Console to career: UCLA’s new esports lounge fosters teamwork, tech skills and belonging

The low hum of high-powered PCs mixes with the click of keyboards and bursts of laughter as students lean into their screens, faces illuminated by the phosphorescent blue light accenting the machines that fill the room. The sci-fi atmosphere is undeniable in UCLA's new futuristic hub for creativity and connection, no longer powered by arcade games, but rather Alienware gaming rigs.

The Bruins Esports & Gaming Lounge presented by Alienware - a gaming computer brand under Dell - opened during the second week of the fall quarter and is the first Alienware collegiate lounge on the West Coast. The space, located on the A-Level of Ackerman Union, is open to the public and designed to be accessible for Bruins and guests.

Operated by UCLA Recreation in partnership with Associated Students UCLA and Alienware, the state-of-the-art space features 30 high-performance PCs powered by Intel Core i9 processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics cards, along with next-generation consoles for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch 2 players.

If those model numbers don't all register, the team behind the new space says that's all the more reason to stop in and explore. Within UCLA's gaming culture - and among the Bruins who staff the lounge - a broad network of student gaming groups has taken shape, many designed for beginners and spanning everything from esports competition and broadcasting to computer science and equity-in-gaming affinity groups.

"This new Lounge is more than a place to play," said Monroe Gorden Jr., UCLA's vice chancellor for student affairs, who spoke at the lounge's Sept. 30 ribbon-cutting ceremony. "It's a launch pad for student development, for wellness and collaboration - and an incubator for career development."

The partnership also marks a milestone for Alienware, which has launched similar lounges at universities across the country. Matt McGowan, head of product at Alienware, said the UCLA collaboration reflects the company's commitment to advancing collegiate esports innovation.

"Partnering with one of the nation's top universities allows us to drive esports innovation forward, giving students pro-level access to the best gaming technology," McGowan said in a release. "With Los Angeles set to host the 2026 Global Esports World Finals, this lounge is feeding right into that momentum."

UCLA licensed psychologist and mental health trainer Drea Letamendi said the timing couldn't be better for students seeking connection.

"Spaces like this promote connection, teamwork and a sense of belonging around shared interests," said Letamendi, who also owns a private practice as a behavioral science advisor for the gaming and Hollywood industries. "The lounge provides a safe and inclusive space where students can recharge, express themselves and build empathy and collaboration - skills that serve them well in the classroom, in their careers and beyond."

Where play meets purpose

Beyond its sleek setup, the lounge functions as a living classroom where recreation meets professional preparation. Sunny Yen, UCLA Recreation's esports coordinator and facility manager, described the layout as intentionally flexible, with large wall monitors offering countless possibilities for instruction.

"We're planning to do class work here and summer camps in game design, game development, STEM - stuff like that," Yen said. "We have these powerful computers. We might as well make use of them, right?"

Yen added that operations double as hands-on experience for student staff. The lounge will always have two staffers on duty, supported by a pool of trained student employees providing light tech support and daily assistance.

For Erinn McMahan, executive director of UCLA Recreation, the goal was clear: "We wanted to find a space for our community to gather around esports and gaming, and build pathways for students to get career assistance and find out what they want to do," he said.

Gorden, a UCLA alumnus and former Bruin athlete, said he sees the same habits long associated with UCLA sports taking root in the space. Gorden used the moment to invoke a familiar source of Bruin inspiration.

"When I see the teamwork, the preparation, the perseverance, and what I consider the healthy rivals that will take place in this space, I truly believe Coach John Wooden would be proud," he said.

Finding their place in the game

For Julianna Dy, a fourth-year sociology major and student worker in the lounge, the space represents something even larger - belonging. Co-president of Gamers Without Labels, a student-run club formed in 2023, Dy's works to support gamers who identify as marginalized genders or marginalized communities in gaming, helping them navigate the industry.

"Just from my perspective, the gaming industry and the gaming hobby are very - for the lack of a better word - male-dominated," Dy said. "This kind of space is somewhere where people who align with a marginalized gender or any other marginalized community can find friends or just people to play games with."

That same spirit of inclusion motivated Zandy Zhao, a second-year computer science and engineering major who works as Alienware Arena staff in the lounge. "I was part of a club called Bruin Broadcasting last year, and through that I learned about a lot of the opportunities UCLA Recreation has to offer for its students," Zhao said. "I decided to apply."

Zhao added that his peers in Bruin Broadcasting are already imagining how to use the new space to stream UCLA esports events. "We might be able to use this space to help with our own broadcasting. The technology here is great," he said.

As the lounge establishes itself as a fixture of campus life, its glow extends beyond the screens - illuminating UCLA's broader commitment to innovation, connection and inclusive excellence. And when the consoles power down for the night - and yes, the space closes at night, for now, staff note - what remains is something unmistakably Bruin: a community leveling up, together.