St Mary's University will open its cutting-edge e-sports arena, located in its Twickenham campus, to the public on Friday, 4 July.

The arena, which launched internally in September 2024, offers a dynamic, high-performance environment for gaming, collaboration, and education.

Whether you're an experienced player, a casual gamer, or just interested in technology, the arena welcomes all.

Just a few years ago, computer science wasn't offered at St Mary's. It is now crucial to the university's vision for the future, and the e-sports arena is leading the way in that pursuit.

Prins Butt, Associate Professor and Subject Lead for Computer Science said that they wanted to think about how students should learn for the future.

"So what we wanted to do with this space was that as soon as you walk through the door it literally feels as if you are in a different space," he said.

Prins Butt and Gordon Neill (Credit: Esme Kensell)

The arena has 60 gaming machines, including 40 high-spec rigs and 20 mid-spec rigs, which are set to be upgraded to match the higher performance setups.

Each machine boasts 4K monitors, and 165Hz frame rates.

Gordon Neill, Computer Science Technician and manager of the arena stressed the importance of frame rates in gaming.

He said: "A lot of people have said that's the clinch for them to want to come here, because for some games the frame rate is important, and a lot of commercial monitors stop at 144Hz."

Bookings can be made online for solo sessions or group events, and the arena will operate on a pay-to-play model.

Neill and Butt explained how they want the arena to move away from the 'gaming café' label, saying that the social side is key.

"The biggest difference in my mind is the social aspect of it," Neill added. "That's different to just speaking to people over discord or anything like that."

One of the arena's key attributes is its accessibility. Gaming set-ups are expensive, and not everyone has access to them. This is something the team behind the space wanted to change.

"It levels the playing field," Neill said. "Being able to game with a machine that might be a bit better than the one you have at home.

"Or maybe its roughly the same, but you have someone you know who wants to join but can't because they don't have the same kit as you do."

The space also forms a key part of the computer science curriculum. Every student will use the space throughout their course, whatever pathway they are following.

"Gaming machines have a lot of processing power," Butt said.

"It's beyond just taking part in the activity. It's the education, it's the skills, it's the networking. All those things which enrich peoples' lives."

Visit St Mary's University website for booking information.