way to surf the 'net.
"This is a dream I've had for over two years. The biggest thing with the Shockwave Cafe is Internet games. You can play, say, Warcraft 2, against your computer, but it's better to do it against eight of your friends," said Phil Lewis of WaveOne.
"We got talking to some of the kids about this. Some of them would take their dad's computer to a friend's and put a network interface card in it and spend an entire weekend playing Doom or Quake 2 against each other. It's totally absorbing."
But Lewis doesn't see the Shockwave Cafe as just a place to play games; it is also a place to experience the Internet without having to go online at home.
"The only way people can learn this stuff is by doing it. They don't know the first step. So they need a place to go," Lewis said.
"There is no faster experience you can have with the Internet than right here."
Lewis also said people can come in and learn the basics of the Internet and web design. Companies can also come in and train their employees.
"The Internet is the first useful thing that people can do with a computer," he said. "Always before you would have, if your job involved numbers, a computer for business reasons. Most employers are highly suspicious of anybody who spends too much time on their computer, because they think they're playing around. The computer is kind of seen as a glorified toy.
"Now with the Internet, people are getting online because they realize that whatever you want to do you can do it on the Internet. E-mail is the most efficient means of communication man has ever invented."
Ryan Kreager, a sophomore at Warsaw Community High School, is spending his vacation with his brother and another friend playing Quake 2, where players chase each other through a dark maze and try and kill each other with futuristic weapons.
"This is much better than playing against the computer," Kreager said, "It's a more intelligent enemy."
WaveOne charges $6 an hour for members to use the Shockwave cafe and $9 for nonmembers.
The price seems to please customers. "If you spent an hour at an arcade, then you'd spend more than $6," Kreager said. [[In-content Ad]]