Ryan Tubongbanua / The Collegian

Fresno State welcomes first ever gaming station on campus

During long breaks in between classes, students now have another choice on how to spend their time — they can play X-box in the University Student Union Recreation Center.

The new Station X video gaming center opened near the bowling alley on Monday, August 25, offering four 42â€Â plasma screen televisions and just as many gaming stations.

Although students are just starting to find out about this new amenity on campus, interest seems to be picking up very quickly.

“There was a steady flow of traffic all day,â€Â said Patricia Thomason, USU Recreation Center Manager, referring to Station X’s grand opening.

Fresno State plays along with campus gaming trend

The idea for this new gaming station was generated when a group of students and staff members of the USU Recreation Center attended a conference; where the topic of gaming stations inside college campuses was explored.

Because of the success on other college campuses, Fresno State decided to attempt the same.

Receiving the licensing to open this station was not easy, however. The school had to go through great measures in order to be allowed to open the video gaming station.

Ryan Tubongbanua / The Collegian

Help in this process came from other schools in the CSU system. One was California State University, Fullerton, who already had a similar gaming station that quickly became very popular among their students.

Eager for expansion

Now that Station X is open, students have the choice between twelve games, including NCAA Football ‘09, Madden ‘09 and the brand new Tiger Woods PGA tour ’09. More options will be added to the list in the future.

“I want [students] to come in and tell me [what games they want],â€Âsays Thomason.

Because the USU Recreation Center is open to individuals under eighteen years of age, the selection is limited to only games rated “Teenâ€Â to be played.

“If they had more games I would always be here,â€Â said junior biology major Keng Xiong, while
watching his friends play the video game Madden ‘09.

Some of the students present seemed to agree on the need for a wider selection of games, but they all seemed very happy with the environment and the comfortable seating.

“Air conditioning and a comfy couch, that pretty much does it for me,â€Â says Maruir Lee, a senior industrial techonology major.

Fresno State students can also rent two wireless controllers and a game for only $3.50 per hour. The cost for alumni and faculty is $5 and $6.50 for the general public.