OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) -- Video games have come along way since it's inception in the mid 1970's. From the quality of the games to the number of people all over the world playing, video game playing is now recognized as a sport, Esports as it's called.
"We play through a digital medium and most importantly, we play with other people. So whether it's team play, or as an individual, we've created this tournament atmosphere and environment."
Ashley Carter, who is a manager at Localhost in Oceanside, says gaming has become very competitive, and also quite lucrative.
"I don't know if you've seen any of the great prizes available, I mean there are prizes upward of 500 thousand dollars, plus and these teams are serious. There was even an article saying is the next Lebron an Esports gamer? I think it very well could be."
Localhost is a brand new gaming facility, and the only one on the west coast. For people who may be a bit older and unfamiliar with today's video game scene, think of it as a 1980's arcade, only much more high tech.
"There is really nothing like this out there, but more importantly, what we are all about at Localhost is leveling the playing field. I don't know about you but I don't have three grand to drop on one of these. I'd much rather come in a pay five dollars an hour, and use top end equipment and allow more people to play."
So you might be thinking of the obvious question. What is the difference between my kid playing video games at home, or going to a gaming facility like Localhost?
"What we've noticed is they don't have that great resolution at home. But once they've tried a PC, they are like wow! it's so much easier to play because we have those resolution pieces, and obviously, the PC's have much better hard drives than our gaming consoles at home, so they can do a lot more."
