New esports gaming arena opens in Columbus

The brand-new Belong Esports Arena near Polaris Fashion Place wants to become a prime destination for local video game players.

Driving the news: The arena held its grand opening Friday and offered free play to customers over the weekend.

Why it matters: Esports, or competitive video gaming, is a rapidly-expanding industry especially popular among younger gamers.

How it works: Belong offers a chance to play in a pro environment, featuring 72 high-speed gaming stations with high-tech peripherals.

• Gamers can compete against each other or via online play.

State of play: The company operates 27 esports arenas in the United Kingdom. Columbus marks its third location in the U.S., with hundreds more planned in the coming years.

• Each has its own unique squad name and original branding — we're the Polaris Pilots, a reference to Ohio's aviation history.
• Teams representing each arena will eventually compete in Belong-organized leagues and other major tournaments.

What they're saying: Belong hopes to attract players for the sense of community as much as for the games, says Bob Morris, the company's arenas opening manager.

• Casual players seeking a cooler gaming environment than they have at home can pay by the hour, with monthly memberships available for more serious players.

The intrigue: There will be a "path to pro" system for Pilots to gain experience and someday compete as a top-level player, Morris says.

• Gaming can be a lucrative career for elite players with major social media followings who compete for major prize pools.

Meanwhile, the site includes a retail section with Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft games and consoles, along with Pilots merch for sale.

• Belong touts its private party rooms and unique retail experience of trying out games in the arena before purchasing them.

The big picture: Columbus is an esports "hot spot," Morris says, noting championship events held at Nationwide Arena and the Convention Center in years past.

• The city is home to Esports Engine, a gaming tournament organizer that shares a parent company with the Belong arenas chain.
• Ohio State University has its own esports program and a number of area high schools compete in a statewide league.

Go deeper: After learning about the arena and taking a tour, the only thing left for Axios to do was to try out a gaming station.

👋 Tyler here. I'm a bit more old-school in my video game tastes, but I had to take advantage of being one of the first-ever Polaris Pilots.

• Jose Gloria, arena manager for Belong's Dallas location, was on site for the grand opening and showed me the offerings.

How it works: Each PC station comes with an array of popular games, including Call of Duty, Fortnite, Magic the Gathering, Minecraft and World of Warcraft.

• An impressive slate, but I don't know how to play any of them. (Think Jim from The Office trying to play Call of Duty at work.)

What I played: Fall Guys, a lighter title compared to some of the other shooter games.

• You compete as one of 60 fat, little characters racing to the end of a sequence of obstacle courses.
• The goal is to be the last player standing.

How I did: I made it through the easy stages and later found myself in the finals with 10 other players from around the world.

• Would I clutch out an Axios victory in front of Jose and kick off the Pilots' worldwide domination?
• I came close with a second-place finish. Not bad!

Quick take: The fancy gaming chair and ergonomic mouse … I can see why people would love this place. I'll be back soon.

If you go: Belong Esports Arena is open seven days a week at 8735 Lyra Drive, Columbus.

• Game station rentals start at $2.50; all-day passes start at $17.50.