Downtown Rock Hill gaming space will open to public, also serve Winthrop’s esports team
A gaming space that hosts Winthrop University’s award-winning esports team and affiliated members has expanded, and will be open for public use in downtown Rock Hill, owner Jerry Fussell announced at an open house and bell-ringing ceremony Thursday.
Fussell’s Modern Arcade, which he founded in 2011, is a local gaming company that has helped host esports tournaments.
The venture’s new space, in Suite 223 of the Lowenstein Building at 300 Technology Center Way in downtown Rock Hill, is equipped with rows of gaming PCs, a podcast room and an interview room. The space also houses Winthrop’s esports team, and has a row of gaming rooms that are set aside solely for those members. The program first moved into the space in November, and the lease runs through June 2028.
Previously, Modern Arcade would assist in hosting events and provide resources — including some prize money and equipment — for tournaments. This is its first physical space.
Fussell said Winthrop’s willingness to open up the space and expand it for public use is exciting, and the university believes Modern Arcade can help the school, and the community.
“Jerry has been instrumental in this community with gaming,” Winthrop Athletic Director Chuck Rey said. “There’s a number of different games that are played, and he has really helped grow the fighting game space that’s started a lot at Winthrop and grew that community.”
According to Fussell, Rock Hill’s Black Economic Leadership League (BELL) was instrumental in helping the Modern Arcade CEO create and execute his vision.
“It feels great,” Fussell said. “It feels like a lot of hard work. I like to use the metaphor of planting a seed in the dirt. BELL provided resources that were the soil, and they planted me as the seed. Now, we’re starting to see a little bit of growth, and this is a start of the first wave of the BELL program from 2019 starting to actually live out their dreams.”
Fussell hopes Modern Arcade can serve as a gaming hub for the Rock Hill area. He’s considering opening the space from 5 p.m. to midnight, Wednesday through Sunday, for general public use, with the possibility of youth programs being available on the weekends.
What public could use esports space for
Rey commended Fussell for fostering growth in the community.
“This is going to be great for young kids. It’s going to be great for after-school programs. It’s going to be great for other schools,” Rey said. “Clinton College is here. York Tech, they’ve been by here. We’ve had a lot of people from Rock Hill Schools who have been here. This is going to be a model for other communities within the state of South Carolina to grow their esports space.”
None of Modern Arcade’s programming — nor its hours — is set in stone, but Fussell’s goals are clear.
“What we want to do for the space is to provide that venue and platform all the time for those who are interested in gaming and want to bring gaming back into a social development state,” Fussell said. “When you and your friends want to play video games, you guys can have a place to go. When you want to get together, maybe change your setting from the house, you can come to the place. We just want to create a venue for all gamers of all levels.”
Fussell said he expects the space to open to the public “within the next few weeks.”
