There was excitement in the air when a gaming event dubbed EA sports FC 24 was hosted at Brickhado’s Arcade in Langa on Saturday.
The overall winner walked away with a grand prize of R1000 and a trophy.
The event started with a mini 5-aside-tournament and a pool table game.
Qhamani Nande Xameni, 22, who runs Brickhado’s Arcade, said he grew up playing arcade games but it was just a hobby and back then it was not as formalised as it is now.
Through the tournament, he wanted the youth from his area to explore the opportunities and career prospects which online gaming offers these days where people game for a living and have earned lots of money from it.
He said his own business started small, reusing old arcade machines.
“In 2020, I asked someone with an arcade if I could fix their old machines and bring them back to life. We used a storage unit in our apartment building that I renovated into an arcade shop.
“I saved up money and bought our own games. Even though it was tough, we kept going. Every challenge made us stronger,” he said.
TooMuchWifi community and brand activations manager, Mzukisi Mpingose, said it is inspiring to see a budding entrepreneur succeed in this time of high unemployment especially among the youth.
He said it did not take them long to make the decision to support Qhamani’s dream of making Brickhado’s Arcade a household name when it comes to online gaming.
Mr Xameni wishes to take his business to the next level and to make these events bigger and introduce many faces into the online gaming space.
Today, Brickhado’s Arcade is one of the most popular gaming shops in Langa.
He is well loved and supported by the community because he is keeping their children off the streets and away from social ills such as drugs and crime.
His advice for upcoming entrepreneurs is to get started and to have a clear vision of where you want to go.
