Beginning around the time of January 2020, Chad Collins, a resident of the local town of Moundsville, WV, opened a computer, cellphone, and network repair service for both commercial and residential customers. A steady flow of commissions have kept the business, called CollinsTech, alive throughout the world of COVID-19; but recently, around the business’s first year anniversary, CollinsTech has added something extra to their repertoire of technological endeavors: video game tournaments.

Acting as a sort of arcade for the otherwise barren town of Moundsville, West Virginia, Collins cited an interest in getting people out and about, in a safe and socially distanced manner, of course, when nothing else was opened or providing entertainment; “I wanted to offer people something to do, or even to just come and watch, something to get them out and doing something other than being cooped up inside the house all the time. An arcade also provided a great way for people of similar interests and hobbies to meet and get acquainted.”

For the relatively short time the arcade has been open and providing tournament opportunities for video game and esport fans of the Ohio Valley, many people have already started to regularly participate in the facilitie’s scheduled events; the majority of which are, in fact, students here at West Liberty. Ethan Pond, a freshman of the Hilltop, is currently volunteering at CollinsTech as an event planner and social media manager; as soon as the first tournament was held, Pond knew that he would be giving his all to see the business succeed. “This is something that I’ve been interested in for as long as I can remember, and to see something like this coming to my hometown and the area that I grew up in, and provide a kind of outlet for me and my peers who also love these types of games and events — is awesome.”

Collins echoed these same sentiments when elaborating on why the addition of the arcade came to be for his small technical repair business; “It’s honestly been something I’ve been considering and dreaming of since I was in high school in 2013, so it’s always been a long time want; but I was afraid that I didn’t have enough backing or support. Now, though, I know that there are people who are extremely interested and want to see these types of ventures succeed, so I can and do sustain myself within this new arm of my business.”

While video game sales and engagement sore during the pandemic, Collins is just happy to provide a space for people to take a break from the harsh realities of the world we’re all currently living in as restrictions lax and things grow to be more and more normal, for lack of a better term. Aside from Ethan Pond, West Liberty freshmans Zack Leach and Marshall Cross couldn’t agree more with Collins; “It’s given me the ability and opportunity to have contact and fun with a group of people that I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten to hang out with or been exposed to, especially within the world of COVID-19, but also as a resident of the Ohio Valley, where things like CollinsTech and good natured video game tournaments pretty much don’t exist,” said Leach when asked what the arcade and tourneys meant to them as young adults of the area.

With the engagement seen from West Liberty students so far, at least those who have been exposed to CollinsTech promotional material and or heard about it through friends of the area, and the online capabilities of video game competitions, Ethan Pond, as CollinsTech’s event planner, wonders when the party can expand to here on the hilltop; “I think there’s a lot of potential for things like satellite competitions hosted by CollinsTech, but at various locations, to further community engagement and exposure of the business and this aspect of it; or even a game room here at West Liberty to act as an arm to the arcade stationed in Moundsville.”

With the rather limited availability of outlets here on the Hilltop, Marshall Cross, a commuter student of West Liberty, said something like that would make him want to stay on campus a lot more; “I think something like a game room or satellite competitions could provide an interesting niche to a lot of students, many of whom probably don’t stay on campus; something like that would definitely make me want to stay up there more.”

For more information on CollinsTech and it’s technical and or arcade services, please visit their website at http://www.collinstechservices.com. You can also contact Chad Collins at [email protected], or, (304) 312-2376.

Ethan Pond, CollinsTech’s event planner and social media manager, is also available to contact for more information regarding the facilities weekly game nights at [email protected]. CollinsTech is located at 1109 12th Street Moundsville, WV Varlas Campground.