Gameroom, Russell House USC: 1990s(?) 6 comments
When I was at USC, this space, on the second floor of the Russell House next to the fast-food area housed the student gameroom. I believe it had pool tables, but this being the 80s, what interested me were the video games of which there were a multitude.
I particularly remember playing Galaxian which was sort of a Space Invaders clone except that the invaders were space-ships and could dive down on you. Galaxian was quickly ousted from my affections however by Gorf a game which itself included a Galaxian clone as one of its levels. You almost never see these games anymore, but my next love (which I played much more at Robos than at Russell House) was another Galaxian follow-up Galaga. I still see and play this game today. (Though not until my hands bleed, I must admit).
I don't know when it happened, but on my most recent visit to Russell House, I found that the old gameroom had been re-purposed into a student government office of some sort, and that a new gameroom named after the old student bar, The Golden Spur had been established in the failed basement mall area of Russell House.
To me it would make more sense to keep Student Government out of sight in the basement, and have folks having fun in the daylight..
6 Responses to 'Gameroom, Russell House USC: 1990s(?)'
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Alex
12 Dec 08 at 3:27 pm
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The game room was still there when I went there at the end of the 90's. It is sad to hear that it has since disappeared. I guess people have started turning their dorms into makeshift game rooms, ruling this organized one obsolete.
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The gameroom was where I spent a lot of idle hours... thre wre several pool tables and a few pinball machines as well as the video games. I remember two things in particular - the ongoing Hyper Sports war amongst myself, my roommate and two of our buds, and the day I went in there at 9:00am or so, popped a quarter in the Galaga game, used the no-fire cheat on it, and played it for twelve hours straight.
PsAustrinus
28 Jan 10 at 11:28 am
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Also - the failed basement mall opened in 1984 or 1985 while I was at USC. Remembering the stores that were there when it opened, I'm surprised it lasted any time at all.
PsAustrinus
28 Jan 10 at 11:31 am
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Me and my buddy Chuck spent part of Fall of 1985, and not a few quarters trying to get the top two man score on Twin Tigers.
Missed it by 'this' much.
jamie
28 Jan 10 at 1:16 pm
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Spent many hours in the gameroom (and the listening lounge....remember that?) while I was at USC in the early eighties. they had the Dragon's Lair game, which was an animated movie with simple prompts for action added in. We thought it was cutting edge!
Scott Johnson
29 Aug 10 at 10:06 pm
I think the upstairs gameroom ended in the early 2000's. It was there throughout my undergrad (93-97) though I only remember there being pool tables - I played a few times. This place bit the dust about the same time USC did a facelift on the entire Russell House. I agree the student govt office and current gameroom should switch places, though I think they chose the basement place because of more space.