Pac-Man may be homeless for a while.
The future is unclear for Devil's Quarters, the transient video game arcade that was housed in the basement of the former Rathskeller last year. In the weeks ahead, Joe Pietrantoni, associate vice president for Auxiliary Services, and David Majestic, director of planning for Auxiliary Services, will decide what will happen to Pac-Man and his ilk.
Majestic wrote in an e-mail that the issue had been discussed this past summer with Duke University Union officials and a group of student leaders who met over the summer.
But now, he wrote, "With all students back on campus, we hope to get a better understanding on the student position on arcade games on campus."
The two administrators are preparing to meet with representatives from the Union, Student Affairs and Duke Student Government, as well as any interested gaming enthusiasts. Then, Majestic and Pietrantoni will determine whether reopening the arcade is financially viable
The primary obstacle to reopening is the tremendous drop in Devil's Quarters' revenues during the last three years. In the 1996-97 fiscal year, the arcade, then located in the current Panhellenic Council office in the Bryan Center, produced $79,000 in revenue. That number dwindled to $8,300 by the close of the 1998-99 fiscal year.
Pietrantoni offered several reasons for the arcade's sudden drop in popularity. First, he said, because many students use computers frequently, computer games may be eclipsing video games.
Pietrantoni also speculated that many video game enthusiasts preferred that the Quarters be housed in an enclosed environment once again, rather than the more open room in the Rathskeller it occupied starting in late 1998. As a result, it's unlikely that a reopened arcade would be housed in the new Armadillo Grill basement.
Majestic said there is no ideal space for the arcade, so he is seeking student input about the facility's future.
Officials are also unsure if sufficient demand exists among students to open the Devil's Quarters once again. Trinity senior Paul Jin said that he used the Devil's Quarters on occasion in years past and would use the arcade again if it reopened. However, he said, he does not perceive a great demand for the arcade among other students.
Trinity senior Bob Koch, the DSG vice president for facilities and athletics, agreed. "No student has come to me [regarding the arcade's reopening]," he said.
Any final decision is likely to involve the management of Duke Stores, run by Jim Wilkerson. The organization's vending division currently runs the arcade, although it has a contract with an outside vendor to provide the games.
Pietrantoni said the arcade's chances of survival are not good, especially given the decline in revenue. Majestic did not want to speculate on the Quarters' fate before meeting with the student group.
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