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When Brown University students decided to create an on-campus gaming lounge, they wanted more than just a room with PCs — they aimed to build a community space that was accessible, efficient, and capable of supporting one of the largest collegiate esports programs in the Ivy League.
But running a gaming space inside a university environment comes with unique operational challenges: limited staffing, strict IT restrictions, budget limitations, and the need to justify the lounge’s impact to the Undergraduate Finance Board.
To overcome these obstacles, Brown Esports selected SENET, a cloud-based management platform designed for gaming centers, esports labs, and educational institutions. What followed was a smooth deployment, streamlined daily operations, and a growing list of unexpected benefits that made a real difference for both students and administrators.
This is the story of how they did it.
A Student-Built Space With Big Ambitions
Brown University Esports operates a 400 sq ft gaming lounge with 13 high-performance PCs, created by students for students. The space is completely free for anyone on campus, powered by a team of around 30 volunteers.
While the vision was ambitious, the team quickly faced several operational roadblocks:
Key Challenges
- Microsoft Active Directory restrictions made it nearly impossible to install and update games efficiently.
- No dedicated staff at the front desk meant students needed a frictionless login system.
- Volunteers had limited time, so remote management became essential.
- The Undergraduate Finance Board required ongoing reporting to justify funding and show student engagement.
These constraints pushed the team to search for a management solution flexible enough for university infrastructure — yet powerful enough to automate daily operations.
Why Brown University Chose SENET
After comparing several alternatives, Brown Esports selected SENET for three reasons: simplicity, flexibility, and value.
1. Fast Game Updates and Installations
Unlike solutions tied to a single launcher (e.g., Steam PC Café), SENET supports any game from any platform, allowing instant batch updates across all machines.
2. Remote Access to PCs
For a volunteer-run lounge, this was essential. Team members can:
- restart PCs remotely
- monitor occupancy
- push updates
- resolve issues without being on site
3. Easy Login Process for Students
SENET simplifies authentication even in environments where IT policies are strict.
4. Fair and Flexible Pricing
As a student-run initiative offering services for free, affordability was a decisive factor.
“We were afraid that setup would be time-consuming. With SENET, everything went very smoothly. It was a very simple setup process for us.”
— Isaac Kim, Co-President of Brown Esports
How SENET Helped Transform Daily Operations
Since spring 2022, the Brown esports lounge has relied on SENET to automate the essential aspects of gaming center management.
🔧1. Remote Control of PCs
Volunteers can install games, push updates, restart PCs, and check the lounge status without being physically present.
This alone reduced the operational workload significantly.
📊 2. Advanced Reporting for Administration
SENET automatically generates:
- daily occupancy reports
- peak-hour statistics
- usage trends
This helped Brown Esports consistently demonstrate its impact to the Undergraduate Finance Board — strengthening the lounge’s position on campus.
🔐 3. Access Rights Management
Using SENET, the team can limit:
- potential hacking
- unauthorized software downloads
- cheating or tampering
A necessary capability for any university-regulated environment.
Unexpected Benefits the Team Didn’t Expect
Some features turned out to be pleasant surprises:
Steam Auto-Logout
SENET automatically logs users out of Steam after each session, preventing the accidental exposure of personal accounts — a particularly important feature in shared academic spaces.
API for Future Expansion
Brown Esports recently obtained API keys from the SENET support team and is planning to build a custom registration portal for lounge visitors.
This will simplify student onboarding further and enable automatic account creation.
About Brown University Esports
- Largest esports program in the Ivy League
- 17 competitive teams
- Titles include Valorant, League of Legends, Rocket League, Rainbow Six Siege, Apex Legends, Hearthstone, CS:GO, osu!, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The gaming lounge serves as the central hub for practice, community building, and student engagement — and SENET helps keep it running smoothly.
Building the Next Esports Success Story
With SENET, Brown University’s student-run lounge has become a scalable, efficient, and secure esports environment — proving that even volunteer-managed campus labs can reach a professional level with the right tools.
If your university, school, or organization is planning to launch or modernize its esports facility, SENET offers everything you need:
- Remote device management
- Fast updates and installs
- Secure login and access control
- Detailed analytics
- Flexible pricing for education
- Console and PC support
