A NEW community gaming lounge is opening in Rainford at the end of the month, providing a space where local gamers can play and interact with like-minded people.

Seeing a gap in the market, the venture comes an expansion of Tech Guys 360 Ltd, owned by Neil Smith and his assistant Paul Greenway.

Tech Guys is a tech repair business that restores everything from phones to gaming consoles, and is based on the top floor of Rainford Village Hall.

After acquiring an extra room inside the hall, the pair have transformed this space into a modern, inviting gaming lounge that uniquely contrasts with the Edwardian structure of the building.

Inside the newly finished lounge, there are 12 high end gaming PCs available, including three driving simulators and a range of games such as Fortnite, COD and FIFA.

There is also a plan to further expand into console games if the centre proves popular.

After the isolating time we have all experienced over the past year, Neil explains the lounge is designed as a community hub for the “hundreds” of gamers that will reside in the area.

The lounge will have high end PCs and a range of games on offer

The lounge will have high end PC's and a range of games on offer

He said: “We can get [these people] out into the open. We can start building social skills again in a friendly environment where there’s like for like people there [who] they can chat and talk to, and start living again.”

With nothing like this in the area, Neil is confident of success, and the “huge” reaction on social media confirms that there is definitely a market for the idea.

Initially operating between the hours of 10.30am – 6.30pm, anybody over the age of 12 is encouraged to come down and enjoy the technology and games on offer.

Gamers can buy time at PCs using either their own or a central gaming account, and will each be granted an hour's free gaming time for their first session.

Describing himself as a “casual gamer” that has worked in IT over twenty years, Neil explains that the lounge is about young people learning, developing, and even showing them possibilities for future careers.

“Its not just introducing them to gaming, it’s actually introducing them to technology and the power of what technology can do”.

With the global gaming industry worth more than $150 billion – and showing no signs of slowing down – gaming and the technology behind it has become a career path that offers a wealth of opportunities for avid gamers.

From the July 26, gamers across St Helens are invited to Rainford Village Hall to hone their skills at the gaming lounge and take part in local tournaments and weekly gaming events that will be on offer.

For more details, visit: https://www.pcgaminglounge.co.uk/