The familiar sound of an open palm slapping against an arcade game console, the deep green felt on a pool table, the pinging and ponging from a table tennis match ? these are the sights and sounds of the Games Room at Sacramento State, located directly across from Java City on the first floor of the University Union.

For over 20 years, the Games Room has provided students with a safe and problem-free atmosphere in which to have fun ? the one exception being the removal of the foosball table because of constant mini soccer ball thefts.

Every day, dozens of students visit this recreational hub and amuse themselves with the room?s activities.

“I come here because it?s a place where I can just hang out with friends and have a good time,” student Mike Yu said.

The Games Room offers students a wide variety of video games, two ping pong tables and, at $4 an hour, one of the cheapest pool games in town.

“In here, you get some pretty good pool players,” Yu said. “There?s some people who you can tell know their way around a pool table.”The Room also puts on tournaments for eight-ball and nine-ball pool, ping pong and video games.

While a great deal of the business comes from regulars, other students can feel free to come in and have fun.

“The Games Room is open for organizations and clubs as well,” said Norma Sanchez, the Program Services Supervisor for the Union who oversees the Games Room.

Funding for the Games Room comes from the University Union; the money that the room makes is used for running and maintaining the facilities.

Sanchez said the Games Room tries to adjust the games to meet the changing tastes of the students.

“We try and rotate the video games as often as possible, but the games that the students want are usually the games that everyone else wants,” said Sanchez, who has to beg the vendors in order to get the newest and most exciting games for the students.

And when the popular games do come in, there is often a line. The convenience and easy nature of the Games Room is one of the draws for students like Tyler Reynolds.

“It?s just kind of a cool way to kill time in between classes,” Reynolds said. “It?s cheap fun and it beats studying or writing essays.”

Although at this point it is just a dream, future plans for the Games Room could include a bowling alley, but the Union has several reservations about the cost and space of such an ambitious project.

Upcoming events include an eight-ball tournament on Nov. 2, a video game tournament on Nov. 16 and a nine-ball tournament on Dec. 14. Students may stop by the Games Room for more information and details on how to sign up.

The Games Room also takes suggestion from students so that they can keep the entertainment fun and interesting. Suggestions can be given in the designated binder, or they can be dropped in the suggestion box in the University Union.