Omega Sektor: Birmingham

In 1999 an enthusiastic entrepreneur from Kazakhstan had an idea. Since it was difficult to gain access to a computer over in Kazakhstan, he had the initiative of investing in several machines and then charge his friends and family in order to use them. And the most popular use for these machines were to play LAN games against each other. This was the birth of “Omega Sektor”. Several years on the name has grown with many centres opening across Europe. Now in Kazakhstan, there is no such thing as a LAN centre. It is simply “Omega Sektor”, just like vacuums are called Hoovers.

Situated in right in the heart of Birmingham city centre, an old derelict record store has been transformed. Transformed into a gaming Mecca. Transformed into not only Europe’s, but the world’s largest LAN gaming centre. Boasting over 400 top of the range computers, a lush and extremely cool interior, laidback atmosphere and very competitive prices, Birmingham’s Omega Sektor has brought gaming to the forefront of people’s minds. This place is a far cry from the dingy LAN cafés of the past which held around 10 low specification machines with the sides off to stop over-heating frequented by the same one team who made you feel unwelcome.

Being lucky enough to live only 10 minutes away from the Omega Sektor, I went along and was offered a guided tour of the centre and the opportunity to ask some of the questions on behalf of cadred.org.

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Immediately you can see what a great position it is in. Right on a main shopping street, with pubs, clubs, hotels and shops surrounding it, not to mention the great transport links available into Birmingham it couldn’t be better situated. Walking through the large frosted black doors, you are greeted by dark walls and sexy neon lighting and then the reception desk sporting the Omega Sektor logo.

It is here that you can apply for membership (first 5000 to sign up are free!) and pay to enter the centre. The prices are very competitive. £3 per hour, £5 for 3 hours and £5 for 1 hour in the exclusive VIP area. Coupled with membership deals such as double hours, or bring a friend for free, you could quite easily spend a day there for £20-30 which is extremely reasonable and comparable to other days out such as the cinema. The idea of this place revolutionising the idea of recreation certainly isn’t held back by cost.

I had a member of staff, Paul “pigstrike” Hunt to give me a guided tour of the centre, primarily a WoW and Eve player he was very thorough with his tour and extremely helpful throughout, not to mention an all round nice guy.

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First floor

Going through the turnstile gates into the first floor of the centre, you are faced with over 100 PCs, around 5 to a bench, all kitted out with large TFT monitors, Razer keyboards, Razer exactmats and Razer Diamondbacks. In fact, every PC in the centre have these as standard so if you are coming a long distance, you don’t have to worry about using shoddy equipment on arrival. However, for those who love your grubby worn-in peripherals, the razer keyboard has 2 USB ports, a microphone jack and a headphone jack on the back, so bringing your own mice, headset, mouse mat and even perhaps keyboard is something that is indeed possible. I tested this with my mx510 and SteelSeries headset and it was perfectly compatible and is useful having the accessibility also.

The computers themselves are spot on. Each having a core2duo processor and GeForce 8800s (unsure of series) it is extremely unlikely that performance will take a hit even in the heaviest of fire fights. I was also advised that the specification of the machines would be updated every 3-6 months to keep up to pace with that of technological advances. One choice that might affect some is the use of LCD/TFT monitors over those who prefer the conventional CRT monitor. I looked into the viewsonic monitors they have chosen to kit the place out with, and they have received nothing but perfect reviews, ideal for gaming and flexible enough for resolution changes. The quality of the monitors are superb giving a lovely crisp image, no ghosting and a good contrast.

This first floor is designed for the under 15’s. They are restricted in the games that they can play (so no ultra-violent games and gore in this area) and I think it is a smart idea. It keeps those that perhaps older gamers would consider a nuisance “out of the way” but still in achingly cool surrounding to keep them happy.

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VIP club





Moving through the floor and towards the escalator up to the main floor of the centre, I am shown an ominous looking set of tall double doors much like those seen on de_aztec. In this room lies the VIP club of Omega Sektor. And inside, it is simply amazing. This room hosts 40 computers on 2 separate levels. 4 rows of 5 computers on the lower level, and then another 20 up a set of 5 steps. But what makes this room special? The total and unquestionable quality of it. Widescreen monitors, executive leather chairs, Senneheiser HD headsets and a full AV system on which you can put anything you want on.

Premium style leather chairs, gigantic LCD screens adorning the walls, cool purple lighting gives it an airy atmosphere, and recessed into the wall are white leather booths that seat around 6 people. It just breathes exclusivity in this room. Completely separate and shut off from the main floor, it is secluded and I am assured that everything in here is tweaked for that little bit extra performance and service. This room would be arguably the perfect place for clans to get together for boot camps and practice sessions, with the equally premium price of £5 per hour being the only downside.

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Main Floor



Leading upstairs you enter the heart of Omega Sektor, a large open plan floor space yet clearly divided into themed zones. One thing to note is that all computers have EVERY game loaded onto them, and they can play against any other computer in the centre, as well as having internet access for external games. So you can be sat in the Square-Enix zone and play CSS against someone sitting in the VIP area if needs be.

The first themed zone, sponsored by Activision, has been given a war struck feel, seen in games such as Call of Duty and Medal Of Honor. Sandbags, broken brick walls and that ever-present game prop, the crate, surround the zone offering a convincing atmosphere ideal for these type of war games.

The next area is currently unbranded, which is appealing in itself. With at least 50 PCs in this area, 5 around several metal pole and 10 computers along the back wall, all lit up in red light, it seems a great area for general gaming whilst giving the opportunity for clan matches and close communication with teammates and friends.

Moving through the floor plan, you come to the area that is sponsored by RPG-giants Square-Enix. Again, same PCs but the walls are covered with the idols from final fantasy games which led to a brief discussion as to how awesome final fantasy VII is. Apparently this section is a favourite for the ladies too. This led on to an interesting fact about Omega Sektors customer base. Apparently, around 1 in 4 of the people who attend the centre are female which fits with the centres aim to cater for everyone, no matter what age and experience in games. It seems to be working as I spot several female gamers around the floor.

Next up, is the game section currently sponsored by S.T.A.L.K.E.R, and much like the Activision sector, creates a theme fitting to the game, in this case the idea of a nuclear holocaust environment demonstrated by barrels of toxic waste and appropriate wall art. There is also a very smart and bright Xbox 360 zone for all console junkies, set in a corridor like room white in appearance with white fluffy carpet on the side and white leather settees that gave off that amazing new-car smell.

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Special Areas

Firstly, behind a virtually invisible side door, I am led into the “conference room”. Imagine a large business board meeting with a large wooden table spanning the length of the room. Well that’s what we have here, except, there are 20 PCs (10 each side) an extremely large LCD TV at the head of the table and even a glass fridge built into the wall to keep your beer cool!



Also, in the centre of the main floor, slightly elevated , we have the stage. Gamers sit with their backs against the wall, in a semi circle arrangement with 6 PCs one side, split by another massive LCD TV and then another 6 PCs, with each PC having its own independent LCD TV elevated above and in front of the gamers head showing us what they see. This is going to be the obvious place for any tournament finals. Perfect for two top European teams either side, battling it out with gamers watching avidly on the screens above each of their heads, and with a deck for a possible shoutcaster as well, it is ideally suited.



And the last room of note is the chill out room. Stuffed to the brim full of beanbags, extremely comfy chairs and even a spongy floor designed specifically to be sat on, with a bar in production, with a sound system of epic proportions and another gargantuan TV this is THE place to come and chill out. After all, even the most hardened gamers amongst us need a break from the action and this room could easily accommodate a dozen teams without even getting cramped. It’s amazing. Oh and even the toilets are cool bathed in a turquoise neon glow.

Overall, the place itself is utterly breathtaking. It’s a sort of “see it to believe it” kind of place, but this place could single-handily make online/LAN gaming cool in a breath. It is the perfect venue for tournaments, pro gamers, and complete noobs all under one neon-glowing roof.

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Information and thoughts

Throughout the tour, I was asking questions that I felt were relevant more to the competitive gaming community.

A re-assuring aspect to know is the willingness of Omega Sektor to be used by possible third parties. The VIP lounge and the conference room in particular can be rented out and used exclusively by those paying for it, so you could quite easily have 8 to 12 teams totally separated from the rest of the centre, ideal for bootcamps and smaller tournaments.

At present, it was my understanding that Omega Sektor itself will be hosting its own tournaments. The idea is that to begin with, especially as the centre has been open for such a short time, that they will be getting people used to playing as teams, your average gamer able to come in and be put into a tournament to get used to the LAN ethos. This includes the idea of 6 to 8 teams coming down with the intention of holding a mini-tournament, as the centre would do it on their behalf. Yet, as time goes on, we will start to see things develop on a major scale.

With the Championship Gaming Series (CGS) due to be hosted there in September and with Sky TV coverage secured, it is clear that Omega Sektor has the capability for hosting large external events. It will be good to see a professionally hosted tournament, in a brand new state-of-the-art venue with TV coverage, an exciting and almost unprecedented time for gaming. The centre will cater towards these type of events so it is possible we could see large scale 3rd party led non-BYOC LAN tournaments held on a scale almost unprecedented which is certainly exciting and will perhaps attract teams from further afield to come and use the great facilities they have to offer. It would be great to see the type of events that could rival other large LAN events such as the I-series and stratLAN so fingers crossed that Omega Sektor will take the initiative in this respect and either host their own events, or allow other parties to organise them on their behalf, but in any case it looks promising.

Talking about teams coming from further afield, keeping you beautiful Euros in mind, I suggested the idea of collaboration between Omega Sektor and local hotels to perhaps give a discount for those coming over for say a weekend and thus giving a cheaper option to stay, and it was something that is to be considered, which would definitely be a useful asset.

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All in all, the place is the stuff of a gamers dream. Simply sexy to look at, luxury throughout, top quality machines, it is surely the most ideal place for any computer game enthusiast to spend his spare time in, and equally perfect for teams coming to bootcamp or practice and hopefully, it will become the home of competitive professional gaming in Europe. I would highly recommend it to anybody and would find anyone hard pressed to not enjoy the experience it offers.

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I would like to thank the management and staff at Omega Sektor for taking the time to show me round and answering my questions.
Omega Sektor is situated on Corporation Street in Birmingham City Centre and is open 8am to 11pm. More information available at http://www.omega-sektor.com/