Esports Gaming Lounge Now Open!

Curious about our new Gaming Lounge located in PAC 2021?

Warriors Esports and University of Waterloo Interdisciplinary Network for Esports (UWIN) are excited to announce the opening of the new Esports and Gaming Lounge located in the Physical Activities Complex. This new space is open to students and researchers who are interested in both esports and video games. This space was opened thanks to support provided through the Provost’s New Interdisciplinary Networks, Programs, and Initiatives Funds and donations from Odyssey Interactive. 

The new lounge is located in PAC 2021 and features PCs, Switches, PS5s and VR. The lounge will be open Monday - Friday, 12:00-10:00 pm.

• Gaming Lounge Term Pass - Access to lounge, Smash Ultimate Weeklies and tournaments ($40.00 + HST)
• Esports - Smash Ultimate - Access to Smash Ultimate Weeklies on Tuesday, 6:00-11:00 pm ($15.00 + HST)
• Esports - One Day Use - Access to esports programming on the day of purchase ($10.00 + HST)

The official opening took place on Tuesday, February 11, where we were honoured to welcome several key members of our community to celebrate this achievement. Attendees included Dean Lili Liu (a key champion of our esports proposal), Roly Webster, UWIN’s leadership team, representatives from the Waterloo Region Esports Commission, and some of our outstanding students. 

“This program shaped my university experience in such as positive way, and I can’t wait to see how opening this space influences the next generation of students,” said Elissa Chen, Warriors Esports student employee. Jackie Yi, another Warriors Esports student employee, delivered a speech highlighting the skills he developed and the community he developed through this program, saying, “I can’t imagine my university experience without being here, I’ve made what I consider lifelong friends here while developing an inclusive community for everyone.”

Dr. Luke Potwarka, an Associate Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies and co-Director of UWIN is excited to see the space open for teaching/learning and research opportunities. “We envision this space as not only serving to enhance student experiences; but also a space that connects esports athletes and technology with researchers from across faculties and disciplines," Dr, Potwarka says.

For any questions about the space or collaboration opportunities, please reach out to Greg Mittler.