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Nerd Street Gamers hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking at its North Philadelphia gaming center Wednesday, bringing it one step closer to opening a location that it hopes will help even the playing field in the world of esports.
Nerd Street’s forthcoming “Localhost” location at 401 N. Broad Street will include about 150 gaming stations – including consoles and high-end PCs – with the aim of making esports less cost-prohibitive for people while providing a training ground for both amateurs and pros. The aim is to be open by this summer, Chief of Staff Pete Powell said.
“Our mission is to really make esports accessible for everybody and really lower that barrier for entry as low as it can go,” CEO John Fazio said, pointing out that a high-end PC can run anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000 – and that doesn’t include the price of high-speed internet needed to play many of the games.
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He said the company will provide an hour of free gaming for all students every day after school.
The Broad Street location will also serve as the company’s headquarters. It will include a stage area and studio to host tournaments or just a allow people to game on “very, very high-end equipment,” Powell said.
The company chose Broad Street because of its accessibility for people around the city, he added. For example, Temple University is only a short bus or train ride away.
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“We wanted more of a central location to the city, especially when our mission is to provide access to basically anybody from all walks of life,” Powell said.
He added that the site will be open for all ages.
