Ministry of Gaming, Edinburgh

I’m not embarrassed to say I really wanted to just sit back and play video games last night. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, if you follow the money, you’ll see that video games are overtaking both the music and movie industry. But having recently moved about and being stuck on a rather slow computer with a dodgy cable connection I haven’t been able to get my fix.

Luckily Edinburgh is home to the Ministry of Gaming. Located on Bread Street this place claims to be “Edinburgh’s hub for competitive and community gaming” and it isn’t hard to see why. Buzzing with younger blokes (stereotype confirmed) at around 7pm on a Thursday night, the set up is reminiscent of all the best things about Laser Quest when you were little. “Wow....it’s like the future!” There are almost 30 very very powerful computers for gaming, with your own login, comfy black leather chair and headphones to zone yourself in.

The speed of the connection is staggering and forces n00b gamers like myself to refrain from blaming lag for my constant dying and lack of killing. Oh yeah, before I go on, the game I play is CounterStrike: Source. If you haven’t read about it, CS is one of the most popular for online competitive gaming with competitions going on across the world, as well as at MoG. It is a first-person shooter pitting Terrorists vs. Counterterrorists.

And there’s one other thing you should know about CS. I’m not very good. I stink in fact. But even worse than that, in MoG, where you'll find the finest gamers Edinburgh has to offer, I failed repeatedly to even get the programme running. My inability forced me to ask the very helpful staff for help no fewer than three times. Luckily, this isn’t jock land where I would be publicly mocked and humiliated for this kind of idiocy (Since when have I lived in a US High school?!?)

Anyway...When I finally got going, the time flew along. My hour (£4; prices per hour drop the more time you pay for) was filled with a few spasms of excitement as I smelt my first kill, duly getting p0wned, and many many “expletive deleted” outbursts.

For me, MoG is a great place to play your favourite games on computers that can actually run them! But clearly it is a “hub” for gaming, and anyone with a slight inkling to give it a try will find themselves rewarded with gentle assistance, stunning equipment and a fantastic array of games.

Wanna know what I’m like playing CS? Boom headshot!

Ministry of Gaming is open Mon - Sat 10am till 10pm and Sun - 10am till 8pm
www.tmog.co.uk/

Fancy reading more about Gaming? Check out Dave Cook's blog