STUDENTS don't need to download materials illegally to play games in this school.

Games such as Counterstrike are available in a gaming room with spanking new computers and furniture.

Earlier this year, Jurong Junior College (JJC) student Tan Ying Quan, 17, mooted the idea of starting an e-gaming centre on school premises.

By October, his idea had become reality.

He said: 'My idea was for the centre to be a healthy and conducive place for gaming.

'Many of the gaming centres outside are noisy and are full of rowdy gamers who spew vulgarities.'

Ying Quan said the centre is usually packed in the afternoons after lessons.

Students who wish to play games at the centre pay an hourly rate of $2, or $1.70 if they buy a membership card for $10.

It was open for a month before it closed for the exam period, generating $3,600 in revenue for the club's funds.

Mr Koh Yong Chiah, principal of JJC, said: 'The e-gaming club has been a good test of students' discipline, and there has been no problems at all.'

Mr Daryl Lim, teacher-in-charge of the club, said: 'Students have no control over who they meet if they visit public gaming centres. In school, at least they don't have to worry about meeting any undesirable people.'

But it was no easy task for Ying Quan to turn his dream of a gaming centre into reality.

He had to convince the school administration that a computer gaming centre wouldn't be a distraction.

He said: 'A few of my proposals were immediately rejected. It was disheartening, but I didn't give up.'

He came up with a list of house rules for students - no rowdy behaviour, swearing or misuse of the computer equipment.

Students can visit the centre only after lessons, between 1pm and 7pm daily. They are also barred from visiting the centre starting from two weeks before their exams.

With these rules in place, Ying Quan eventually managed to convince the school to adopt his idea.

Then came the challenge of raising enough money for the centre.

Computers and games cost about $30,000, while furniture cost about $5,000.

He managed to raise about half the amount by appealing to schoolmates to invest in the centre - JJC students have the option to invest up to $400 of their own money in any of the school's in-house business ventures.

The school funded the rest of the amount.

Ying Quan said: 'This centre is student-run, so we have a sense of ownership over it - we take good care of everything here.'

The gaming centre is also JJC's entry for the Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship World Contest, an international entrepreneurship tournament for youth.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 31 2007