Denia Recreation Center was packed Saturday afternoon with children using gaming computers to play games, asking staff and esports association members for help and guidance.
The Denton Parks and Recreation Department was having an esports open house preview for people of all ages at the Denia center.
Denia’s new gaming lounge includes 10 Redragon gaming computers where open house attendees played four video games — Roblox, Fall Guys, Rocket League and Valorant.
Jason Barrow, athletics manager for Denton Parks & Recreation, said that as esports is growing, the department saw an opportunity to offer an esports lab to community members interested in developing their gaming and communications skills.
“It’s about getting the community together,” said Wes Dennis, a member of a Dallas-Fort Worth esports association. “Kids play games all the time. They can play at home, but the sense of community of them being able to come together and play in the same room — it just builds a completely different community within it.”
Barrow said he attended the Texas Recreation and Park Society’s annual conference and attended a class on esports, where he met Adam Aberbach, another esports association member whose company, Starlight Fusion, designs and builds gaming labs.
Barrow asked Aberbach about the empty room at Denia Rec Center, and they decided to meet after the conference to talk about possibly converting the space into a gaming lounge. They met, and the vision for an esports lounge clicked.
Barrow and Aberbach said they were happy about the number of people who came to the open house.
The event had only four video games, but Barrow said more games will be added, including Overwatch 2 and Minecraft, along with a Nintendo Switch.
“We’re trying to stay on top of and make sure we have the most popular games at the time,” Barrow said.
How to register
The gaming room will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
For now, Denia will be the only Denton recreation center with an esports gaming lounge. Barrow said the department might considering adding a gaming lounge at another recreation center in the future.
While the department website says open play will cost $25, Robbie Johnson, center manager of Denia Recreation Center, said they are still deciding on the price.
Parents must accompany their children and register for a secure setup before playing.
First esports competition
The Denia center will host its first Valorant league competition on Saturday, June 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for ages 13 and up.
From then on, league competitions will be hosted every Saturday at the same time through Aug. 5.
Valorant is a first-person shooter game in which a team of five faces an opposing team using character-based tactical gameplay.
Dennis said the esports competition will bring together those interested in competing, just like traditional sports do.
“They’re in the same space — they’re competing against each other,” Dennis said.
Dennis also said there would be coaches to help individuals understand a game better, such as developing strategies to improve skill sets in Valorant and other games.
Registration for league play will cost $70.
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