Gamers In Lowell Get New Space

Lowellians with a craving for playing video games will no longer have to battle television fanatics, thanks to a new gaming room opened in Lowell last week.

Filled with couches and a television without cable, the space, previously the vacant N-14 room, will only be open to Lowell house members for a trial period. Gamers must bring their own video game equipment.

“The idea of a gaming lounge was proposed late last spring in response to some problems between regular cable TV watchers and gamers in Lowell House,” Elizabeth Terry, Lowell House Administrator, wrote in an e-mail.

“Cable only exists in the JCR and it is difficult to get it installed anywhere else, so it made sense to think about where the gamers could go,” wrote Terry, explaining that because video games do not require cable, it makes sense for gamers to use the television without cable.

Many Lowellians cited the widespread dissatisfaction that plagued the house last spring as an impetus for the creation of the gaming lounge.

“If you wanted to go watch The Daily Show at 11 and people were trying to play X-box on that television then that would be a problem,” said Aaron D. Chadbourne, ’06. “This provides an alternative place for people to do that in a space that otherwise wouldn’t have been used for anything.”

Members of the Lowell House Committee (HoCo) hope that the lounge will satisfy all factions within the house.

“There are a lot of people who have different sorts of social contexts,” said Lowell HoCo co-chair Neil K. Mehta ’06. “I think having a gaming space allows us to cater to [everyone].”

Although the room will appeal more to gamers, who do not need cable to play their video games, the room can be rented out to any House members, according to an e-mail Terry sent out to the Lowell open e-mail list.

“The gaming room, despite what its name might imply, is a flexible social space,” said Lowell HoCo’s publicity chair, Charles J. McNamara ’07.

While some house members expressed positive opinions about the lounge, others worried that the gaming lounge will only serve a small number of Lowellians.

“I think it’s a nice idea to have a room where people can go and watch TV,” said Katharine P. Eldridge ’07, “but I think that by labeling it like a ‘gaming room’ you’re kind of making it seem like the [only] purpose of it is to play video games.”

Other house members held similar feelings about the lounge’s narrow purpose.

“It seems like it’s going to serve a marginal community in the house,” said Jeremy R. Steinemann ’08. “You can only play video games and I guess watch movies in it. It’s just kind of limited.”

Despite these feelings, some house members view the lounge as a way to alleviate strain caused by space shortages, which will benefit gamers and non-gamers alike.

According to Terry, the gaming room, in its present state, may not survive the trial period.

“Keep in mind that incidental spaces like this in our House, as in all Houses, are fungible,” wrote Terry. “This room may not stay a gaming lounge forever.”

Other students suggested that the lounge might be converted to accommodate different needs in the future.

“Lowell House does a really great job of trying to accommodate anyone,” said Chadbourne. “[The gaming room] is an experiment to see what the house is really into. If there’s not [any interest], I’m sure we can find other things to do with the space.”

Despite the wide range of feelings expressed in regards to the lounge, most agree that the gaming room has the correct aims.

“Harvard can be a high stress atmosphere,” said Chadbourne, “so anything we can do to create a more social space... I think [is] definitely a step in the right direction.”