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Snake Pit reopens as esports gaming arena

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Jameson Champion

On Jan. 30, the Snake Pit reopened as an esports gaming arena, following its remodel.  The gaming arena is full-fledged with a lot of gaming options and servers. For instance, you can choose from the Minecraft Server List, the server which best suits your preference.

Last week marks the first time the Snake Pit has been made available to the general student population since last semester.

The event saw visitors trying out the new computer systems in the repurposed Snake Pit, as well as view all the new renovations to the arena. 

This space’s renovations include 24 computers for general student access, 12 of which are usable under current COVID-19 restrictions. There are also an additional six computers that have been placed on a stage for esports teams to use during livestream production and live esports events.

These renovations are an exciting new addition to many, especially students who do not have access to consoles or computers capable of playing games. 

“It’s pretty nice. It gives our community a space to play games,” sophomore and esports athlete Casey “Kabit” Freudenthal said.

The Snake Pit was formerly a room for 

commuters to spend time between classes. In the Fall 2020 semester it was announced that the esports department would be remodeling the space into an esports arena. 

Prior to this, all esports related events were held using a dedicated room within the Carlisle-Rogers building.

Due to its conversion from a student hangout spot to an esports arena, there are some who are unhappy with the change.

“The esports arena is great for the esports teams, but it almost seems as though the commuter students were cast aside and forgotten about,” sophomore Joshua De La Pena said. “Not only was the Snakepit my place to chill, but to do homework without worrying about being too loud, like in the library, or being uncomfortable like outside.”

After the announcements that the esports department would be changing the space, a soft opening to the Snake Pit occurred in September 2020 with a highly limited capacity. 

This included students having to reserve a computer in order to follow COVID-19 guidelines.

An important new feature to the arena is the potential for live competition play by esports athletes. 

The room’s stage offers an opportunity for the players to be front and center with seating for viewers during play. 

“Once COVID is over I think being able to play live will be a cool opportunity,” Freudenthal said.

The Snake Pit’s hours are from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day. 

In order to receive swipe access to the room, students must fill out the esports room access form on Engage.

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