Esports + Tiny Café

The NC State Gaming and Esports Lab (GEL) in the Hunt Library opened in January 2024 to support NC State University’s Esports program. The space contains 35 gaming PCs and four gaming console stations. The lab is utilized by both casual and competitive gamers, and it hosts livestreamed esports competitions.

In April and October 2025, we conducted two user research studies using the Tiny Café model. In total, 40 students participated in semi-structured interviews about their attitudes towards, and use of, the new space. We received an overwhelmingly positive response, with 94% of the students who had visited the space before saying they planned to return in the future. A high percentage of participants (85%) also said they would feel comfortable bringing a friend to the GEL regardless of how much gaming experience the friend had.

Students used a total of 33 adjectives to describe the vibe of the space. Most responses were positive and ranged from gamer vibes, passionate, competitive, focused, intense, and professional to fun, mellow, cozy, welcoming, friendly, joyful, casual, and calm. There were very few negative responses, with a couple of participants saying the vibe was loud.

When asked what they liked about the space, and specifically about furniture and lighting, 63% of participants said the furniture was comfortable, and 53% said they liked the lighting. The most popular features participants brought up unprompted were the high-end equipment and the PCs.

Variation between daytime and nighttime study

One of the studies was conducted during the early afternoon, and the other was conducted later at night. While many responses from participants in each study were similar, there were also some interesting differences.

Participants in the nighttime study were slightly more likely to have visited the space before: 86% said they had visited before, compared to 79% of participants in the daytime study. Participants in the nighttime study were more likely to have been at the Hunt Library specifically to visit the GEL: 29% said they had come to the Hunt Library specifically to use this space, compared to 16% in the daytime study.

Participants in the nighttime study were also much more likely to have connected with someone new in the GEL and brought their own equipment to the space.

Recommendations

• Investigate new mice and keyboards, and add various peripheral options to the technology available to lend within the space.
• Investigate lighting alternatives, particularly natural light or lamps, both of which were specifically mentioned by participants.
• In training for the student employees who staff the staff, reinforce:
  • Reminding players not to crowd in when watching their friend's game
  • Reminding players that this is a shared space when games get noisy
• Conduct follow-up user research on several topics explored in this study:
  • User interest in proposed additions to the space, such as tabletop gaming and collectible card games
  • User interest in more esports tournaments, specifically investigating whether there is more interest in viewing vs. participating
  • Whether the space is being used more for casual or competitive gaming