WAR OF THE WEB INTERNET 'CYBERCADES' LET NEW GAMING GENERATION BECOME VIRTUAL WARRIORS.

Byline: Mariel Garza Staff Writer

In a dimly lit Canoga Park room filled with computers, Farzad Namdjoo plays a fast-paced game against a cunning opponent - one who's on another continent, more than 9,000 miles away.

The 22-year-old Pierce College student is among a new generation of gamers who are abandoning video game arcades for ``cybercades'' - computer-filled rooms where players, for a few bucks an hour, can log on to terminals and match wits against opponents who span the globe.

``I'm a terrorist right now,'' explained Namdjoo, as he tapped a computer keyboard at Cyber Gaming, one of the newest cybercades in the San Fernando Valley. ``I'm playing someone in the U.K. God knows who they are. But I'm playing someone in the U.K. right now.''

Wildly popular in Korea and China, cybercades are just emerging in the United States, mainly in West Coast cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, said Doug Lowenstein, president of the Interactive Digital Software Association, which represents companies that publish video games.

``It's very localized,'' Lowenstein said. ``L.A. is probably on (the) front lines.''

In the greater San Fernando Valley, cybercades stretch from La Crescenta to Canoga Park, with new ones sprouting up regularly. In addition to Cyber Gaming, Cyberzone opened recently just blocks away from California State University, Northridge, while Valley 201 PC in Van Nuys opened about 18 months ago. Interplay in Reseda also is a popular gaming spot.

Unlike Internet cafes, where users can browse their e-mail while sipping a double-espresso, cybercades eschew lattes and Web surfing for imported Asian snacks and interactive online games.

The gaming centers feature rows of high-performance computers with 17-inch screens, dim lighting to prevent glare and high-backed, comfortable chairs. Players can also burn CDs, download music and take advantage of high-speed T-1 Internet access for Web surfing.

Entrepreneurs like Cyber Gaming owner Jobin Saghezi are cashing in on the craze.

``For me, it's a hobby,'' he said, explaining his decision to open the business. ``I'm a gamer and I always wished there was something like this. So I made it.''

For the most part, fans are young men and teen boys who play games with titles like Counter-Strike, Aliens vs. Predator and Diablo II. For a few hours after school or on the weekend, they can become terrorists or counter-terrorists, wizards or warriors, aliens or Marines.

The games feature elaborate graphics and plots. In Counter-Strike, one of the most popular at the Valley's game centers, gamers are divided into terrorists and anti-terrorists. The teams hunt each other down in elaborately detailed landscapes, shooting or stabbing their opponents.

Players may be in the next seat or on another continent. And no real names are used.

``I know them by their screen names,'' Eric Medina, 16, said of the players in the seats around him at Cyber Gaming.

``But I don't know anything about them, except that when you get to school (I say) 'You killed me the other day,''' the Canoga Park High School student said.

And unlike video arcades where players must plug in a quarter for each game, cybercades usually charge just a few dollars for an hour's worth of play.

Game players seek out the centers for a number of reasons: better graphics than their computer at home, a faster Internet connection than a student can afford or because purchasing the games can be pricey.

But, mostly, they come to hang out.

``Because it's better with friends,'' said Hector Ruvalcaba, a 16-year-old Canoga Park High School student, as he played with his school buddies at Cyber Gaming one afternoon. ``It's better when there are more people and the Internet connections are faster here.''

Generally, players leave the fighting in the game, said Tuyen Tran of Cyberzone.

But he noted games do get heated, with players yelling and cheering, especially when one team has scored a major victory.

``It's more of a social thing than being at home,'' said Tran, who supervises the computers, sells snacks and logs in gamers. ``Here, you play with your friends and you can laugh at them when they die.''

Danny Men, an 18-year-old North Hills resident, spends about four hours a day playing at Cyberzone. The Pierce College student said he realizes he will have to cut down once classes start in February, but until then he plans on having fun, playing games.

``Whatever new game comes along, that's my new best one,'' Men said.

Namdjoo said the gaming centers offer Valley youngsters another recreational option.

``Unfortunately, there's not much to do in the Valley,'' Namdjoo said. ``There's only so much you can read, so much you can do, so many hobbies you can have, and you know what? Have fun.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Dennis Dong, Paul Woo and Eric Medina, from left, enjoy an interactive game at Cyber Gaming, one of the new ``cybercades'' gaining popularity in the U.S.

(2) Farzad Namdjoo enjoys one of the interactive games at Cyber Gaming. The 22-year-old Pierce College student is among a new generation of gamers who are abandoning video game arcades for ``cybercades.''

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer