E-Sports Lounge makes space for high-end gaming

As the biggest week in gaming wraps up at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, a local gaming lounge works to open its doors.

“(I’m setting out) to change the view of the general public on video gaming,” said Greg Fulton, owner of E-Sports Lounge. “Ever so slightly, the view on video gaming, as it just being an entertainment avenue, is starting to change a little bit.”

E-Sports Lounge is a new space in University Mall that allows customers to relax and play video games of all genres, as well as to compete against each other in a group setting.

Electronic sports, or e-sports, namely refers to playing video games in a competitive setting, with teams or one-on-one. Popular e-sports titles include fighting games like “Street Fighter,” shooters like “Call of Duty” and “Counter Strike,” and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games like “League of Legends” and “Dota 2.”

Though prevalent in South Korea for years, e-sports have recently begun to hit the mainstream in the West. Some tournaments have received coverage on outlets like ESPN2, and e-sports tournaments now hold audiences of millions with prize money in the tens of millions of dollars.

“I consider that to be crowd-funded, basically,” Fulton said.

Customers will quickly notice E-Sports Lounge’s collection of large-screen televisions and plush couches. The lounge has setups with modern consoles like the Playstation 4, Xbox One and Wii U, as well as classics like the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Upstairs, many players will feel right at home with E-Sports Lounge’s PC area. It has 12 custom-built PCs from PC Land with SteelSeries equipment and DXRacer gaming chairs.

“I would’ve done it myself, but I recently welcomed the birth of a son,” Fulton said. “It’s been a little crazy getting this place together as well as helping out around the house, but it comes with the territory.”

At time of opening, E-Sports Lounge will offer two pricing plans, a $7.50 hourly rate and a $20 day pass. Both costs cover the use of any equipment in the store.

Though nothing has been set up yet, Fulton hopes to work closely with gaming groups on Virginia Tech’s campus, such as the Virginia eSports Association at Virginia Tech and Smash at VT.

“I think the lounge will be a great opportunity to expose people to our game, who may not have otherwise heard of it,” said Ben Fox, president of Smash at VT. Smash at VT is a campus organization built around the Nintendo multiplayer brawler “Super Smash Bros.”

Fulton also hopes to host sponsored events and tournaments with local companies and businesses.

“I think that the perception of e-sports is becoming more and more viewed as something normal everyday,” Fox said. “The amount of people, young and old, who play videogames is pretty high, and I don't see that changing.”

For Fulton, the E-Sports Lounge has been a solo endeavor, a longtime dream realized. Fulton has some experience in business; he helped in the launch of Mikie’s 7th (now The Element), a restaurant in Newport, Virginia. After losing his job, Fulton set his sights on the conception of E-Sports Lounge.

E-Sports Lounge is set to open Friday. Fulton says he would like to use this as an opportunity to invite people in for free to test the network.

Though this is his first business outing as an owner, Fulton isn’t nervous about showing off his pet project.

“I love gaming, it’s just a passion of mine,” Fulton said. “It’s hard to be nervous about something you love so much. I’m ready to get it underway.”