It had to happen at some point: video games finally got chic.

The Mana Bar is the culmination of a vision by Brisbane boys Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg, Ben ‘Yahtzee’ Croshaw, Pras Moorthy, and Shay Leighton. Three of the leading minds in Australian gaming culture and a bar lad with 15 years’ experience in the UK and US are asking Australia to put our social gaming into their hands, and quite frankly I cannot think of anyone more qualified.

At last, you don’t have to resort to your mate’s place for a beer and a game of Halo 3 – now the two of you (and 48 others) can head over to Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, Australia to sip a cocktail and either play a game or watch a game on one of many LCD screens. Forget the arcade, cancel the local LAN party, and throw away your membership to your university’s Games Society – The Mana Bar is here to get console gaming out of the lounge room and into the cocktail lounge.

Yug was able to spare some time during his intense renovating schedule to sit down and talk more about the bar, social gaming, and his hopes for the inclusiveness of gaming culture.

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The announcement of the new Mana Bar has hit the gaming industry hard over the last week. How are preparations going for the grand opening? It seems as if the world is holding you to your February deadline – did you expect this much fanfare?

We hoped for this much coverage, but what was really great was the overwhelmingly positive response we’ve seen so far in forums and on our Twitter/Facebook. It’s one of those things that I think resonates with so many gamers – seeing a concept like this (and I’m sure we weren’t the FIRST to think of it by a long shot) actually being implemented.

In terms of the opening, I think our biggest problem right now will be figuring out how to fit so many people into such a small space.

Everyone has the novel in the bottom drawer, or the potential business idea hiding in a computer file. At what point did you sit down and decide “That’s it – I am going to do this?”

With me it’s more a case of when I’ve got an idea that excites me in my head, I simply can’t shake it – I’ll stubbornly pursue it until it either happens or fails miserably. I believe you’ve got to take risks in life, as that’s what makes things exciting!

For the Mana Bar, the moment was during a party I hosted a few years ago that featured live DJs, fire breathers, and a Wii hooked up to a projector. It just seemed like a natural fit in such a social environment.

Fortitude Valley, Brisbane is certainly well-known by locals for its diverse nightlife – what made you choose this location?

Brisbane is actually ideal, unlike other cities where your ‘hot spots’ are spread out, Fortitude Valley is the main hub of nightlife entertainment by a LONG shot. It all happens there, it’s where all the big nightclubs and bars are, and was ideal for us to position the Mana Bar alongside them. Pras, Yahtzee and I all lived in the Valley as well, and the venue was literally on the same block as us … it was like the stars aligned to provide the perfect venue right in front of us.

What costs are you considering for entry and game time?

Free entry, and free to play. I don’t want to restrict the consoles to only be available to those that have ‘paid’ for them, and with the multiplayer turn-based games, it prompts a much more social ‘hand the controller around’ situation.

Have your security been trained in the art of dispersing “console wars”?

Put it this way – our security guard will be dressed up as RYU from Street Fighter. Nuff said.

Your promotional content implies that you intend to cover all three major consoles – the Playstation 3, X-Box 360, and Nintendo Wii. What video game titles are you considering for your initial repertoire?

That’s right; we’ll have the big three on offer. It depends what night for what games, although we’ll have a selection each month that can be chosen depending on what the crowds are clamouring for. During the week we’ll have certain events that lend themselves to specific titles, especially for launch parties, but on the weekends we want to keep things more ‘pick-up-and-play’ accessible, with games like Guitar Hero, Wii Sports, Street Fighter, Little Big Planet, Castle Crashers, Mario Kart, and Super Smash Bros Brawl.

It seems like the Mana Bar is a wonderful brainchild that complements the growing socialisation of video games. Do you think that a bar like this would have been possible five or ten years ago?

Actually no, I don’t. The main reason I think a venue like this will work is due to the growing acceptance of gaming in mass markets, thanks to the Nintendo Wii and the hugely successful rhythm games. It opens it up to a much wider demographic, while still being appealing to your traditional hardcore gamers. The fact we will have no PCs should be an indication on the direction we’re taking.

You mentioned in an interview recently that you were surprised at the number of girls who were enjoying the accessibility of games such as Wii Sports (although I have many girl friends who would debate that they enjoy a good FPS!). I could never imagine catering to such a genre-diverse audience! What challenges or potential do you see in The Mana Bar’s appeal to the girl gamer crowd?

What frustrates me more than anything at the moment are gamers themselves propagating the stereotypical anti-social pasty white nerd in their mum’s basement image. While it is true in some cases, it just doesn’t really hold true anymore. The fact games are now fun, socially acceptable, and easy to play for non-gamers opens up the genre to pretty much anyone and everyone.

The challenge for us with the girls is actually the same one we have for the guys – educating them on what the bar ISN’T. It ISN’T an internet cafe, it ISN’T a cyber lounge, it ISN’T a LAN party. It’s a cool and funky cocktail bar where you can let your hair down and feel comfortable as a gamer. Frankly I see more potential to chat and meet new people at a venue like this than your typical nightclub where you spend most of the time hanging out in your own social circle because it’s impossible to talk to strangers without feeling like you’re being/trying to pick up.

Going from inclusive to exclusive – what types of events do you foresee being held at The Mana Bar? Will there be game release events? Trivia?

Launch parties are the big one – we will have a retail component to the bar, meaning you can pre-order games and then attend the launch party. Play the game, win prizes, then head home with a copy of the game – beats lining up outside your normal retailers at midnight.

Yahtzee will be hosting gaming trivia nights, plus we will have student/developer social events, developer Q&A sessions, Guitar Hero competitions, specific competitive pro gaming tournaments, and more. The plan is to have an event on EVERY night, where we constantly have prizes and cool stuff to do and give away. There is so much potential it’s ridiculous.

Lastly, what about some Ladies’ evenings with our GamingAngels crew?

Absolutely! In fact at this stage I’m also all ears for some gaming-themed cocktail ideas that would appeal to the GamingAngels community that we could feature on our bar list – any suggestions?

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Thanks for chatting with GamingAngels, Yug!

For more information about The Mana Bar, head on over to their website at http://www.manabar.com.au, or follow their Twitter feed (@TheManaBar) or Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/TheManaBar).