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Game Room Special Event Information

Looking for a good time for your group? The Game Room is the place for your next organizational function. We’ve got the latest video consoles and games, six 9-foot gold crown Brunswick tables, comfortable couches, foosball, board games, and more. Events are limited to Â鶹´«Ã½ student organizations and university departments only. 

Please note that reservations do not include the Nexus Gaming Lounge.

Reservations must be made 5-7 business days prior to the requested date. Please allow 5-7 business days to receive your confirmation.

Events can be held during normal business hours based on availability.

• Student Group (2 hours) – $45
• University Departments -$85
• *Prices subject to change without notice.

Includes:

• Up to 65 people
• 2 hours of unlimited game play (Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Wii U, Nintendo 64, six 9-foot professional pool tables, foosball, and board games)

Catering and Food Policy Details

You can bring in dry snack food for small events with 25 or fewer. Larger events require using Â鶹´«Ã½ Catering(Compass). You will need to contact NU catering directly. Make sure you provide a reservation ID number – provided on your Game Room confirmation. For any additional equipment, contact Norris Events Planning directly - norris-events@northwestern.edu.

Please note- you cannot use outside caterers or bring in large orders of food from off-campus food providers.

Cancellation

The Norris Game Room requires at least three business days’ email notice before your event.

Failure to cancel on time will result in losing future group use of the Norris Game Room space.

If you have any more questions, please contact us via e-mail at norris-gameroom@u.northwestern.edu or call 847-491-2347.

Norris University Center welcomes kids’ birthday parties back to the Norris Game Room to foster community engagement and enhance the student and campus experience. The Game Room provides a safe, supervised, and accessible environment where members of the Â鶹´«Ã½ community can gather, celebrate, and build social connections.

Please review our full policies outlined below BEFORE submitting a request.

Audience/Client

• Parent(s)/Guardian(s) must be affiliated with Â鶹´«Ã½ with a Â鶹´«Ã½ Wildcard and email address. This is the person responsible for the party or the event and must be present for the full two hours.
• The child must be at least 10+.

Game Room Availability

• Request for Kids Birthday parties should be submitted at least two weeks in advanced.
• Kids' birthday parties are only available on Saturday or Sunday from 1 – 3 p.m. during the academic year. There may be more limitations around reading week and finals week.
• The capacity in the Game Room is 50.

Food

• Food must be ordered from the food concepts on the ground floor of Norris or through Â鶹´«Ã½ Dining. Learn more at:  . 
• A finalized decision or a food plan must be submitted no later than two weeks prior to the event date to ensure adequate preparation and coordination. The plan should include your vendor and an estimated amount of food (i.e. four pizzas).  This will ensure that we have enough tables for your event.
• Cakes and dried snacks (chips) from external vendors are permitted, as are bottled beverages.
• Alcoholic beverages are not permitted in the Game Room. 

Additional Policies

• The Game Rooms open at 12:30 PM on Saturday and Sunday. Clients may come to set up as needed.
• Use of the Nexus Gaming Lounge may incur additional fees and could require further coordination, as access is limited to users with a university NetID.
• If the Nexus Gaming Lounge is not requested or used by the party, other users may come in to use the Nexus Gaming Lounge.
• All clients (not the attendees) are required to sign a liability waiver before the event.
• Game Room staff will be available to support the event; however, they will not serve as event hosts and are not responsible for setup or post‑event cleanup.
• The use of helium balloons is not permitted in the Norris University Center.

Billing

• An invoice will be sent to the email address associated with the reservation within 1-2 weeks after the conclusion of the event. Please check the email address on your reservation confirmation for typos.
• Payments are due within 30 days of receiving the invoice.
• Payment may be made by check, ACH, or online by major payment card (e.g., Visa/MasterCard/American Express/Discover).
• Please be aware that we will never ask for your payment card information in person, by phone, email, or social media

Cancellation/Refunds

• If you need to cancel or reschedule your event, it is your responsibility to notify the Game Room team via email at norris-gameroom@u.northwestern.edu. Phone calls or any other means will not be accepted.
• The deadline to make any changes to the reservation is Monday before the scheduled event.
  • If we are notified on or before the Monday of the event, you may reschedule within the next 60 days, pending Game Room availability.
  • If the notification happens after the Monday before the scheduled event, you will be billed for the reservation.
• The client is responsible for all catering costs associated with their event, if catering was requested or approved.

Rental Requirements

• A valid and non-expired Â鶹´«Ã½ ID aka Wildcard
• Completed an online request form (in development). 
• A signed liability waiver via Docusign.
• A food plan as outlined above.

Rental Includes

• Unlimited access to video game consoles and titles, including Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation 5.
• Unlimited access to six 9‑foot Gold Crown Brunswick billiards tables.
• Board Games and Foos ball.
• Additional tables and chairs provided upon request

Fees

• $180 for 2 full hours in the Game Room (not including the Nexus Gaming Lounge)
• Clients will incur additional fees…
  • If the room is left in disarray or if things are left behind and unclaimed (i.e. a broken piñata).
  • Non-Approved food was brought in and served at the event.

To Request a Birthday Party