Photos by Leo Cabral

By Leo Cabral

Classic and modern gaming has finally come to Downtown Riverside.

The Riverside Game Lab, an all ages arcade and bar, is nestled between the Food Lab and the Fox Theater. The arcade became the newest addition to the Fox Entertainment Plaza on Sept. 28.

“If you’re looking for that (arcade bar) experience we have it, it’s after 10 o’clock,” Game Lab owner Alex Teran said about the nightlife at the plaza.

“If you have your friends, you have your family, you have your children and people under 21 you can still be here and have a family friendly experience and be safe here,” Teran continued.

Inside the Lab, six virtual reality stations and pinball machines line the walls. All of the machines that fill the 10,000 square feet of the Game Lab were hand-picked by Teran himself.

Toward the back of the room, beyond the flashing lights and crashing sounds, is the bar where adults can pick up a beer to enjoy while they game. There are two reservation rooms for private parties and entertainment projected on the walls.

But this is not just an arcade bar. The Game Lab hosts a variety of events for gamers of all levels to participate in. There are weekly console tournaments on Thursday nights and virtual reality tournaments Tuesday nights with plans for more weekly tournaments in the near future.

The goal of the Game Lab is to build community in a fun and safe environment. Customers will immediately feel like a kid again once they step foot in this arcade.

“The reason why we do tournaments isn’t to make money,” Teran said, “it’s so that people get to know each other so that they can make new friendships and new connections.”

Visit riversidegamelab.com or follow @riversidegamelab on Instagram to keep up on news about the Riverside Game Lab.