By Eric Butler
Tucked away on the third floor of the Swain Student Activities Center is the Cardinal Corner Game Room, where many students go to relax and take a break from their studies. The venue certainly accommodates that desire: the room is equipped with seven pool tables, four ping-pong tables, three dartboards, a foosball table and an air hockey table. Also on site is a coin-operated Dance Dance Revolution game console and a small TV lounge area in the back. The real clincher, though, lies in the fact that everything at the Cardinal Corner –– aside from the DDR machine –– can be used for free.
Continuing the unending quest to improve the university community, U of L’s Student Government Association has been footing their fellow students’ gaming bill since last semester. Students, faculty and staff have been able to rent all of the pool cues, ping-pong paddles and other game pieces with nothing more than their Cardinal Cards.
“Everything in there used to have a cost,” said John Smith, assistant director of Intramural Sports and the Cardinal Corner’s “man in charge.” In prior years, pool tables were rented out for $1.50 per half hour, and the arcade-style video games, which have since been removed for lack of use, were 25 or 50 cents per play.
“This year, SGA decided they wanted it to be a free thing for students, and that’s been huge,” said Smith.
Attendance at the Cardinal Corner has gone way up with the advent of cost-free gaming. Smith said the room has averaged almost 6,000 users per month this year, while at this time last year it was averaging only 2,300. “It’s been an amazingly successful venture,” he said.
SGA President Ryan McKinley and Executive Vice President Bill Brammell are well aware of the room’s current success and said they would like to keep the games free for students in the future. Next year’s SGA budget allocation hasn’t yet been decided but McKinley said that continuing to fund the game room will definitely be considered and he doubts the proposition will encounter any resistance.
Regarding the Fall 2004 and Spring 2005 semesters, Brammell said the SGA put up a total of about $7,000 to cover the year’s gaming costs. The figure was based on the game room’s average income over the previous three years, and compensated for what the room would typically take in over the course of a year. Smith said the money goes toward the basic upkeep of the gaming facilities, such as re-covering the pool tables every summer, buying grosses of ping-pong balls and switching pool cues, among other things.
Smith said he is happy his department is affiliated with the venue. U of L is one of the only universities in the country whose Intramural Department manages the game room on campus.
“We love it because it gives us access to a whole different population of students,” he said. “There’s a TV lounge in the back of it and there’s a very dedicated group of gamers that are up there every day, which is great.”
Two such lounge regulars are Lexi Taylor and Liz Seng, both seniors at U of L. Taylor said she discovered the room through some friends who frequented the lounge area, which is set all the way back at the rear of the game room. It’s actually quite difficult for a newbie to find.
The girls said they come to this little nook of campus to play card games like Gin Rummy and King’s Corners — not, like other regulars, for role-playing games like “Dungeons and Dragons” or “Shadowrun.” Seng said she likes the room because it’s only used by her friends, and because it’s indoors and near the dining facilities. And, as Taylor said, “It’s safe.”
Often the TV loungers bring in their own X-box, Playstation and Nintendo game systems and hold tournaments using the room’s TV. In many ways, the area serves as a living room away from home for students.
Out in the main room, though, there’s a little more bustle. Quasi-regular Ryan Fenwick said he goes to the Cardinal Corner two or three times a week and usually sticks to the ping-pong and pool tables. He expressed a little disappointment about the arcade games being removed last year.
“I miss the Galaga machine,” Fenwick said. “That got a lot of my laundry money freshman year.”
Despite Fenwick’s allegiance, Smith said the arcade games weren’t very popular. The vendor that was leasing the space wasn’t getting enough returns, so when the contract went up for renewal, they opted out. The empty space didn’t linger, though: Smith said it allowed them to put in more ping-pong tables to satisfy what he called an “exploding” interest in the game. Even today with four tables, players sometimes have to wait for a table to open up.
Another game substitution is in the works now. Smith said the dartboards get very little use and so he is looking into installing a four-sided video game kiosk in their place, which would give students a chance to preview new X-box, Playstation or Nintendo video games before they are released publicly. The deal hasn’t been finalized with suppliers yet, but Smith is optimistic.
“We were one of 10 campuses they were interested in doing this pilot project with,” Smith said. “It’s still speculative, but I’d say there’s a greater chance that it will happen than it won’t.” The exchange would take place later this semester.
The space maintains a laid-back atmosphere throughout the day, although obviously some hours are calmer than others. Student workers Nachelle Porter and Melanie Cameron said the busiest time for the game room is usually around lunchtime, and later into the evening –– the Cardinal Corner stays open until 10 p.m. during the week –– it generally slows down a bit.
Still, no matter what time you go, you’re bound to find someone in there having a good time.
Freshman Daniel Nong said he’s in the game room almost every day, sometimes for an hour, sometimes longer. He and his friends use the space just to hang out whenever they get some free time.
“It’s a fun atmosphere,” said Nong. “We have a good time here.”
And that’s exactly the point.
The Cardinal Corner Game Room is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Non-university members are welcome to enter the game room, but should be accompanied by a cardholder if they wish to use the facilities.
