Campus Analysis

1. I observed the game room in the Hicks Center on campus. The purpose of the game room is to provide a place where students can hang out, watch tv, play games such as pool, air hockey, shuffleboard, foosball, and ping pong, and listen to music. I made my observations at 1 pm on a saturday afternoon.

2. Briefly describe the following:
a) The room is a decent size, and manages to fit a lot of different things into one room. Although it may appear small, this gives a comfortable atmosphere. There was just enough room for all of the things inside, and enough room to move around comfortably.

b) In the front of the room are couches and chairs set up around a table, all centered around a large flat screen tv hanging on the wall. The chairs and couches are pretty comfortable and big, accomodating a good number of people. Along the wall is a small counter with tall chairs lining them, and there are two tables by the pool table on the left wall, each with the same type of seating. These chairs are not meant to be comfortable, but are a place to rest while playing pool/they give observers a place to sit and watch the games. When I was observing, the room was busy, and there seemed to be no shortage of seating. However, there is not so much seating available that it takes away from the overall feel of the room. There are also large ledges in front of the windows along the back wall, providing window seats.

c) Although I observed the room in what would be imagined as a peak time, it did not seem too crowded. The set up of the room allows the students to mingle and converse with each other, but also allows them to have private games with the people they were originally with.

d) The floors are a standard linoleum/tile it seemed, but were kept very clean and shiny. In the couch/television area, there was carpet, which made that part of the room seem more homey than the rest.

e) Recently added to the game room is a juke box that allows the students to pick and choose different types of music. That, combined with the sound of the students, games, etc, makes the room rather noisy. However, it is a game room, and nothing less is expected. The only problem I see with that is if someone is trying to use the tv, because they probably won't be able to hear it unless they turn up the volume, which ends up creating a struggle of what section is louder.

f) Clean, durable, and trendy looking materials were used to construct the game room. The game tables are all brand new and viscerally appealing, the counters and window seats are a marble or granite (albeit probably not real), and the tall chairs are wooden. Although the materials probably aren't the highest quality (due to budget constraints and the fact that they will probably get beat up over the course of the year), they do the trick, and make the objects easier to replace.

3. This area projects a fun, carefree, comfortable image. The couches, rug, and tv recreate a living room feel, and the game tables, old fashioned juke box, and randomly placed tables with chairs give off a casual atmosphere. It seems like a place where students can go to relax and forget about the work and stress they have, and just hang out with friends and socialize. This is the image the school wants to project in a recreation room, because the elements incorporated are objects of fun that don't involve schoolwork or responsibilities.

4. Everyone in the room seemed very relaxed and like they were enjoying themselves. They were having fun playing the games, talking with each other, picking songs out on the jukebox, watching football on the tv, and just sitting around talking and joking around with each other.

5. What I found interesting about the design of this room was how concentrated everything was. I don't necessarily agree with the setup, such as how the ping pong table is so close to a support beam and it is fairly easy to hit the ball over the stairwell. Also, the counter is in the way of the pool table closest to it. Jazzman's Cafe should also be connected I think, because it would allow students to purchase food and still be able to play, instead of having to leave the room and wait, interrupting whatever activity they were involved in.