Incoming Changes and Final Tally for Kickstarter Campaign

So it has been about 10 days since our Kickstarter project ended and boy has it been a very exciting, yet a super stressful time for me here.  This project started out months ago as just a wild thought of what I wished Super Arcade would turn into and what I wished an arcade would be had I been a customer of one.  There are so many things in store for the people that visit our location and I honestly can't wait until July 14th when everything gets started.  For those wondering why I chose that date, it's because theres this little tourney you might have heard of named "EVO" going on in Las Vegas from July 11th-13th.  Prior to this tournament we generally have had over 100 man tournaments held leading into that weekend and it has become a tradition for players to come here to compete and train up before the big show.  It's also a great chance for our locals to see some of their favorite players from across not only the United States, but also from across the world first hand competing in person here at Super Arcade.  So yeah, after a couple weeks of madness here, and then a huge weekend in Vegas, my crew and I will begin the process of transforming this arcade into something amazing.

As promised, I will be keeping people updated with step by step updates on our renovation process and probably just start an Instagram account where I can share pictures with everyone.  Another thing I would like to address is that since day 1 of this campaign I have never hid anything or had any other agenda outside of improving the arcade.  All funds that were raised will be going into the arcade 100% and also as promised, anyone that is on our donor list can request receipts or a breakdown in cost from me personally on location.  Since this is a community project the information is public for the community to see and do not hesitate to ask any questions you feel are appropriate towards the situation.  On our Kickstarter page it is listed that we raised $57,213 but in all honesty we received a lot less of that then expected.  I already factored in the 8% that Kickstarter and Amazon Payment Processing taxes us, but there was also a problem with quite a few people rescinding their pledges and leading to us barely making our goal.  The good news is obviously that our project was funded, but the bad news is we didn't reach our stretch goal.  I will still find a way to change our sign outdoor but that will not be a priority as of this moment.  In total we received just a bit over $46,000 after all fees and that is a bit over our original goal so there will be some leeway that will allot for the purchase of a new fridge and a few more games.  Once things get rolling here I'm sure I can find it in the budget to make more improvements along the way, which includes the upgrade of our outdoor signage.

I also want to take the time to thank all the people who showed up on May 2nd, which was the Friday night the Kickstarter was ending.  It meant a lot to me that particular day because I was able to share the day with people who actually cared and shared the excitement of us achieving our goal.  People that normally don't show up made a huge effort to be here that night and trust me, I noticed who was there and who wasn't.  Unfortunately some of the people I expected to be there didn't show up for who knows what reason, but hey, the good that came out of everything should exceed anything else so I won't hold any grudges........ for too long........ maybe........... :)  If you guys followed my blog from the beginning you know I don't like to name anyone in particular because I feel really bad when I leave someone out by accident, and this has been the case since forever.  I always genuinely thank people in person and group together people when thanking them online, but I have never taken the time to thank this one person who is very, very, very important to all the success and hard work that comes out of Super Arcade.  Many of you know him as Commando from IE BattleGrounds, and some of you know him as just Mando from Super Arcade, but we should all know him as one of the hardest working people in the Fighting Game Community.  This guy streams from Super arcade a minimum of 3 days a week and sometimes up to 5 times a week to bring you guys all the content you want and desire.  He's the guy behind the wheel of Wednesday Night Fights, The Runback, and Super Smash Sundays.  He's also the host of our NSFW Friday Nights and other various IEBG tourneys held on Saturdays.  This dude doesn't know the meaning of tired and sleep is his worst enemy, and for all that you do Mando, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart, because without you, Super Arcade and the FGC wouldn't be where they are.  So if you guys ever get a chance, stop by arcade, or give Mando a shoutout on stream.  He deserves everything good that comes his way and hopefully he will continue to be my right hand man at Super Arcade forever!

As of right now I will give you guys a little bit of an update on progress so far since we are already here.  I have rented out a storage unit so I can place games and other equipment that will be coming in after our remodel.  This storage unit will also be a workplace to do any repairs or refurbishing of anything we will be bringing in too.  I have purchased already decided on a color scheme and design for the inside of the arcade and when you see it, I'm pretty sure it will be a cool eye opening scene and people will be taking pictures upon entering our establishment.  I have also decided on lighting that will be used and it includes the use of LED strip lighting that looks just like flourescent tubes except they are much brighter, much more energy efficient, and have a built in angle adjustment to aim the light how I choose.  Shout outs to my friends at http://www.antareslighting.com/ who helped me out and if you want to check out some lighting for home improvement or any other lighting needs, give this company a shot.  I also picked up some samples for "truss" which is the beams you see at concerts and other events that require lighting to be hung.  I will be deciding on which exact truss i want to use this week and I will also be continuously shopping for more games throughout the next 2 months.  I will try to update this blog weekly from now on to keep you guys in the know and thanks for taking this ride with me.  It's going to be so awesome here and the only problem I currently have is that July 14th can't get here soon enough!

Hope you all are having a great day and Thank You all for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to bring my dreams to reality.  I will do my best to make you all proud and hopefully I will be seeing you guys and girls here enjoying yourself for many years to come!  See you soon!

Watson.