The RCC’s new “gaming lounge” is just one of the new additions to our campus this semester… although its not so much a lounge, as it is a station (since it doesn’t have it’s own room or anything…). This campus newbie is located in the lower foyer of the RCC. It contains an Xbox 360 and a PS3 complete with TVs to play them on. So is this new edition a fun part of campus or a funny looking disruption?
Concept/Selection
I think a gaming lounge is a really good idea. As a school made up of more commuters than residents, BSU needs more spaces like this for commuters to hang between classes. Even if video games aren’t really your thing, it can act as an activity to help people (commuters and residents alike) get to know each other… while killing each other on screen, but don’t worry- the selection of games isn’t just shooter-based; its pretty broad. It includes games like Dance Central, Kinect Adventures, and sport games for non-gamers who just want to have fun.
Location
Now I’m not sure if the lower foyer of the RCC is the best location for the new gaming station. It’s definitely a good spot for it to get noticed, but what about the other people in the foyer not gaming? It’s not like the library or anything, but some people do go there to get work done or read. The gaming station could be a distraction for them and if a lot of people are around the station playing and watching games, that’s going to dominate an already busy area of campus.
Future
While the lower foyer is a good temporary location, I’d like to see the game station move to a more permanent spot- ideally, it’s own room. As I’m sure many of you know from recent trips the registrar’s office (and the long lines around it…), it is now in a temporary room in the RCC. What a lot of people don’t know is that room used to be the old gaming room, complete with pool tables, ping pong tables, and dartboards. Once the registrar moves into its new office, perhaps they could put a new gameroom together complete with both old AND new school games.
So what do you think of the new lounge? How’s the location/selection? Will you be playing it? Is it a positive addition to the campus?
found an image on RCC’s facebook of the gaming lounge just not sure how to translate into word press
I love the idea of making a game room again! I really think that would be a fun hangout alternative for commuters too since the Commuter Lounge gets extremely crowded!
Sounds like it needs some work before it can truly match it’s potential, but it sounds like a great start for what it is at the moment. I think every school needs a lounge like this. encourage students to hang together. great article