Business owners looking to reach the youth population may want to take a lesson from South Worcester College in England. It has recently deployed gamer towers that house video games, which attract students like moths to a flame.
Kiosk design
Kiosks4business, a manufacturer and designer of touch-screen kiosk hardware and kiosk software, originally
designed a three-sided gamer tower to house Xbox360 and PlayStation 3 systems in youth clubs. The tower at Worcester is the company's first four-sided tower and has a built-in coin-operating mechanism allowing students to pay for playtime in 15-minute increments.
Gamer kiosks are nearly 6 feet 5 inches tall and and just over 2 feet wide. They feature industrial high-definition monitors with built-in audio that's protected behind a thick plastic bezel running from top to bottom on each side of the tower.
What's with the sides?
A tower has four sides that can each display a screen to be customized for different applications. A deployer may use one, two, three or all four sides in a variety of ways. One or two sides can allow game play, while the rest can display digital signage or show videos. Or, for a cheaper tower, some sides may remain empty or come with leaflet racks.
Digital signage
The bezel on the monitor uses a digital back-printed logo that can include any image deployers wish to display. Additional LED lighting can be added to make the sides of the tower glow for added effect.
Durability
Manufactured from steel and aluminum, with a branded plastic facia, the gamer tower is designed to withstand a lot of use.
The games' consoles are protected and hidden behind a lockable door and security key. Controllers are physically connected to the gamer tower by rugged 'goose neck' adaptors that provide some movement, while protecting the controllers against theft or damage. The tower is built with industrial-strength components and can be free standing or bolted to the floor.
Kiosk options
The towers may also be used in combination with kiosks to create an information hub at youth clubs, colleges or other organizations. The information kiosks provide safe and secure Web access and can include a telephone handset.
Cost
Towers range from about $1,650 for a two-sided, wall-fixed tower up to nearly $9,000 for a four-sided tower. The coin-operating feature is an additional cost.
Installation/maintenance
Kiosks4business oversees all aspects of the gamer tower project, including custom-design work, delivery and installation. (Delivery and installation is only available to businesses located in the United Kingdom.) The towers come with a 12-month warranty, but deployers may also buy extended warranties.
Click here to see a slideshow featuring the gamer towers.
"Inside the Kiosk" is a recurring feature about specific kiosk products and components. For more information, contact Cherryh Butler at cbutler@networldalliance.com.
