The Cal State LA game room is back after it closed to move locations. This time it’s in a bigger—and some say better— location on the second floor of the USU.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cal State LA game room was located in the U-SU basement, across the hallway from the student gym. The gym and game room were closed and when they re-opened in October 2021, the gym had been expanded to include the space where the game room used to be.

Starting spring semester 2023, the game room has a new home in room 201 on the USU second floor.

“We moved the game room to a larger space due to higher demand,” said Thomas Estrada, a recreation center employee. “We have added some new things to the game room like a pool table, foosball and ping pong. We also have an air hockey table but that is currently under repair.”

In addition to the new gaming tables, the game room also has several electronic gaming options. There are three different gaming monitors, including one for Esports, a new gaming console and a Nintendo switch that includes games to play.

Some students, like first-years Ulises Sandoval and Stephen Watson, enjoy the new game room.

“I come to the game room almost everyday,” Watson said. “I think the new facilities are very nice. I love the pool table a lot.”

Sandoval views the new game room as an improvement from the old game room.

“It’s definitely an improvement,” Sandoval said. “I come here whenever I have a break between classes and I usually play on the Nintendo Switch that they have here.”

The game room has also decided to add more interactive activities for students to participate in, according to Cal State LA’s Recreation Director Jay San Luis.

“Every Tuesday at 2 p.m., we have a tournament in the game room, we’ve dubbed it the Tuesday Tournament Series,” San Luis said. “The games vary every week, we usually let the participants decide what they want to play once they get there.”

Students who participate in the tournament have the chance to win prizes if they win.

“At the end of the tournament, the top three players win a prize,” San Luis said. “Prizes include things related to fitness and recreation like headbands, hot and cold packs and towels.”