Editing Internet café (section)

==Characteristics==
{{see also|ZubaBox}}
[[File:Internet Cafe, Alice Springs, Australia.JPG|thumb|left|300px|Internet Cafe, [[Alice Springs]], Australia (pictured 2005)]]

While most Internet cafés are private businesses many have been set up to help bridge the '[[digital divide]]', providing computer access and training to those without home access. There are also [[Internet kiosk]]s, Internet access points in [[public place]]s like [[public libraries]], [[airport]] halls, sometimes just for brief use while standing.

Many hotels, resorts, and cruise ships offer Internet access for the convenience of their guests; this can take various forms, such as in-room wireless access, or a [[web browser]] that uses the in-room television set for its display (usually in this case the hotel provides a wireless keyboard on the assumption that the guest will use it from the bed), or computer(s) that guests can use, either in the lobby or in a business center. As with telephone service, in the US most mid-price hotels offer Internet access from a computer in the lobby to registered guests without charging an additional fee, while fancier hotels are more likely to charge for the use of a computer in their "business center."

For those traveling by road in North America, many [[truck stop]]s have Internet kiosks, for which a typical charge is around 20 cents per minute.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fjcomm.com/internet-webstations.asp |title=Internet Web Stations |access-date=2007-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013201446/http://fjcomm.com/internet-webstations.asp |archive-date=2007-10-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Internet cafés come in a wide range of styles, reflecting their location, main clientele, and sometimes, the social agenda of the proprietors. In the early days they were important in projecting the image of the Internet as a 'cool' phenomenon.

A variation on the Internet café [[business model]] is the [[LAN gaming center]], used for [[Multiplayer video game|multiplayer]] gaming.  These cafés have several computer stations connected to a [[Local area network|LAN]]. The connected computers are custom-assembled for gameplay, supporting popular multiplayer [[video game|games]]. This is reducing the need for [[video arcade]]s and [[arcade game]]s, many of which are being closed down or merged into Internet cafés.  The use of Internet cafés for [[Multiplayer video game|multiplayer]] gaming is particularly popular in certain areas of Asia like [[India]], the [[Mainland China|mainland]] of [[China]], [[Taiwan]], [[Hong Kong]], [[South Korea]] and the [[Philippines]]. In some countries, since practically all LAN gaming centers also offer Internet access, the terms net café and LAN gaming center have become interchangeable. Again, this shared-access model is more affordable than personal ownership of equipment and/or software, especially since games often require high end and expensive PCs.

Gaming is extremely popular at internet cafés in Asia, which has helped create strong demand and a sustainable business model for most cafés. However, with this growing popularity also comes more responsibility. To compete for market share, internet cafés have started charging less and have turned to alternate ways to maximize revenue. This includes selling food, drinks, game cards, and phone cards to patrons.