Why Localhost in Philadelphia is a home for young gamers
by Brian Bencomo
Localhost in Philadelphia is at the center of gaming for the city’s youth. Not only is Nerd Street’s video game and esports venue located in Center City, the high-tech venue offers Philly kids unparalleled access to the world of gaming.
Localhost Philly, which is located at 401 N. Broad Street, is able to cater to kids in all parts of the city -- North, South, East and West -- according to Ish Hall, Nerd Street’s Head of Venues.
Hall said it's ideal “being right across from the school district, being around a lot of the Parks and Recs areas, and also being close to a lot of the popular field trips. The Philadelphia Zoo, we're close by there, we're also close by to the Please Touch Museum and a lot of the activities that they do already that may be booked … or they may do it later that evening. It's a good place for them to start and have an easy transition over to the other field trips.”
Photo credit: Nerd Street
Localhost Philly sees hundreds of kids drop in every summer through a partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. A typical summer day at Localhost sees multiple groups of Parks & Rec kids, each in their colorful camp t-shirts, take over the gaming venue. Each day, anywhere from 40 to as many as 90 kids get to have fun on the PCs and consoles, according to Hall. The kids, who range in age from 6 to 13-years-old have access to age-appropriate games like Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft and Fall Guys.
Localhost’s partnership with Philly Parks & Rec has grown throughout the years from Nerd Street initially outfitting a gaming room and helping the department run some esports camps to now servicing nearly 1,000 kids during the summer at Localhost.
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Parks & Rec sends the largest volume of kids to Localhost, but they’re not the only local youth organization that gives kids access to Localhost throughout the summer. Organizations like Launchpad and the Uncommon Individual Foundation (UIF) hold tech and coding classes at Localhost, and nearby schools like Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter School (PETCHS), Vaux Big Picture High School and Roman Catholic High School often drop by Localhost for a day of gaming.
Photo credit: Nerd Street
Giving so many kids access to video games in a high-tech, social environment like Localhost is a core part of Nerd Street’s mission.
“It's important to us to be able to give access to these kinds of programs that are typically either expensive or just straight up out of reach for a lot of these kids,” said Ydian Velez, Nerd Street’s Camps and Youth Programming Coordinator.
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Localhost Philly has high-speed internet powering over 100 state-of-the-art PCs and 20 consoles like PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. The kids who come to Localhost through Parks & Rec are able to access all of this high tech equipment for free.
Photo credit: Nerd Street
Velez said she loves it when the kids express that they feel like Localhost is their spot and that it’s a place where they feel like they belong. She recalled one kid, Jeremiah, who ran up excitedly to her a year after interacting with him during his first year at camp.
“That's where we know it's impactful, because if this kid remembered me from a few days last year, and he saw me a whole year later, and he was so excited, right? It's like he remembers the feelings that he had while there that translate to ‘I can't wait to come back,’” she said.
A few of these kids even sign up for Nerd Street’s own summer camps. Camp Localhost, a gaming and esports camp, is held every summer at each of Nerd Street’s Localhost venues across the country.
Photo credit: Nerd Street
“There's one camper who comes every single year,” Velez said about a camper named John. “His mom buys 2, 3, 4, weeks of camp if she can, and he started off as a free Parks and Rec kid three years ago.”
For some kids, the experiences they have at these camps are life-changing. Velez recalled one kid, Max, who played Guilty Gear Strive for the first time at Localhost, which inspired him to master the game and compete in Nerd Street’s weekly fighting game tournament meetups at Localhost.
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“He went home and bought it, played all night, came back the next day, won the tournament, and then he started coming to our weeklies, which was really cool,” she said.
Photo credit: Nerd Street
Localhost Philly isn’t just a destination for young gamers across the city, it can very much be the start of a lifelong love of gaming for many kids. Thanks to Parks & Rec and the other schools, groups and organizations that have made Localhost a home for young gamers, the future of gaming is bright in Philly.
Lead photo credit: Nerd Street
