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General News: Former Firehouse Caught in Electronic Rage
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| Others play at individual consoles |
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| Players sit in large, comfortable chairs |
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| The Game Station is on Main Street |
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| Tournaments are played on big screens |
July 10, 2007
By Brittany Gavin
There was a buzz in the air last Friday at Cornwall’s new hot spot, Game Station, as teens and preteens geared up for the sixteen-and-under Halo 2 tournament. (If you have to ask what Halo 2 is, then you probably aren’t one of the five million people worldwide who have played the game. Read more about it here.)
Game Station, which has been open for three weeks and will have its grand opening on July 21, is the creation of family man Todd Grausso. Grausso says that he saw that there was virtually no entertainment for adolescents in Cornwall and that the possibility of a skate park was too far off for his kids, including Grausso’s 12-year-old son, Billy. Video games, a big part of many teen’s lives, seemed like a perfect business venture. So, Grausso says, with the support of his wife, Bobbie Jo, he opened the game palace in a socially responsible move for kids.
Game Station is open seven days a week right on the town’s Main Street, occupying the first floor of the building that used to be the firehouse. Most of Game Station’s roughly 150 clients are young boys, although Todd had tried to incorporate games that will draw in girls, such as Dance Dance Revolution and the increasingly popular Guitar Hero. He also offers games such as Counterstrike (an anti-terrorism game, described by Todd as a “capture the flag for adults”), Fight Night 3 (a boxing game) and, of course, Halo 2.
Clients must create an account with Game Station to be able to play games on any of the sixteen computer consoles or the X-Box stations that are projected on large screens. All games are subjected to the rating system, so that users are only able to access age-appropriate games (unless parents dictate otherwise). Todd deems this system to be “socially responsible” and reassuring to many parents.
Carol Castellano, whose son Brian was entered into Friday night’s event, expressed concerns about older kids swearing or acting up around younger children. Carol’s fears were put to rest when Chris Hawkins, Todd’s assistant technician and also the referee of the tournaments, stated clearly in the rules that “if you swear, you’re out!”
The tournaments, which are tentatively planned for once or twice a month, are going to be segregated by age and skill level. For the first tournament the separation was at age 16, but if Todd notices great differences in skill levels between other age groups he will divide them up even more. The tournaments are likely to draw crowds with the promise of cash prizes.
While we are on the topic of money, it is good to know that the prices to play the games are not too steep either. The place also offers a coffee and snack bar.
While the gaming consoles are the big draw right now, Todd wants to remind everyone that that is only half of Game Station’s service. The other half is actually going to people’s homes and creating a home entertainment experience on request.
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