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Press start on the Carolina Gaming Arena

The new Carolina Gaming Arena is providing casual and competitive gamers an outlet on campus.

Students playing video games.

On the ground level of Craige Residence Hall, down a small set of stairs just off the volleyball court, sits the new Carolina Gaming Arena, a space designed for everybody from casual gamers to competitive players.

“The Carolina Gaming Arena is a place for students to come together and find each other within the gaming community here on campus,” says Lee Hyde, the director of UNC ResNET, which provides IT support for UNC-Chapel Hill’s residential communities and manages the new arena. “It’s also a place to celebrate all of the things that our students are doing in the area of gaming.”

The new space, provided by Carolina Housing, features 36 PC stations, three game console zones, more than 100 games and several monitors for watching, playing and casting. The arena was outfitted with state-of-the-art gaming PCs and monitors provided by Lenovo.

“It allows us to have a space where we can work together in-person instead of just always online,” says junior Sylvia Wang. “It’s a great way to interact with your fellow team members. It’s a great way to just make friends.”

Although COVID-19 delayed plans to open the arena up at full capacity, students can sign up to play over the summer and will have more opportunities to visit and play in the fall.

Learn more about the Carolina Gaming Arena

Updated to include information on Lenovo providing equipment.