Mana Bar

LOCATION
Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Video games and alcohol have been combining to great social effect for decades, so it was probably inevitable that, as gaming culture marches relentlessly into the mainstream, venues would begin to specialise in the combination. However, Fortitude Valley's Mana Bar isn't what your preconceptions might lead you to expect. Far from a dingy room of old couches and Star Wars posters, the small venue is stylish and well-lit. More cocktail party than LAN party, if you will.

The idea is simple; line the walls with consoles playing the latest games, and surround them with a chic bar where guests sit, mingle, and sip drinks from a gaming-themed cocktail list. The games themselves are a highlight, rather than the sole focus; while some patrons sit rapt in front of the latest Red Dead or Sonic release, for many more this is simply a sleek social hub for one of our society's fastest-growing subcultures.

Another major draw for the Mana Bar is co-founder Ben ‘Yahtzee’ Croshaw. Croshaw is an international geek-culture celebrity, known for his scathing ‘Zero Punctuation’ game review series. Here, he MCs weekly trivia nights, allowing fans to experience his famously mean-spirited humour for themselves. Other events include promotions with game developers allowing Mana Bar patrons to play new titles before their release.

You probably already know whether the Mana Bar is for you. If dancing to 8-Bit remixes while sipping on an Ocarina of Lime cocktail strikes you as amusing, then it's sure to delight. But impressively, there's no sense of nerds-only exclusivity, and a non-gamer certainly won't feel stranded. By any standards this is a fun, welcoming venue. Its popularity among all types of gamer, from the hardcore to the most casual, proves the point, and is sure to inspire the hobby for newcomers.

Aran Ward Sell