Students enjoying time off from studying in the Annandale Campus Gaming Club Lounge.

What’s better than playing video games at home, with all the lights off, just you and 5 million other people all connected by headsets? Playing with friends at school, that’s what. Video games have become more of a social past time than ever.

Let’s take a look at the past few years. Games like Halo 3, Gears of War 2, Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and a multitude of other games have involved less single-player and more glorious, fragging multi-player action.

With such a drastic leap toward social gaming, why are some gamers still insisting on sitting alone in front of their consoles day after day, playing against opponents they don’t even know?

Truth be told, we probably all do it. It’s easy, convenient and how college kids roll. But, what if it was just as convenient, just as easy, and even more fun to play games at school?

A gaming room recently opened at NOVA’s Annandale campus. During the school day, it is not uncommon, when walking through the CF building toward the cafeteria, to hear cries of victory, the rat-tat-tat of gunfire, and John Madden saying, “Now here’s a guy who, when he runs, he goes faster!” Players of all shapes, sizes and skill levels line up to beat each other up, shoot each other in the feet and jump on each other’s heads.

The room itself is unassuming: four walls, five or six HDTV’s and all the latest gaming systems and games. What does it cost to use? Just the temporary loss of your NOVA ID and a lot of time. As expected, there are time limits for playing so that everybody gets to play. But fear not, you can stick around and play the winner of the next game.

Every game picked is there to be played by multiple players. You won’t see all the latest and greatest in single-player RPGs, or single-player anything, for that matter. After all, how much fun is it to watch the ending of a game that you have sitting at home, waiting to be finished, played by someone who isn’t you?

Sorry, PC gamers, nothing for you here. But why not head down to the cafeteria and see if you can’t get a mini-LAN party started up?

But you don’t have to go all the way to Annandale just to play a game of New Super Mario Brothers because there is a new gaming room coming to the Alexandria campus. According to Haroon Ismail, president of the Alexandria Student Government Association, it will open sometime around the week after spring break. Located in the Bisdorf Building’s international café – which is across from the cafeteria – it will be the center of the gaming community at Alexandria. It will also be the meeting place of the brand-new Gaming Interest Group, led by Cody Hart.

While still in the stages leading up to becoming a full-fledged club, it definitely has some followers. How often do you see students sitting around campus, playing a game of some kind to pass time between classes, who are more than likely running late? Chances are, they have signed up for, or are thinking of signing up for, the Gaming Interest Group.

Organizers are currently in the late stages of hiring and training students to work there.

It should be open soon, so keep your eyes out for signs. If you don’t find any, take a good listen. If you hear someone scream, “Ha! I beat you!” chances are it is open.

By: Chris Pilcher

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