On almost any day of the week students are huddled around their favorite arcade games and sighs of conquest and defeat fill the arena known as the Rack-N-Cue.

Located in the basement of the student center, the Rack-N-Cue is SF State’s mini arcade, equipped with more than 18 new arcade games. The Rack-N-Cue is sure to have a game for everyone, no matter what their skill level is.

Students can find the latest in action packed fighting games like “Tekken 5: King of the Iron Fist” or old school classics like “Ms. Pac Man.”

Every Friday at 3 p.m. there are weekly video game tournaments that are organized and run by SF State students. This is the first semester of the video game weeklies thanks to student demand.

“I like the thrill of the competition,” said Jeff Nguy, 20, a culinary arts major. “It is good to play against new people all the time because it will teach you to adapt to how others play.”

Nguy, has mastered the art of maneuvering characters like Tekken 5’s Yoshimitsu, kicking and punching his fellow opponents into oblivion. A five-time video game weekly champion and video game fanatic, Nguy is definitely a hard act to follow.

According to a survey done by the Entertainment Software Association in 2005, Nguy is one of the 62 percent of gamers over the age of 18 in the United States.

He plays between 15 to 25 hours of video games per week – sometimes more depending on whether there is an upcoming tournament. With a total of five game systems and a wide selection of fighting games, Nguy further crafts his skill in the art of gaming during his spare time.

Chris Heins, 19, helps organize the weekly tournaments by getting students registered for upcoming tournaments. Heins' favorite games are Tekken 5 and King of Fighters 11. Although he has not won one yet, he enjoys the sheer excitement of the event.

“My uncle taught me how to play video games when I was younger, so I’ve basically been playing all my life,” said Heins, an SF State student whose major is undecided. “Right now the most popular games (at the weekly tournaments) are King of Fighters 11 and Soul Caliber 3.”

There are many other skilled gamers hanging out at the Rack -N-Cue including Curtis Yup, a computer science major, another student who comes down for the tournaments. He has been playing video games since he was 4 years old and said he is attracted to the exciting competition the tournament offers.

His game of choice is the popular fighting game Capcom vs. SNK 2, and although Yup has yet to win a tournament his love for video games keeps him coming back for more.

But the love of the game is not enough when players are competing in the tournament.

“There are a lot of cats that like to act cocky and such,” said Nguy. “Some who don’t strive to win or have the drive. But in the end, their skills do the talking for them.”

The Rack-N-Cue is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.