The Gamers Arena at 421 E. Calder Way has already carved itself a niche into students’ everyday lives with events held weekly for gamers of all kinds. Since its opening, the store has seen a few release parties as well as plenty of tournaments.

The Facebook page for Gamers Arena provides gamers with a future list of tournaments and events. No matter what system or genre, the Arena staff will satisfy requests from anyone with ideas of new games or challenges for the store.

Here are a few up-coming events:

-NHL ’94/2011 double-play tournament: Thursday, February 10 at 5:00pm
-Call of Duty Black Ops MLG tournament: Friday, February 11 at 5:00pm
-Halo Reach (Xbox 360 Only) tournament: Saturday, February 12 at 5:00pm

Next time you’re downtown and need a new place to go for more than shopping, check out the Gamers Arena where the staff is as friendly as is knowledgeable about their work. Keep an eye out for any tournaments that may appeal to you, as well as some of the upcoming midnight release parties (Mortal Kombat, Pokemon Black & White).

It may be hidden, but Gamers Arena is definitely better than any chain video game store in the area. It also rents games out. Not to mention, it’s walking distance, a key fact during this horrendous winter weather advisory. You’ll probably need a video game or two in case we get snowed in–I recommend Dead Space 2 for those who aren’t faint of heart.