By Gabby Roscuata, May 5, 2026
While students conversed over the pool balls clacking and keyboards smacking, the dimmed lights found early childhood studies student Celeste Sanchez as she entered Cal Poly Pomona’s Games Room with an iPad and some homework.
Getting comfortable in the corner of the room, she sat down and placed her backpack and iPad on the table. Ahead of her were some students doing the same, some playing pool and others on the TVs playing video games. With one glance, Sanchez understood why it was important to have the Games Room on campus.
“A lot of people come here to relax,” Sanchez said. “It’s a place to unwind and destress.”
The Games Room, located on the first floor in the Bronco Student Center, brings students from different majors together through their love for gaming and connection.
For many, the Games Room is considered a home away from home. It is a space of unspoken understanding with other people. Sanchez said upon entering, it immediately invites visitors to be themselves because students know they share a lot in common with other gamers who use the room.
It is important to have spaces reserved like this for students, especially in times of stress that can come from studying and working, anchez said. She thought it was great to have a little area for herself, while others played around her.
Biology student Jeremy Martinez, whoe goes to the Games Room almost every day, said he feels similar.
“I go because of the environment and how loud it is,” Martinez said. “The library is a little too quiet and the outside is a little too public.”
The Games Room is also a space to make friends that go beyond the initial commonality of majors.
For example, computer Engineering student Adriel Castro said he made a friend in the Games Room through a mutual connection. The two became friends after sharing a long conversation during a pool game.
“I met my friend in here, who happened to introduce me to another person, who also became a friend of mine,” Castro said.
Additionally, some bring their friends to strengthen their bond.
Sanchez explained that as a commuter, the Games Room became her constant hangout spot in between gaps in her classes.
“I established deeper connections with my friends from class,” Sanchez said. “We would come in here and chat then get a lot closer.”
The room offers different forms of entertainment. Some students use the pool tables to play with their friends, while some play ping-pong, arcade games, mini basketball and Jenga.
“I would play pool or ping pong with friends, and it was a pretty good escape,” Castro said. “You can distract yourself with a lot of things.”
Consoles like PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch are also offered, along with an abundance of games to choose from including Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. and NBA 2K.
A QR code posted by the TVs even allows users to request games they want to see on the room’s consoles.
Inside, students are often seen playing Mario Kart on the TVs. Others are competing in weekly casual meetups hosted by CPP’s Fighting Game Community that happen every Thursday, according to the FGC’s Discord server.
“I grew up with gaming my entire life, like watching my dad or playing with my cousins or playing a solo game like Ghost of Tsushima,” Castro said.
Castro said the Games Room is like having a home away from home, and that it reminds him of the people he loves.
As for Martinez, he said gaming made him happy, and it cleares his mind whenever he plays.
“I get to have good connections and stay connected with friends,” Martinez said.
Martinez said the Games Room is not only a rest stop but doubles as a safe space by bonding students through a language understood by gamers.
“The space feels very welcome in the sense that people do what they do and mind their own business, and it just feels secure,” Sanchez said.
