By Jane Fullerton Lemons
Steve Theobald’s business ventures have always had an entrepreneurial streak, taking him on a winding career path through businesses that shredded documents, another that imported liquors, and more, before finally leading him to video games.
“It’s been a wild ride,” said Theobald, who’s leveraged a background in corporate finance to become owner and president of Tech Time Gaming Lounge in Woodbridge. It’s the only high-tech gaming center in Prince William County, and among the first in the region, according to Theobald.
It caters to casual and serious gamers of all ages and skills, making the venture a full circle odyssey for Theobald, 49, who grew up playing Atari in the 1980s.
“I blew a lot of quarters at the local arcade,” he recounted. When his grandmother gave him and his brother cash for Christmas, they pooled the money to buy their first Atari game set.
Running the Entrepreneurial Miles
A Connecticut native, Theobald found his way to this area when he attended Georgetown University, which included a year at the London School of Economics. With his bachelor’s degree in hand, he signed on with a Wall Street investment firm to pursue a career in finance.
But he soon went to work as a “numbers cruncher” at MovieFone Inc., spending about five years with what was then the nation’s leading movie advertising and ticketing company. As director of financial planning and analysis, he helped grow the company and sell it to AOL for $388 million in 1999.
“I was bitten with the entrepreneurial bug after that,” said Theobald, who also earned an MBA from Harvard Business School during his time at MovieFone.
He subsequently held finance positions with several companies, including an executive job-search company and the importer of Grey Goose Vodka and Jagermeister. By 2006, Theobald and his wife were back in the D.C. area where he’d gone to college, and he was mulling new opportunities.
“I was always the numbers guy,” he said, “but I wanted to be the boss.”
Field of Dreams: Discovering the World of Esports
In 2007, Theobald founded the Northern Virginia franchise of Proshred, a document shredding company, which he built and ran for almost 10 years.
After selling Proshred in 2017, Theobald was looking for his next business idea when his two worlds collided. First, he noticed his three young sons enjoyed watching other people play video games online. Then he attended a conference with a panel discussion on investing in esports, which is how the world of competitive video gaming is known.
“It was there that my eyes were opened to just how big the business of esports is,” he said. As it turns out, the market is really big, with total revenue for the global esports market projected to grow to $1.1 billion in 2019.
After that conference, Theobald did his research, and it didn’t take long for the numbers guy to put the equation together. He found E-Blue—a Hong Kong-based maker of esports gear and operator of esports cafes—who wanted to expand into the U.S. market.
The first challenge Theobald faced was finding a location in Northern Virginia. He initially tried to locate one in Fairfax County because of its denser population, but the zoning regulations proved too difficult to navigate.
Prince William County’s zoning process was much more forgiving. Theobald found a location on Route 1, situated halfway between the Fort Belvoir and Quantico military bases, which is ideal, he said, because soldiers tend to be avid gamers. The next challenge came during construction.
The space was a former Circuit City store that hadn’t been updated since the Atari-playing days of the 1980s. It had to be completely gutted before it could be outfitted with the state-of-the-art wiring needed to support a gaming café.
Opening the Doors to a New Kind of Sports Stadium
In November 2018, Tech Time Gaming opened for business — providing a sleek, modern space that feels a bit like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise with its video monitors, neon lights and gaming consoles that read “commanding your battle.”
Customers pay by the hour to play their favorite games at more than 65 gaming stations.
Tech Time’s core demographic is 18 to 30 years old — about two-thirds male and one-third female. They also do a “lively” business with tweens and teens, including birthday parties.
That’s exactly the “sweet spot” where Theobald’s three sons fit in, 12-year-old Enzo and 9-year-old twins, Giorgio and Matteo.
Naturally, the trio was fully on board with their dad’s latest business venture. “They thought: Great idea, daddy. We can help,” he said.
The boys also provided some key inspiration for the start-up. “They do get to play, but we keep a sharp eye on how much screen time they get,” Theobald said. “If they’re good during the week, they get tech time on the weekend, and that’s actually how the business got its name.”
Theobald applies the same standards at Tech Time Gaming that he applies at home. For instance, he just launched a good grades promotion. Kids in grades K-12 who bring in a report card with all A’s and B’s will get one hour of free time, while a report card with straight A’s will get two free hours.
In addition, Theobald works to dispel the stereotype of the sedentary gaming lifestyle. “We’re not here to encourage gamers to spend every waking moment with us,” he said. “Even professional esports types say they don’t spend all their time playing games, and they question parents who allow a computer or console to become an electronic babysitter.”
Tech Time Gaming’s customers typically spend an hour or two at a time, and they come in groups as often as they come alone. “Our customers come to us to spend some fun time in a cool environment,” he said, “and then they go back to their normal lives.”
Like a lot of Tech Time Gaming’s regular customers, Theobald’s boys play Fortnite or Super Smash Brothers. And that’s what their Dad plays, too. “My personal favorite is Fortnite,” he said, “and I’m learning Call of Duty.”
Tech Time Gaming also fosters its role in the community by sponsoring youth sports leagues and teams, including the Northern Virginia Soccer Club, Dale City Little League and Woodbridge Little League.
At Tech Time Gaming, players don’t have to be naturally gifted athletes. They can practice their skills at home, or they can follow the regimen of the growing number of professional esports players.
“Instead of saying ‘I’m going to grow up and be a baseball player,’ kids now are saying, ‘I’m going to grow up and be a Fortnite player,’” Theobald said. “It’s a sport that will only continue to grow.”
Tech Time Gaming is located at 13592 Jefferson Davis Highway in Woodbridge. Learn more at techtimegaming.com.
Jane Fullerton Lemons (jlemons@princewilliamliving.com) is a freelance writer and journalist. A longtime resident of Prince William County, she holds an MFA from Goucher College. Follow her work at janefullertonlemons.com and on Instagram.
