Large E-sports Gaming Venue Opens First College Site in Glassboro, NJ

GLASSBORO — Online gaming infrastructure company, Nerd Street opened its first collegiate site Thursday in partnership with Rowan University.

The 7,100-square-foot facility is designed to create a huge, interactive entertainment center, as well as a high-tech laboratory for computer-based applications.

The Philadelphia-based esports gaming venue operates gaming centers for casual and competitive gamers in Philly, Denver, St. Louis, Fullerton, California, and Route 1 in North Brunswick.

But the Glassboro location is the company’s first with a major university.

“We want to give people who want to compete at a high level in esports the same life-changing opportunities afforded to those who grew up competing in youth sports and high school athletic programs,” said Nerd Street Founder and CEO John Fazio.

Moments before the ceremonial ribbon cutting, Rowan President Ali Houshmand said the facility provides an infrastructure for online gaming that’s very popular with students, but more importantly, it serves as a platform to educate these students for careers in highly technical, computer-based fields, such as networked applications in transportation, agriculture, even the military.

The facility contains 50 PCs on the main floor area, with an additional 10 on a stage, and 10 more in a private room that will be used for private events. There is also a lounge with four stations of next-generation gaming consoles including PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

The venue also includes a broadcast room outfitted with production and broadcast equipment for streaming. Plus, there will be a mixed-use studio to be used for interviews.

Students in Rowan’s Ric Edelman College of Communications and Creative Arts will use the facility during gaming off-hours for broadcast production and related communication courses.

“This is a learning facility and that’s what we’re really excited about,” said Edelman CCCA Dean Sanford Tweedie.