Spring Break
Extravaganza game center puts a new twist on arcade gaming
Brittani McNeill
Issue date: 9/25/08 Section: News
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In April 2008, ECU students Dwayne Lodge and Philip Watkins opened Extravaganza Gaming center, located on Charles Blvd. The store is a modern arcade with all the latest games and game systems.
Lodge calls himself "Young Entrepreneur" and that is just what these young men are. Lodge, 22, is a senior economics major from New Jersey, and Watkins, 21, is a junior accounting major from Wilson, N.C. They met in January of 2006 while in line registering for business classes, and have developed a close business and personal relationship.
According to Watkins, they first had the idea for the store around June 2007.
"We were pretty much bored, and had been bored every summer…thinking about how we could try to spice up life in Greenville," Watkins said. "We always wanted to work for ourselves so we thought it would be a good idea to revamp something we enjoyed when we were children."
The grand opening was on April 17, 2008, and the business has been thriving ever since.
"We were so excited, we might have opened at like eight or nine that night. As soon as the final touches were done we invited everyone to come check it out."
Extravaganza is the only gaming center in the area. The owners wanted to appeal to an underserved market in Greenville, and provide patrons with the latest in video games.
"We're basically just trying to take something everyone already knows, which is an arcade center, and make it more modern," Lodge said.
The available systems include Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. They also have classics such as Super Nintendo, Nintendo and Atari. The games include Rock Band, Dance Dance Revolution, Madden NFL 09 and all the action games that come along with the Nintendo Wii. Other attractions include cash prizes and online game play.
30-minute game sessions are four dollars. They also sell snacks at a low price; all food and beverages are just one dollar. They encourage groups such as fraternities, sororities and other ECU organizations to come out, and offer group incentives.
"We definitely try to keep all the newest games in the facility," Lodge said. "So anything that's a new release we carry. Maybe everybody doesn't have the money to spend 60 bucks on a new game but you can spend four bucks to enjoy it with us."
Extravaganza was a completely independent business venture for Lodge and Watkins. They didn't solicit financial backing from family or friends, but worked to convince financial backers that the store was a good investment, and their hard work paid off. They say being mindful of your credit score and making responsible credit decisions are essential in investing in your future.
"Your credit is the most vital thing to, I would say, your life," Lodge said. "I always think about the pros and cons of the situation and before I decide to spend money on needless things I always think about how it would affect my future. You should start building a good credit history now."
Extravaganza gaming center is located at 3701 Charles Blvd. They're open seven days a week. For more information call 561-PLAY.
This writer can be contacted at news@theeastcarolinian.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Korrekt
posted 9/25/08 @ 4:04 PM EST
Looks like a half-done Gamefrog. If you're going to make a gaming center, start it as a LAN-Cafe, focused on console gaming, and for God's sake, don't paint the walls yellow and red while putting in florescent lighting. (Continued…)
ECU GAMER
posted 9/30/08 @ 9:37 AM EST
Actually it's a great place started by two ECU students. Did you even read the article? Who cares if you don't like the colors on the walls...that's your personal opinion. (Continued…)
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