Another cool business concept in the Augusta area is saying goodbye! Next Generation Gaming announced on social media that they have decided to cease operations as of March 24. This message was shared with their customers, family, friends, and fellow gamers.
Next Generation Gaming used to be known as Level Up before its rebrand. The establishment has been around since 2009. The gaming arcade was owned by Harrison Gresham. This center was a place for gamers to indulge in their love of gaming under one roof.
They housed classic arcade games, as well as, games that allowed opportunities for competitive LAN play. LAN is a local area network, in the gaming world, it refers to gamers playing multiplayer games while in the same area.
One of the cool events they would often host was a Gaming All-Nighter event. That's right, a good old-fashioned lock-in, where you could play games from sun up to sun down. Even pizza and drinks were included in these all-nighter events.
They also hosted birthday parties, socials for homeschooled students, and more. The latest event held at Next Generation Gaming was for Mario Day, also known as MAR10 Day. Gamers had the opportunity to enjoy retro Mario with the original NES and catch up with him and the gang with Mario Cart on Nintendo Switch!
In this day and age social media is huge, but so is gaming. Gaming has been around for years and has become more than just something to do in your time. It becomes an outlet, a time of relaxation, a chance to bring people from all over together, and even a chance for scholarships.
Many schools have now added gaming rooms for Esports. Again, games are not being looked at as just games, something to do. Schools are recognizing even the educational value of gaming.
What a loss for the community and the local gaming world!
Explore 5 Gaming Centers in the CSRA – Calling all Gamers
There is a place for the people that love reading books, there is a place for people that love playing pool, but what about the people that love games? Well, we might know a place or two. We're calling all gamers to learn about these gaming centers in the CSRA.
A gaming center is a place where people can come together to create a community, play games, and have tournaments. Esports and LAN gaming has been growing a lot. For example, colleges offer Esports scholarships, and some of those colleges even have gaming labs. High schools have implemented Esports as an elective. There are even pro teams that are created in the gaming world that compete for millions in cash prizes. In the US there are over 650 gaming centers, and the CSRA is a part of that growing number.
Fortnite, 2k, Mortal Combat, you name it – gaming developers are continuing to create new projects which will keep these game rooms around for a while. These gaming rooms consist of PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Virtual reality, retro games, and arcades.
Check out these gaming centers in the CSRA.
Next Generation Gaming
This video gaming center is located in Grovetown where they offer a mix of new games and old games. There is a flat fee to to play the games. To learn more, click here.
Gnome Gamers
This facility is located in Augusta, Ga. They specialize in youth competitive Esports, where they can life skills while enjoying games. To Learn more, click here.
Vizion VR
Experience a new world while in Aiken, South Carolina, with virtual reality. Learn more about the adventures you can take here.
Battleground Gaming
For those that are military or military connected, Fort Gordon, Ga even has a gaming room. There are individual gaming consoles for gamers to play or watch movies. Learn more here.
Cardboard Castle Games
Do you collect or play Pokémon trading card games? Well this is the spot for you. This game center located in Evans, Ga is little different form the others mentioned. This location specializes in tabletop gaming. To learn more click here.
