8Bit/Digi

A Gaming Tradition Ends With a Bang

Playing a game of Super Smash Bros. over a few drinks during GameVibes GG at the Folsom Foundry has been a tradition for gamers in San Francisco for three years but now it must come to an end while the final event was held on June 20th.

Gamers should not see this change as a loss as the end of Tuesday @ The Foundry is part of the growing demand for such events. Showdown Entertainment and the Folsom Foundry have worked out a new agreement in which GameVibes could now take place on Friday nights, something highly requested by fans.

In a press release that was made available on June 12 stated that,

“We thank them for their valued partnership and accept the request to discontinue Tuesdays in favor of Fridays so that they may continue to grow their business while allowing GameVibes to continue to operate two days a week.“

A Night at GameVibes

Despite an end to GameVibes: Tuesday @ The Foundry, the team at Showdown Entertainment decided to go out with a bang. The event attracted a large crowd of gamers while the Foundry hosted over 120 games of Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Before night sky had taken over San Francisco, a small line was growing  at the entrance of the Folsom Foundry. Inside was jamming with stations having attracted large crowds of viewers while the Rock Band setup was already drawing players. From the outside, it looked obvious that this is the place to be tonight. Thankfully it was not too crowded that made movement or function impossible.

To get a good feel of the evening, one just had to find a station that was not too packed and mingle with everyone. Near the entrance was an Nintendo 64 station with two games of already in-progress. This was the perfect opportunity to meet a few casual guest along with some regulars to get their thoughts. If one wanted to start the night over a few Cowboy Bebop then the bar was the place to be for that drink and an ideal chat.

Thoughts From the Fans

Asking around with those who enjoyed the company of a noob, everyone had some thing to say about the end of Tuesday @ The Foundry. The response was mixed as guests either welcomed the change while others were disappointed that their Tuesday tradition has to end.

Jeff Sanders was one regular who has been coming to Tuesday @ The Foundry since mid-2016. He welcomed the new arrangement as he would prefer to come on Friday instead of during the middle of the week. He stated,

“I’m going to miss coming here on Tuesday but it would be easier for me to make more these on Friday. I just hope they keep the same vibe and the same people keep returning.”

Nora Yee was one of the guest who was disappointed that her Tuesday tradition will have to end. She was also optimistic about the new arrangement when she said,

“Where am I suppose to go play Smash over a few drinks with my friends on a Tuesday, there is hardly anything like this in the city? At least now I got my Friday nights planned out.”

GameVibes will now be hosted at the Folsom Foundry on Thursday and Friday nights. Friday @ The Foundry will start 8:00pm and the party will not end until 1:30am while promising to offer a unique experience. Meanwhile, Showdown Entertainment is actively looking for a new venue in the East Bay to host similar events on Tuesdays.

Did you get a chance to check out Tuesday @ The Foundry or any other GameVibe event? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Correction: An early version of this article mistakenly refereed to Showdown Entertainment as Showdown eSports. This mistaken has been corrected and I would like to apologize to the Showdown Entertainment team.

– Stan Rezaee