Australian gamers are in for a real treat come February as news has filtered through about a new gaming establishment to be opened in Brisbane. The Mana Bar will mix gaming and boozing and is the creation of four gaming enthusiasts, Pras Moorthy, Shay Leighton, Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg of AustralianGamer.com fame and the one and only Ben ‘Yahtzee’ Croshaw from Zero Puntuation.

From the company website:

Monday, 11th January 2010 – The ‘Mana Bar’ is the first licensed venue in Brisbane, Australia opening in February 2010 that will allow people to enjoy a drink while playing the latest video game systems.

Located in the heart of Brisbane’s entertainment district – Fortitude Valley – the Mana Bar will feature a stylish geek chic interior design with multiple LCD screens attached to the walls with playable next-gen console systems. The venue will be accessible to a wider casual market, while still catering to the hardcore gamer crowd.

Entry to the venue will be free, with no charge to play the games. The Mana Bar has a 50 person maximum capacity, and will host many special events such as game release parties, guitar hero tournaments, trivia nights, launch events, and many more.

Communication from the Mana Bar Facebook page suggests that the games to be expected at the bar include “pick up and play” style games like Wii Sports, Mario Kart and Little Big Planet, as well as fighting games like Street Fighter IV and Soul Calibur. Themed events are also being talked about to cater for the more hardcore gamers, but it has been stated that the bar is only stocked with consoles and not PC’s as “this ain’t no LAN cafe”

The only question that remains is, who’s up for a PacMan Martini?