Anybody remember what a crowded arcade was like? I remember waiting in line to play someone in Soul Calibur our huddling around some kid who was creepily awesome at Silent Scope. Sadly, few people frequent the arcades in my area anymore. I, like many others, view gaming as a social activity so when I heard the news of GameStop opening up tournament centers I was ecstatic. I hope they open up one in the DC or Northern Virginia area. That'd be sweet. We've had a couple of places like that. They used to have an xbox setup at a local skatepark. That didn't last long because the skatepark wasn't a huge fan of loitering youth. We also had something similar at a Wizards of the Coast store in Springfield. People could pay by the hour and play Counterstrike or Everquest across their networks in the store. It was a great way to meet other gamers in an environment where it was difficult to be an asshole. With luck this GameStop tournament center in San Jose will be hugely successful and maybe they'll open up a couple more. Who knows?

-Topher