Community game center comes online – InfoTech’s new tournament center

Everyone loves to plays. Photos courtesy of InfoTech.

On September 12th, which was also coincidentally “National Gaming Day,” Front Royal’s Community Gaming center opened its doors.

Announced at last week’s regular Town Council Meeting by Interim Mayor Matt Tederick, the center is an example of the entrepreneuring spirit here in Front Royal. Kevin and Trudy Rogers, who some may know as the owners of the InfoTech Cellphone Repair store on Main street, started down the road of this project when they hosted a game tournament for fun in their store earlier this summer. When asked what gave them the idea to host this game tournament, Trudy responded “I decided when I was playing games with my son, something we like to do in our free time, and he told me about these Fortnite tournaments and it intrigued me. I just thought the idea of people coming together to have fun playing games was really cool.”

The success of this tournament, which brought out more than a dozen kids, inspired the couple to expand it into a business. Trudy’s love for gaming and the social experience it can offer moved her to create a tournament center in the backroom of the InfoTech store. After completely remodeling the room to encompass dozens of monitors and a top-of-the-line WIFI station, she dedicated the room to her grandmother who loved gaming as much as Trudy does; calling it the EMR Cave. They finished construction at the end of August, only a few months after the first successful tournament.

Some people would question the usefulness of this center, such as concerned parents who worry that their kids play to many video games. Trudy responded to these objections by reminding those at the open house that the center exists to bring the kids out of their rooms to meet and make friends with others. “Wouldn’t it be better to see the people you play with face to face? The answer is a resounding yes! It’s good for the kids.”

The EMR Cave will be open for use to any group that wants to use it. Tourney Gaming will be hosting monthly tournaments with a $20 buy in. Players can also rent out the room for 2 hours for $140 and bring friends or even throw a party. The first tournament will be a Fortnite tournament held September 21st at 2 P.M. with a free trial for a solo Apex Legends match afterwards.

Tournament’s will work as a “bring your own console” because Trudy want’s to let players play with their own settings. However, if a player for some reason can’t bring their own, they do have Xbox’s available for use. The center also has rental headsets and controllers, everything a gamer would need to play well.

Trudy’s long-term goals for the center include installing Virtual Reality (VR) consoles, as well as expanding tournament games to any competitive shooter out there. Businesses can also sponsor tournaments, bringing in the kids and advertising directly to them.

If you want to learn more about the Tourney Gaming Center, visit their website at www.tourneygamer.com