Within the four black-painted walls of a room filled with gaming computers and consoles on Florida State University’s campus, ambient music meets the rapid clicking sound of laser-focused students using their keyboards and controllers to engage in the world of video games.
The brand-new space is FSU’s Garnet Gaming Lounge, which is being dubbed as the premier campus destination for PC, console and tabletop gaming. Its official grand opening took place Sept. 22 at the Askew Student Life Center, and it also serves as the new home of FSU’s Esports teams for students to practice and compete.
“This is a space for anyone who likes to play video games,” FSU Garnet Gaming Lounge Program Manager Matthew Nelson told the Democrat. He also manages FSU’s Esports teams, which compete nationally in more than 15 different games each year. “This is a space for anyone who enjoys video games. This is a space for anyone who likes just the geek culture in general.”
Matthew Nelson, the project manager for the Garnet Gaming Lounge, which is Florida State University’s premier destination for PC, console and tabletop gaming.
The FSU gaming lounge is a state-of-the-art facility that consists of 41 high-performance gaming computers, a dedicated tabletop gaming area and a mix of both modern and retro consoles. It cost $600,000 and was supported by FSU’s Division of Students Affairs, the Student Union and Information Technology Services.
“I think it’s really great,” Mary Hull, a 22-year-old FSU graduate student majoring in business administration, told the Tallahassee Democrat while hanging out in the new lounge. The Tampa native also serves as FSU Esports president.
Although Hull has been gaming since middle school – where she recalls playing the 2016 video game Overwatch on her Dell laptop until it would overheat – she joined the Esports student organization during her freshman year at FSU. While expressing her excitement for the new gaming lounge, she eagerly shared her gamer username “MayKandi” − a combination of her and her sister’s names.
“Having this dedicated space makes it a lot easier to find people that like the same things you like,” Hull said. “I’m really looking forward to the events that will be going on here, such as weekly specials and tournaments.”
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With a total of 18 teams, the university’s Esports program has an average of 150 to 200 active students. Before the creation of the lounge – which broke ground in September 2024 – student members have had to use computers stationed in the Askew Student Life Center’s lobby area since 2009.
“This space has been years in the making, and we’re thrilled to finally open the doors,” FSU Student Union Associate Director Michael Fine said in a prepared statement. “The Garnet Gaming Lounge reflects our commitment to innovation and student life at Florida State. It is more than a lounge, it is a hub where creativity, competition and connection can thrive.”
The new lounge’s walls are still bare a few days after its grand opening, and plans are being made to decorate it with some graphics while also adding some additional lighting to the dim room, Nelson said.
But the developing space doesn’t hinder student engagement. Although the lounge is scarce during class times, Nelson said it gets busy at around 4 p.m. when students get out of class and need a place to unwind.
“It feels invigorating when the room is busy,” Nelson said. “The noise is just exciting when people are having bad moments or good moments (while playing). People are enjoying themselves, and it’s the experience that people have and the noise that gets generated in the room that makes it all much more exciting.”
The Garnet Gaming Lounge is Florida State University’s premier destination for PC, console and tabletop gaming.
The FSU lounge comes as several other universities have opened gaming facilities on their campuses to provide like-minded gamers with a designated space to play. While Florida International University opened an Esports lounge in 2024, the University of Florida and the University of North Florida both currently have plans to build a new Esports arena on their campuses.
“Gaming is a growing community here at FSU,” Nelson said. “There’s a lot of people that play video games, so it’s really important for us to build spaces as part of the Student Union to make these activities available for people. That’s our sole goal − to create those spaces for students so that they don’t have to leave campus.”
During the Garnet Gaming Lounge’s Sept. 22 grand opening celebration, activities included showcases by FSU Esports, prize drawings and console tournaments with Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart. While the space is open to the public, students and other individuals must pay either per hour, day or semester to use the gaming equipment.
“It’s really for everybody,” Nelson said. “We’re reaching out to Tallahassee State College and Florida A&M University to even do some competitions with them, which I think would be fantastic. It’s about trying to create an ecosystem that really hasn’t had a place to call home yet.”
The lounge is open from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information about its operation and rates, visit its website at https://ggl.union.fsu.edu/.
Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU opens Garnet Gaming Lounge for video gamers, Esports