When most students think about Russell House, the first thing to come to mind is probably food, not Super Mario Bros. or pool. But if you walk downstairs, you’ll find the student union’s hidden gem: the Golden Spur Game Room.
The Game Room is on the basement level of the Russell House, right between the CarolinaCard office and the mailroom. It’s open to all USC students, and you can swipe your CarolinaCard to pay for games.
The Golden Spur boasts seven pool tables, two ping-pong tables, air hockey and foosball. Gamers can also play Wii and Xbox or watch TV on one of the many plasma televisions that line the room.
Peter Straus, a second-year psychology major and self-proclaimed fan of all video games, said he didn’t know that there was a game room in the basement of Russell House until his roommate told him and suggested they should check it out together.
“My roommate Chris heard of it and thought it’d be fun to go,” said Straus. “When we discovered everything there, my favorite thing to do was play ping-pong.”
Straus said he didn’t realize that Golden Spur offered more than billiards, and once he learned about all of the other games that are there, he and his roommate would go there three or four times a week.
To reach out to all USC students and let them know about special events, Golden Spur communicates with students on social media websites. This past November, the 8 Ball Pool Tournament was advertised through Twitter. There was also a Super Smash Bros. Brawl video game tournament between 32 different players. In the past, the game room has also extended its operations until late in conjunction with Carolina After Dark.
The game room is open seven days a week, except during home football games and holidays, from noon until 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m. on weekends.