GAMING IN TUSCALOOSA //PLACES TO GATHER // TOURNAMENTS GROWING

By Elizabeth Lowder
In Tuscaloosa, we cherish our Saturdays in the fall, as a time we come together and celebrate a Southern culture
phenomenon we call football. Sometimes the experience itself overshadows the outcome or stats of the game.
Tuscaloosa has the opportunity to make every day a gameday, video gameday that is. Two local gaming stores aim
to morph the traditional views on the gaming world, The Monitor Game Emporium and Hive Bang Gaming.
Thanks to technology, we can enjoy the constant flow of football long after the regular season has ended through
social media, blogs, and even video games. For those gearing up for Super Bowl XLVIII, February 2 can’t get here
fast enough. Out of 32 teams, only two make it to the biggest stage in sports. The Monitor Game Emporium, local
video game store, hopes to keep the energy of football season alive by sponsoring Madden 25 NFL tournament,
funding womens’ athletics at Hillcrest High School.
“We at the Monitor are very excited to help put on a fun and family friendly event to raise money for our local school,
so excited that we are putting up a $100 cash prize for the tournament winner,” Andrew Bryant, owner of the Monitor
Game Emporium stated. Madden NFL 25 commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Madden video game series,
featuring teams and players from the the NFL in a variety of competitive modes.
“With education budgets as inadequate as they are in today’s world, we have to come together as a community to
support our schools if we want excellent facilities for the youth of our area.” Bryant recognizes the budget cuts
plaguing the state, and is simply thrilled to be helping out the local community.
On December 1, 2012, the Monitor Game Emporium opened its doors to Tuscaloosa shoppers. Locally owned and
operated, they have partnered with local businesses and schools to promote good grades. With over 30 years
combined experience, the Monitor Game Emporium utilizes its wealth of knowledge to develop a business model that
makes video games viewed positively in the Tuscaloosa community.
Instead of the typical video game “counter-culture” often associated with the gaming world, Monitor Game Emporium
strives to instill positive attributes and values through gaming.
The Monitor Game Emporium facilitates the purchasing, trading, renting and playing of video games by incorporating
a truly community-focused approach. In addition to the hottest games on the market, The Monitor Game Emporium
has a large selection of games and consoles from yesteryear: Sega, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Gameboy, any
many more.
The Monitor Game Emporium also offers consumers a unique and wide variety of the industry’s best services: the
sale and trade of new and used games with the option of in-store credit, a video game rental service, and the ability
to place special orders for non-stocked video games.
The Madden NFL 25 tournament will take place at Hillcrest High School on Saturday Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. Admission is $7
per person in advance or $10 at the door. 100% of the entry fees will directly fund the Hillcrest High School Lady
Patriots basketball team. This event will provide gamers the opportunity to play one of the hottest games on the
market PS3 and Xbox 360 in a competitive environment, and a chance to earn a cash prize or perhaps something
more.
Gamers and those wishing to support this event should visit The Monitor Game Emporium to
register for the tournament in person. The Monitor Game Emporium is located at 1105 Southview Lane Suite 106,
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35405 (in the Publix shopping center on Highway 69 South). For additional information about
the event, current inventory, or orders, please call Andrew Bryant directly at 334.717.0071 or The Monitor Game
Emporium at 205.561.6931.
While The Monitor Game Emporium serves as the one-stop-shop to acquire the tools necessary for the hardcore
gamer, Hive Bang Gaming serves as the ideal venue for an escape from reality, toward an arcade lifestyle. Video
games have intertwined themselves into our daily culture, saturating the “Me” generation with the awe of a glowing
LED screen from an early age. Children and teens in today’s society are wrapped up in individualized handheld
games, while secluded from the world around them. Long gone are the days where folks would laugh and crowd the
screen of a PACMAN machine at the local arcade, now people hide behind their phones.
A local Tuscaloosa business is hoping to change the face of arcade video gaming, by bringing it back to a family and
friend affair. Hive Bang Gaming is the area’s first and only gaming center of its kind. John Hamilton owns and
operates Hive Bang Gaming, alongside his father and brother. After opening last fall, the gaming center has
developed a devoted following. Together they hope to revive the old-school spirit and community of arcade gaming
within the Tuscaloosa area. Hamilton hopes Hive Bang will become a place where Tuscaloosa’s can gather to play
video game classics and new releases on-site. Part of their vision includes creating regional, national and
international gaming tournaments.
At an affordable price, Hive Bang Gaming offers an elite venue with state-of-the-art televisions and monitors to
provide the ultimate gamer experience. At Hive Bang, customers create an account and purchase a set amount of
playing time to be credited to their account. Time is separated into either block (same day visit increments of 4 hours)
or bank style (time that is added to the account and can be used over multiple visits). Gaming stations feature 20 32′′
1080p displays, two 60′′ 1080p displays, a 70′′ 1080p display, and 10 24′′ RL series BenQ monitors. Customers are

welcome to bring in their own games, as well as zip/thumb/jump drives to save their progres

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