A new campus hangout allows Eastern Michigan University
students to fight aliens, play guitar in a rock band or
drive a racecar — all between classes.
Savage Geckos gaming and entertainment center, located
on the first floor of the EMU Student Center, is the hotspot
for students with a passion for gaming. Students can buy,
sell, rent and play video games all in the same location.
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DANCE FEVER: Eastern Michigan University
freshman
Hendrew Sytanto, of Indonesia, practices
his dance
moves on Dance Revolution Supernova,
the most
popular game in Savage Geckos, a gaming
room in
the EMU Student Center.
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The store features a large collection of games for systems
ranging from Nintendo 64 to Xbox 360. Students can rent
any game for $5 an hour, to play on the store's Xbox, Xbox
360, PlayStation 2, Game Cube and networked PC systems.
Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 game systems are expected
to arrive in the next few weeks.
In addition to console games, students also can enjoy
the many coin-operated arcade games. The store's most popular
are DDR Supernova and Guitar Hero 1 and 2, said Chris Hall,
an EMU junior who works at Savage Geckos.
"We have one of only three Supernova machines in Michigan," said
Dan Beatty, another student employee.
Savage Geckos celebrated their opening with a party Saturday,
Nov. 11, featuring DDR and Halo tournaments. Around 120-150
people came through that night, said Beatty.
"We've been pretty busy Monday through Friday since we
opened," said Beatty. "For a lot of people on campus, this
is the environment that they like."
The EMU store is Savage Geckos' second location and the
first on a college campus. The business was founded by
Bruce and Annette Jones, and was originally run by their
family. Their first store, located in Milford, is geared
more towards elementary and middle-school aged children.
With the EMU store, the company has branched out into the
college market.
"Bruce wants to hire only EMU students to work at this
store," Hall said. "It's student-run, so we get a lot of
say in what happens."
The store depends on student input and suggestions to
help accommodate its new audience.
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SIZING UP THE SHOT: Eastern Michigan University
sophomore Dan Hayes, of Plymouth, readies his pool
shot while Noah Freundel, a Traverse City
sophomore,
looks on. The pool table is one of many
games amenities
available at Savage Geckos.
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"We really listen to customer's suggestions," said Beatty. "Sometimes,
students tell us something that they think would be cool
and, by the next time they come back, we've already done
it."
One thing that fellow student Matt Hoover would like to
see in the store is a Pop'n Music arcade game. Pop'n Music
is a game that requires the player to hit buttons corresponding
to moving bars on the screen. Each button makes a sound
when, played in the correct sequence, leads the user to
perform a song.
"Pop'n Music is the longest running music series in Japan," said
Hoover. "There are only 12 (such) arcade machines in North
America."
Hoover currently plays on one of the store's PlayStation
2 machines, using a controller that he built himself to
simulate arcade-style playing. His passion for the game
recently took him to Massachusetts to play in a national
convention.
"I like this game because I'm really logical," said Hoover. "The
charts are the same every time, so you always know what's
coming. It lets you get really good."
Even those who don't like video games may find a reason
to hang out at Savage Geckos. The store has two pool tables,
which students can play for 75 cents a game -- the
cheapest around, said Beatty.
"I am the best pool player ever.'" said Rashad "The Champ" Farha. "If
anyone wants to challenge me, come down at noon on Tuesdays. 'The
Champ' will be here waiting."
Savage Geckos is open Monday through Saturday until 1
a.m., and Sunday until midnight. For more information,
call (734) 337-0560.
