The Game Room
Often spoken of in reverent tones by Clemson old-timers, The Game Room was a classic dive bar that operated in the late ’70s and ’80s – the kind of smoky watering hole where characters gathered. As the name suggests, it was filled with games: old pinball machines and video poker games lined the establishmenttigernet.com. In fact, The Game Room was known as a spot where you could play hands of video poker long before video gambling was outlawed in South Carolina. But the real draw wasn’t the games so much as the people. The bar was owned by the unforgettable Michael “Snake” Casey, a Vietnam veteran and Clemson alum. “Snake,” as everyone called him, was a larger-than-life personality – a huge Clemson Tigers fan and a friend to countless students. Along with a sidekick bartender nicknamed “Slug,” Snake ran The Game Room with a friendly, laissez-faire style that made regulars feel like family. One alumnus fondly recalls that whenever he walked through the door, “before I even got to the bar they had an ice-cold Bud popped open waiting for me”tigernet.com. That was the kind of personal touch that defined The Game Room. It wasn’t polished or trendy – it was dim, probably a bit gritty, with cheap beer in the cooler – but it had heart and soul. On game days, Snake’s place was often packed with diehards watching Clemson football on a small TV, and if the Tigers won, you might even get a free round. The Game Room also provided a refuge after other bars closed at 2:00 AM, as rumors persist that a late-night poker game or two might occur behind its doors. By the early 1990s, The Game Room’s era came to an end (coinciding with the end of video poker in the state). When “Snake” Casey passed away in 2021, Clemson alumni mourned the loss of a legendlegacy.com. Though The Game Room is gone, its legacy lives on in countless stories – of free popcorn, cheap brews, and the camaraderie of a true dive bar. Good ole Snake. RIPtigernet.com.
