by Christopher Sanchez
Daily Lobo
Students planning on playing arcade games in the SUB game room will have to look elsewhere.
The former cUeNM game room in the SUB is now managed by TechSmiths and will take its name.
TechSmiths has replaced the air hockey table and the various arcade games with Microsoft Xbox game consoles and computers.
"The old arcade games were '70s and '80s technology," said Jim Smith, co-owner of TechSmiths.
TechSmiths said the game room opened Tuesday and had more than 75 people go through their doors on the first day.
Justine Parris, an employee of TechSmiths, said the game room offers five Xboxes and seven computers and said there are more to come.
"There are soon to be six Xboxes and six televisions," Parris said. "One Xbox will feature the interactive dancing game 'Dance, Dance, Revolution.'"
There are more than 16 different titles offered for the Xboxes in the game room, which include "Halo," "Halo 2" and "Madden 2005," she said.
Walter Miller, director of the SUB, said the decision to privatize the game room was made because students were not utilizing the arcade games.
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"Problematically, we weren't seeing a lot of activity on the arcade games," Miller said. "It seems that students are looking for more technology-based games."
Parris said eventually all the Xboxes will be connected to the Internet, which will allow gamers to play others across the country - and even the world.
Smith said the equipment could cost anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000.
The additions to the game room come at a price.
When UNM managed the game room, it cost $3 per pool table for an hour, plus additional charges if students wanted to play the arcade games.
The game room will now cost each student $3 per hour, which includes the usage of Xbox and PC usage.
Ezra Esquibel, a sophomore at UNM, is happy about the changes.
"It's definitely better than what they had before," he said while playing "Madden Football" for Xbox. "It's a bit more pricey than before, but there is much better stuff now."
Esquibel said the game room is a great place to get away.
"I come here after class or after homework," he said. "It gives me a good break, since my brain is fried after homework."
TechSmiths will also be available to people who are not UNM students, Smith said. There will be a fee for those who are not students, he said, but there has been no decision on how much the annual fee will cost.
Smith said he plans to hold gaming tournaments throughout the year at the SUB.
TechSmiths also plans to have nightly specials like the former game room did, Smith said. He said each night there will be a different theme, like student organizations' night and Lobo nights.
Miller said he chose TechSmiths to run the game room because they were able to provide students with technology-based games.
"It's going to be cutting edge," he said. "You don't see anything like this across the city."
Student Linda Vigil was a fan of the pinball machines, but said she is willing to share the room with the Xboxers.
"As long as they know the pool tables were here first," Vigil said.
TechSmiths will be open 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
