In the past two stories, we have visited Pop’s and The Bean. This time, we are moving away from culinary-based places to an activity-based one: “The Vault” esports arena in Spring Hill. The Vault got its start in 2023, when Spring Hill Recreation Program Superintendent, Jake Moore, presented the idea of repurposing the old rec office into an esports arena to the district board.

“The main goal is just to provide fun, free entertainment for the Spring Hill community. We all have–myself and our supervisor and people who work here–a passion for video gaming, and we just want to share that with everybody. [We want to] give kids a chance who may not necessarily have it or a place to hang out with friends. That’s the big thing: just somewhere where kids can come after school, have fun, and feel safe,” Moore said.

In the modern world, gaming–though it has grown in popularity–is still widely seen as a time-suck that has few benefits and only hinders the progress and development of the younger generations. However, the members of The Vault are challenging this stereotype and exposing the truths of gaming.

“I think a lot of people hear video games [and] computers, and they think it’s just a silly kid thing. We think getting kids in front of computers and learning is what will benefit them in the future. Nobody has a job nowadays that you don’t have to deal with computers,” Moore said.

The Vault is tackling this task in numerous ways. One way is through their gaming camps.

“We have camps where kids can work on teamwork and how to communicate with people. A lot of these kids that come to our facilities don’t necessarily play traditional sports all the time, so getting to be in an environment where they are playing with a team is something that a lot of these kids don’t always get to do,” Moore said.

The Vault is a great place for older kids to visit as an after school activity; however, it is not only middle and high schoolers that frequent it. It also gets visits from elementary students.

“I play against my mom [there],” William Manning, 3, said.

Manning’s favorite game that he plays at The Vault is Mario Kart. He says he likes both The Vault and playing at home equally; however, he does like that The Vault has a “longer couch.”

From the non-interrupted environment of The Vault to the sheer number of gaming options available, there are many aspects of the facility that attract gamers. It is open to all ages. For business hours and more information, visit springhillrec.org.