CyberCafe Tycoon 90s
A nostalgic economic game referencing classic PC management tycoons from the late 90s. Built entirely on a custom multi-threaded architecture, it puts the player in control of a developing internet café business, managing computer lifecycles, customer session timers, and shop upgrades.
Timeline
1 months
Year
2026
Platform
Desktop Application
Architecture & Stack
Java
Used to create the entire object-oriented business logic and game interface without using external engines.
GSON
Responsible for efficient object serialization, enabling saving and reading player achievements and stats from JSON files.
Adobe Photoshop
Used to design the set of retro assets, prepare the UI in a 90s style, and create icons for the computer hardware.
Custom Loop
An implemented background time loop that simulates customer behaviors and generates passive income streams.
The Engineering Challenge
CyberCafe Tycoon 90s is an economic strategy game that transports the player straight into the days of dial-up internet and massive CRT monitors. This was an incredibly engaging school project with a strict rule: create a working game in pure Java Swing, without leaning on ready-made engines. The player manages hardware (buying iconic machines like 'Złomek 486'), sets prices, cares for customer satisfaction, invests in venue upgrades, and opens a retro arcade zone to generate passive profit.
The primary barrier in this project was the school requirements: a complete ban on using external game engines. I had to independently design a game loop based on multi-threading, which flawlessly handles real-time customer behavior simulation and income calculation.
To combine an authentic 90s vibe with advanced data management, I relied on a proven architecture. I implemented the Singleton pattern for smooth control of the global game state (similar to how things are done in React) and a custom GSON-based system to save and read local game states from JSON files.
Interface Gallery
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