Zhu Hao, an office worker in his early twenties, recently checked into a hotel in Shenzhen for a weekend escape with a couple of buddies.
Their plan: play video games until early morning, order food in and maybe take a break with a quick massage in the southern Chinese city.
“It’s boring to play by myself,” said Zhu, who loves gaming getaways so much they have become a near-weekly routine. “And here at the hotel, my parents can’t nag me or interrupt my gaming.”
The Jinnang E-Sports Pan-Entertainment Hotel, where Zhu and his friends stayed, is one of hundreds across the city catering to diehard gamers intent on playing titles such as League of Legends or PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) against other groups online.
It offers dorm-like rooms with as many as five bunk beds, and luxe gaming set-ups with huge monitors and comfortable padded chairs.
To keep gamers fuelled, its pantry is stocked with a variety of instant noodles and other snacks.