Students play a guessing game during a relaunch party for The Basement on Aug. 27 at the Central Library. The students had to figure out who had the wrong drink.
The Central Library hosted The Basement’s 6.0 launch party Thursday, bringing students together to enjoy free food, prizes, tabletop games, video games and more in the newly renovated space.
As hundreds of students filled The Basement, it appeared mostly unchanged, until they saw the old PC and console rooms. The wall between the rooms has been removed to make the space better outfitted for classes and workshops, but its function as a PC and console room will remain, said Britt LaRiviere, The Basement operation technician.
“Not only is the classroom bigger, right now, we’re working on adding different AV things so that the professors can project their lessons on the walls and the two outside TVs,” LaRiviere said.
The Basement is ever-changing to meet the needs of students. Last summer, The Basement added new carpeting, paint and sound paneling for improved sound dampening, according to previous Shorthorn reporting.
Students get creative with fusible beads during a relaunch party for The Basement on Aug. 27 at the Central Library. Students created colorful designs with a variety of beads.
The Basement is seeing a record number of visitors.
An hour into this year’s event, more than 250 people had showed up. Last year, the same event brought in 250 people total, FabLab coordinator Tyrick Jackson said.
Psychology freshman Dani Johnson said the prospect of having fun and meeting new people drew her to The Basement.
“It’s really cool seeing everybody,” Johnson said. “Makes me feel like there’s definitely people that I can connect with and be friends with, and find a group that kind of has the same interests as me.”
Nursing junior Queenie Rivera, left, mechanical engineer junior Camden Quan, middle, and mechanical engineer junior Tyler Nguyen play video games during a relaunch party for The Basement on Aug. 27 at the Central Library. The party had food, tabletop games, video games and other activities.
The decrease in third spaces, communal places outside of home or work, across the country, combined with the high population of commuter students at UTA, makes areas like The Basement an integral part of building community on campus.
For business management and real estate senior Dale Paine, The Basement is where he met all but one of his friends at UTA. Over the years, he said, he’s seen the space grow and fill with people finding their community.
“There’s a lot of things you can do,” Paine said on the range of activities The Basement offers. “If you just happen to time it right, you can meet people who are interested in those same hobbies. From there, you just got to introduce yourself.”
The Basement offers recreational gaming with PCs and the latest consoles, workshops, tabletop games and consultations for game design. It is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday.