'Beercade' Double Tap brings 50 arcade games, drinks and 'memories' to downtown Iowa City

Double Tap, the name of the newly opened bar in downtown Iowa City, refers to games and beers.

It’s a succinct way to clue patrons in on what they’ll find once they enter.

That includes beers on tap, having to press a button and “tap tap” while playing a game, and having to shoot a zombie twice — called double tapping — to kill it in a game, said Aaron Schurman, an owner of Paramount Barco.

Double Tap, also called Tap Tap, opened Wednesday evening, rounding out a trio of themed bars on the Pedestrian Mall owned by Cedar Falls' Paramount Barco: Roxxy and the Stuffed Olive are the others.

Nestled between the two, Double Tap leads patrons down a set of stairs and into an arcade, a dim setting save for the bright screens and colorful lights emanating off of rows of retro and modern games.

The “beercade” offers 50 games, including pinball, a modernized game of Pong, Pac-Man, Mario Kart, "The Simpsons," Guitar Hero, zombie shooter games, non-zombie shooter games and so on.

The arcade surrounds a full-size bar with craft beer on tap and a game-themed cocktail menu.

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“We want to bring the customer what they want to play,” Schurman said. “We really track that closely. But what we agree to bring is nostalgic and new.”

'It's really expensive': The cost of operating a retro arcade

Competition and multi-player games are “wins” among bar crowds, according to Schurman. “Killer Queen,” a large, multi-screen 10-player strategy arcade game, is a game that may be new to audiences.

Darin Beck, CEO of Paramount Barco, told the Press-Citizen “Killer Queen” is more of a “metropolitan type of market game,” not doing as well in Cedar Falls, the bar's first location. He said he expects it to find a bigger audience in Iowa City.

Schurman is the founder of SciPlay, a developer and publisher of mobile and digital web games, a business born out of his lifelong love of games.

"As we make games and apps for iPhone, we just love bringing joy to others, and we love watching people play," he said.

Beck, a longtime business partner, and Schurman developed concepts for the “ultimate date night,” landing on the retro 1980s through early 2000s bar Roxxy, the chic tapas bar the Stuffed Olive and the “beercade” Double Tap.

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What gave the duo courage to create Double Tap was realizing an employee of Schurman’s had a talent, and passion, for refurbishing games.

“To invest in this many games and the amount of money that it takes to put this kind of gaming on a floor like this, (it’s) really expensive,” Beck said. “(If) you don't have a backup plan to keep them working, it's very scary.”

“Killer Queen” costs $15,000, according to Schurman. Pinball machines run from $8,000 to $12,000 apiece, he said. Beyond the costs are the challenge of finding parts. In some cases, people refurbishing games have to create their own part, Beck said.

“You're looking at $60,000 or $70,000 worth of games just on the wall,” Schurman said.

Schurman said Double Tap’s motto is that no game will be out of order for longer than 24 hours, distinguishing it from other bars that may have arcade games, albeit often not fully functioning.

Tournaments, tokens and thin crust pizza: What to expect at Double Tap

Double Tap in Cedar Falls, as Schurman has found, attracts all ages — though it is a 21-plus venue except for Family Day on Sundays, which will be continued at the Iowa City location.

Double Tap has its own coins that can be used to play games, a silver token with a smiling mug. People can go to the bar and buy a $10 cup of coins with a drink, or can get other amounts of coins. Most games take quarters and most, according to Schurman, cost 50 cents.

On the menu is thin crust pizza with dough made fresh daily, Beck said. There are 12 beers on tap, and 300 collected beer taps lining the top of Double Tap’s wall for décor.

Double Tap will host tournaments in the future, including Skee Ball leagues, pinball leagues and a “Killer Queen” league.

“I think from just being in apps and gaming in general, we really know how to do even full bar tournaments or full month tournaments,” Schurman said. “So you're going to see a lot of what we call live events that are going to be game-focused, whether they're high score-focused or there's a competition on any game.”

These tournaments will be complete with prizes, Schurman said.

Double Tap is open from 3 p.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday, and noon to midnight on Sunday.

Schurman said he hopes that the "beercade" allows patrons to make "memories."

“For me, I think it's just giving people yet another something to do other than just drink,” Beck said. “This town didn't need another 'bar' bar. They needed something new to do.”

Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Reach her at PBarraza@press-citizen.com or (319) 519-9731. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Double Tap 'beercade' in Iowa City merges new and retro games