01/09/2026
🕹️Gaming at Averett
From Averett Library archives: In summer 1983, the Bottom Inn - a student center on the bottom floor of Bishop Hall offering food, a public television, and general communal recreation - was renovated to add, among other things, a wall of arcade cabinets. Throughout the 1980s, images appear in the college yearbook of students playing the likes of Centipede, Galaga, and especially Ms. Pac-Man (one of the most popular games both on campus and nationwide). Although the industry in general was struggling through what has come to be known as the “video game crash of 1983” - a financial downturn caused primarily by the market being flooded with poor games designed to make a quick buck - the Bottom Inn machines were reportedly in nearly constant use, with many students spending upwards of $5 per week on their gaming habit.