When it comes to the day honoring mothers, there are many avenues to show your love. Many kids treat their mothers to spa days, scrumptious meals and/or a lively activity.
But some moms just want that Victory Royale.*
Gamer moms might love the more traditional Mother’s Day fare, but some might enjoy entering a virtual world for a couple hours or play some pinball while drinking a cold beverage.
Either way, there are local options to make sure your mom can get her game on in style.
At the new Esports Stadium Arlington – the largest dedicated esports venue in North America, mind you – you can “rent” mom a state-of-the-art computer or video game console and some nice noise-canceling headphones so she can escort the payload** in peace.
Each computer is encompassed in a little cubicle-esque area, and concessions are available for purchase, so your mom can put in a long gaming session. She can even get ready from one of the many events the Esports Stadium hosts, like tournaments.
To “rent” a computer, you actually make an account and buy hours. This allows anyone to log out, use the restroom, go get lunch or whatever without having to be chained a computer. There’s obligation to use all the hours in one go, and you can always add hours to your account.
What a great gift for moms who pledge to the Hoard.***
Games are available, but I would check with the gaming center to see if you need to purchase a specific game license (most likely yes, but they might have a guest account for players to try out a game).
All the latest gaming consoles (Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One) are also available for those hours.
One hour is $6 dollars but there are discounts for 5, 10 or 100 hours. Unfortunately, you can’t buy hours online, so you will have to go to the venue, but it is worth checking out anyway.
For a more nostalgic gamer, or a more communal affair, Free Play Arlington is the place.
Located in Downtown Arlington on South St., Free Play provides all those old arcade games for free — you only pay an entry free.
The games run the gamut — from pinball to old-school cabinets to arcade racing games. My personal favorite is The Lost World Jurassic Park game that I never had enough tokens to beat as a kid and finally got to best those dinosaurs a year ago thanks to Free Play Arlington.
Free Play has tabled areas for hanging out with a varied menu of surprisingly tasty food and a full bar that has wide selection on local beers.
Chuck E Cheese this isn’t.
Both Free Play Arlington and Esports Stadium Arlington can provide a fun outing for Mom (and her kids if she is, oh, so inclined) this Mother’s day or even for a fun Mom’s night out on a random Tuesday.
Happy Mother’s Day and game on!
*From Fortnite. Yes, that game with the dancing and a rainbow colored llama piñata.
**From Overwatch. Next time the kiddos talk about Overwatch, say “I checked out the Havana Map in the PTR and it’s a great Widowmaker map” then walk away. You can thank me later.
***From World of Warcraft. Like the Sims but with more gore and dragons.
Sara Pintilie is a distinguished writer, editor and photographer who calls Arlington home. In her column, she offers a millennial’s take on things local.
