GGC Gameroom: A place of relxation

                    When it comes to education, students think of assignments, exams, and working hard to get good grades, but what about relaxation? The game room at GGC is actually a good place to relax the mind and meet new friends. According to the Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) website, the game room is open from 11am-8pm Monday to Friday, but it closes early on weekends, during school closings, holidays, exam periods, official college events, and summer break (“GGC”). There are times people just go to the game room to hang out with their friends and chill, but most of the time, the main reason why people go to the  game room  is because they want to enjoy themselves and relax from a long day of studying.

            When I went to the game room, I noticed how big the game room was, and it was crowded with students having a good time. The room also has student workers there who  play different types of music to set the tone of the environment. The workers play different genres of music such as rap, anime, rock, metal, R&B, etc.  I noticed that the game room has two rooms, one of the rooms has a ping pong table right in the middle and the room is filled with different type of consoles, and

the other room has two pool table and an air hockey table There are a lot of pictures and posters which give the ma

in room a welcoming atmosphere.  There was something that caught my attention when I looked at the poster in the middle of the room.  On the poster there was a phrase that says, “Study Hard, play hard” This suggests to  students  that studying is very important,  but they should also take some time to relax their minds and have some fun. A recent study has found that teens who are regular gamers score higher than average in math, reading, and science on standardized exams as compared to teens that spend more time on social media. (“Positive effect”).

The workers at the front desk are very friendly and respectful, and they are there to ensure the safety and enjoyment of the students who walk in. I got an opportunity to talk to one of the workers. His name was Cameron Broone. I asked him why the game room attracts students, and what makes them come there often, and he said, the game room is an environment for student to come relax and enjoy themselves. I also asked him what the different types of consoles that they provide there for the students, and he said the game room has recent and modern-day consoles such as the XBOX 360, XBOX ONE, PS4, PS5, and the Nintendo switch. He also talked about the different types of games they had, which are first person shooter, sport games and every other game the students could think of (Broone).  I asked him if there were other games apart from video games people could be engaged in, and he said the game room has a ping pong table, two pool tables, air hockey and board games for those who would love to engage in physical activities. (Broone). I also wanted to know what his personal experiences there were like, and if he had any challenges working in the game room, and he gave me his personal experience. The first thing he discussed with me was that his greatest benefits are the different types of people he gets to meet there, and  many of the friends he has now were found in the game room. He also talked to me about his worst experience, which was the day he had to break up a fight with students, particularly one who lost Smash Bros on the Nintendo Switch (Broone).  A lot of the workers notice that some students yell and make noises when playing, and sometimes, the workers must remind them to keep it down. However, there are days they might not be able to tell them all the time, so the workers keep posters around to remind the student to quiet down when they get too loud The game room is not just open to anyone, only GGC students are allowedThe game room is not just open to anyone, only GGC students are allowed there, and the workers in the game room are there to enforce that rule. I spoke to another worker from the game room, and his name is Tim Tremble, and I asked him what the process students must go through to check out equipment. He said, “Every Student must have their Claw card in order to check out equipment.” He also mentioned that some people don’t come in most of the time to play video games. Some of them just come in because of the environment (Tremble).  I noticed that some students swipe in their claw cards and walk in without checking out a game, and it made me curious. I believed in my mind that the only reason why anyone would want to come to the game room is only to play video games. I asked a student who comes to the game room regularly what he thought of the game room and how it made him feel, and he told me  that he thinks that the game room is boring, because the majority of video games they have there he already plays  in his dorm, and the  only reason  he visits the game room is to play pool and just come to talk his friends (Smith).

            The Game room is not only meant for video games, but they also use the room to host different events. There was a time when I was playing my favorite game, and one of the workers came up to me and said, “We will be closing in 10 minutes for a faculty and staff meeting.”  When I heard this announcement, I finished my game and walked out of the room with the other students. I wanted to know the different type of events that are held in the game room, so I spoke to Tim again, and he told me that because the game room is located in the Student Involvement Center, different clubs can host their events there. The game room hosts Faculty and staff meeting and sometimes the workers in the game room  host different events of their own ( Tremble). The workers in the game room keep things professional by posting their events on their social media page to let other people know what they are doing. The game room has hosted events such as Date Night, Graffiti Night, Tournaments. Last semester they held tournaments for games such as FIFA, Taken 7, Mortal Kombat, and Pool. (Level One Gameroom)

            In Conclusion, the game room is a relaxing place to have a good time, meet new friends, and have a good time after studying so hard. Moreover, it has also hosted a lot of events on campus for faculty and staff members. It is a place where competitive players come together to prove their ability to win. The game room also helps reduces stress for students who have been working hard. The two rooms give students different  choices to choose from and it creates an environment for a great community and a fun time.

 Photo citation

"Xbox One Controller" by mastermaq is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

"Finally gave in to PS4" by Leon Terra is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

                                                                                 

Works Cited

Broone, Cameron. Persona Interview, 13 Mar 2023.

“GGC Hours.” Georgia Gwinnett College, 2023, www.gggc.edu/aboutggchours/ggc.hours.

“Positive Effects Of Video Games: Do Games Improve Test Scores?” Your Teen For Parents, 2023, www.yourteenmag.com/technology/computer-games-can-improve-math-and-science-scores.

Smith, Keez. Personal Interview, 21 Mar 2023.

Tremble, Tim. Personal Interview 18 Mar 2023.

Level One Game Room. “Posts.” Instagram, 2023, www.instagram.com/lvl1.gameroom/