FUTURE OF GAMING IS HERE
HMT Entertainment brings virtual reality arcade to Broadway Avenue
HMT Entertainment on Broadway Avenue — where virtual reality gaming involves a lot more than simply wearing a pair of VR goggles — offers patrons a peek into the future of gaming.
With options such as auto racing on Tron-esque bikes, watching virtual reality movies and even playing a four-person Doomsday Survival game where players use realistic-looking guns to survive zombieshordes, dinosaurs and other end-of-the-world scenarios, there is a lot of virtual reality fun to be had no matter your interest or skill level.
Owner Minh Trinh decided to open the gaming centre after doing research and realizing that, though there was a lot of interest in VR technology, there was also a big gap in the market when it came to places offering VR entertainment.
“VR is the future of the world’s technology,” he explained in Vietnamese through a translator. “By going with VR we can bring more of the diversity of the gaming world to our customers compared to the traditional type of arcade.”
Trinh says roughly 90 per cent of HMT Entertainment’s customers walk through the doors their first time with little to no experience with VR gaming. Many of them end up as repeat customers and often bring friends along with them on their next visits.
“They are very interested,” Trinh said. “We are hearing lots of people saying ‘Wow’ and ‘Amazing’ so far.”
Though this new technology might look intimidating, Trinh says it’s very easy to pick up. If you’re visiting HMT Entertainment for your first time and don’t quite know where to start, Trinh says his favourite game is Doomsday Survival because it goes so far beyond the traditional multiplayer arcade games.
“As everyone is playing the game they all live together inside the game,” he said. “You fight together against the zombies or dinosaurs, it’s not just fighting the (artificial intelligence). You have to work together to fight for survival and it really goes beyond the traditional type of arcade experience.”
All that gaming can be thirsty work, which is why HMT Entertainment also offers a variety of beverages, from bubble teas to smoothies. The standout drink by far is the traditional Vietnamese egg coffee. The rich coffee and its sweet creamy topping is meant to be enjoyed in-house using a spoon and for Trinh it’s a must try — coffee lovers will never experience their regular cup of joe the same way afterwards, he says.
HMT Entertainment does not charge for gameplay by the hour. Rather, gamers purchase credits that are loaded onto a card to be used for each individual experience. Trinh said he chose to do this because he realizes some people can get motion sick while playing so, if customers need to take a break or want to enjoy a beverage between games, they won’t lose out on playing time.
The cards can also be taken home with credits intact so if you don’t use them all in one gaming session you can always come back another day and enjoy more VR gameplay.