WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — MSU Texas hosted a grand opening for its brand new state-of-the-art esports and gaming lounge, located right inside Legacy Hall.
It’s been a long time in the making and students and faculty say they are just happy to be able to have a luxury like this on campus.
“I have lifelong connections there and some of my greatest achievements academically or in a video game on a battlefield have come from these kinds of spaces,” MSU Texas Esports and Gaming Coordinator Zachary Zoet said.
The kind of spaces Zoet is referring to is a gaming lounge, something the university didn’t have until now.
“I’m really excited to see this finally come to fruition. It’s been a piece that’s been in the works for months now there were a lot of hangups a lot of left turns,” Stangs Gaming Club Treasurer Oz Taylor said.
MSU Texas unveiled the brand new gaming lounge that features 13 high-speed computers, a WiFi connection that’s exclusive to the lounge and a console area, but gamers like Taylor say best of all, it provides a space where gamers new and old can come together to play.
“A lot of people obviously don’t get into gaming too much because the equipment is so expensive and here we are providing them this really expensive equipment that they wouldn’t be able to use usually,” Taylor said.
MSU has a competitive esports team as well as a gaming club. Two organizations that Zoet says helped show him that there was a need for this on-campus once he saw the excitement on students’ faces.
“I really loved hearing people excited that Oz was featured on the highlight reel and people cheering for them so that was really nice to see people being seen, affirmed and supported,” Zoet said.
Whether you’re coming to the lounge to compete or just to unwind, MSU Texas aims to allow students to use this space as a fun escape from the demands of everyday life.
“In terms of what they can get up there its everything they need to start playing games competing but it’s also a space where they can create those relationships and lifelong friendships,” Zoet said.
A pretty awesome facility that’ll continue to grow the esports community at MSU.
Students don’t have to be on one of the MSU esports teams to use the gaming lounge. Any student is free to come in and give it a try!