In August, I decided it was high time for me to visit some of the places in the Lower Mainland where people can get together to play games. Not the hardcore LAN parties that pop up and now then, but simple cafes with decent computer systems where people can go to play World of Warcraft and Counter-Strike.

This week’s “Best of Vancouver” edition of the Georgia Straight contains the results of my survey, which took me to Coquitlam, Abbotsford, Langley, and Richmond.

You don’t have to look very hard in the Lower Mainland to find an Internet café. Less common are gaming centres—not to be confused with bingo halls or joints with banks of video lottery terminals—which offer patrons a place to play video games on PCs.