Auburn-area video game lounge to level up with move downtown – The Citizen

In spring 2025, gamers of all ages will find the arcade and community center in Genesee Center, its third location since opening in 2018.

Co-owners Darryl Clark and Daryl King told The Citizen they’re excited about the space, which comes with 800 more square feet and greater accessibility than their current one in the former Garropy’s Restaurant on Clark Street Road in Aurelius, where they moved last year. While that space offered more room and parking than their first one on State Street, they said they’re already growing out of it.

They also don’t want children traveling there alone, and are concerned about their safety riding bikes down Clark Street Road. 

“A lot of kids don’t have the means to get out this way,” Clark said. “We can get much more foot traffic (in Auburn).”

At Genesee Center, The HideOut will continue to be a board and video game sanctuary where anyone can come and hang out. 

“There’s a misconception about video games,” Clark said. “When they are here, they are interacting with others.”

The new location will have more stations for virtual reality headset Meta Quest 3 and VR treadmill Virtuix Omni One, as well as more computer stations with classic and modern games. It will also feature Clark’s home-built pinball machines, similar to arcade consoles he has created for the business that boast more than 100 games guests can play. 

Having a kitchen ups the lounge’s concessions game, King said. It will serve breaded and fried wings, empanadas and chopped cheese, which is like a cheesesteak but with ground beef instead.

Still, The HideOut’s mission is not just fun and games. It’s also a place for opportunity and education, its co-owners said. 

As King told The Citizen in 2018, they strive to be an “anti-drug” option, offering a safe space for people to make positive decisions.

Now, they hope to start an after-school program, an idea they’re demoing that has received support from the Cayuga County Youth Bureau and county Legislator Heidi Nightengale, they said.

In the meantime, they’ll continue to mentor youth and allow volunteers to gain work experience by coming to the lounge and helping out with a variety of tasks. In exchange, volunteers receive time to play the lounge’s games or participate in events like Young Business Minds, where they can present entrepreneurial ideas, learn about DBAs and credit, and more. 

Seeing those volunteers come back, particularly children and teens, tells Clark and King that The HideOut is making a positive impact in people’s lives.

“It’s about work ethic,” King said. “We want to get them excited to work.”