Power up, gamers

A large mural of the Super Mario Brothers' Mario and his flaxen-haired princess, Daisy, stand bright against the pitch-black walls of what will be Odessa College's new gaming center.

As of now the room is just a shell, but soon it'll hold seven gaming PCs, which will be "high-end graphics machines," said David Carson, OC's information technologies director. It'll also have two X-Box 360s, one Nintendo Wii, and three Sony Playstations.

The new gaming center is to be a place for tournaments where two teams can compete, Carson said. Flat, 22-inch computer monitors with high-definition inputs will accompany the gaming hardware.

Carson said the new "Gaming Cage" will have a two-fold goal - it'll be a "gaming environment where students can have a good time and have a blast," and it'll also be a place for the students of the new gaming program to exercise what they create and learn.

This will be the first year OC will offer a gaming certificate - for college students only - which will be under the guidance of Raymond Cone, the department chair of computer information systems. 

"We've been getting a lot of requests for it," Cone said.

Cone said Austin is No. 3 in the nation for gaming development.

"Most people don't know that," he said. "They usually think of Silicon Valley or Seattle, but now it's spreading to San Antonio, Houston and Dallas."

Cone and his colleagues want to bring it to West Texas.

"We're trying to get our feet wet and see what kind of response we get," he said. Cone said he hopes it'll develop into a full associate's degree after it catches on.

Not only are students riding the coattails of a national trend, but Cone said part of the demand for this certificate comes from the idea that younger people think it's a glamour career. But, in addition, he knows it can be difficult: "It's work with a capital W," he said.

Cone and his colleagues have been going to gaming and training seminars for more than two years. He is ready to start teaching.

"I'm excited about it," he said. "It should be fun."

The gaming center's designed to go hand in hand with the certificate. It's also one of several initiatives the college has taken to bring the OC community closer.

Three years ago, the school opened the Wi-Fi Java Café, which serves lattes and offers free wireless Internet. Mike Haney, manager of the café, said it helps keep students on the campus between classes.

Furthermore, a new pavilion is in the process of going up in front of the coffee shop, which Haney said he hopes will provide a venue for everything from booksellings to battle of the bands concerts.

Haney also assisted in revamping the college cafeteria in the Student Union Building. Mosaic-tiled columns and booths are something else that invite students to stick around, he said.

Cone said he hopes a student center develops with the new gaming center and remodeled cafeteria. He also said he hopes OC will one day have a student gaming organization.

VIDEO GAME FACTIODS

>> U.S. computer and video game software sales grew 6 percent in 2007 to $9.5 billion - more than tripling industry software sales since 1996.

>> Sixty-five percent of American households play computer or video games. 

>> The average game player is 35 years old and has been playing games for 13 years.

>> In 2008, 26 percent of Americans older than the age of 50 played video games, an increase from 9 percent in 1999.

>> Thirty-six percent of heads of households play games on a wireless device, such as a cell phone or PDA, up from 20 percent in 2002.

>> Sixty-three percent of parents believe games are a positive part of their children's lives.

Source: http://www.theesa.com/facts/index.asp