Round One Gaming Lab

Some things are bigger than gaming. Bigger than business. Bigger than content.

I keep looking at Nolan Wells and thinking about all the different ways this could touch my own life. I’m a Black man, so that could have been me. I’m a father, so that could be my son. I’m a teacher, so that could be one of the young men who once sat in my classroom. I’m also a Black business owner whose entire business is built around young people, families, community, laughter, competition, and creating memories. So I cannot look at an 18 year old Black boy who left home for the Fourth of July and never made it back and simply scroll past it.

What makes this even harder is that we still do not know how Nolan Wells died. A grand jury declined to bring charges and said the evidence was consistent with drowning, but both the state medical examiner and the independent pathologist retained by Nolan’s family classified the cause and manner of his death as undetermined. The independent autopsy also documented recent, unexplained blunt force injuries to the back of his head and other parts of his body.

I don’t know what happened to Nolan. That is the point.

His parents should not have to accept unanswered questions about how their child died. They should not have to turn their grief into a full time fight just to keep people asking questions. And as Black people, this feeling is painfully familiar. Another story. Another grieving family. Another name. We say the name, post the picture, get angry, and eventually the internet moves on.

I’m tired of that cycle bro!!

So when we say Justice for Nolan Wells, it has to mean more than accusing somebody online. Justice means truth. Justice means transparency. Justice means following the evidence wherever it leads. Justice means answering the questions that are still unanswered. Justice means refusing to decide that a Black life is no longer worth investigating simply because the headlines have slowed down.

There are things we can do. Share Nolan’s story using verified information. Read the independent autopsy. Support his family’s call for an independent federal investigation. Sign and share the petition requesting a federal review. Contact the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and your federal representatives and ask that his family’s request for answers be taken seriously.

At the same time, no threats. No harassment. No doxxing. No turning speculation into fact. Justice for Nolan cannot mean creating another injustice. The pressure should be on truth, evidence, transparency, and accountability.

Nolan Xavier Wells was somebody’s baby. He had a future. He mattered. And until his family knows what happened to their son, we should not allow his name to become just another name we used to say.

Say his name. Nolan Xavier Wells. Justice for Nolan!!!

Late post, but over the weekend, we were able to service the Wildcats Football Team out in Rochester Hills! Late night didn't matter, we still had the outdoor TV's going!!

Summer may be over, but Gaming Season never ends!

Head to www.round1gaming.com/booknow to book now!

Founders’ Day hits a little different when the letters have been part of your life for almost 20 years. 🤎💛

Today we celebrate 63 years of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. Me and Terrance have both been proud members for close to two decades, and that brotherhood has shaped a lot of who we are outside of Round 1 too. The service. The relationships. The responsibility to pour back into the community. The standard you try to carry as a man.

A lot of times, Iota ends up being the butt of jokes and slick comments in Greek spaces. Foolish when you really think about it considering we are all BGLO, but I digress 😂. None of that changes the work, the history, the brotherhood, or the pride we have in these letters.

So today we salute the Founders, the brothers who came before us, the brothers standing beside us now, and the ones coming behind us. Keep digging. Keep building. Keep serving. Keep showing people exactly who we are.

Building a Tradition, Not Resting Upon One.

Happy Founders’ Day to all the good brothers of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. 🤎💛 OW OW!!!

We’re out here RIGHT NOW with the Shelby Township Police Department for their annual Open House, and this joint is already moving 🎮🚔🔥

This is way more than just a police station tour. They’ve got police vehicles, K-9 demonstrations, drone demos, the TRU Team, crisis negotiators, bounce houses, hot dogs, snacks, and a whole lot going on for families. Round 1 is posted up adding some gaming to the mix and letting the kids get a few rounds in between everything else.

Big love to the Shelby Township Police Department and Shelby Township for putting together something this dope for the community and having us be part of it. We’ll be here until 1 PM at 52530 Van D**e Ave. so if you’re nearby, pull up and come see us.

Old, I just never got around to posting it 😂
Head to www.round1gaming.com/booknow to book now!

We accept PAYPAL where you can split your event into 4 easy payments!

September is Su***de Prevention Awareness Month, and this one is personal for me.

As one of the owners of Round 1 Gaming Lab, I can say this openly. I’ve had moments in my own life where I’ve contemplated su***de. If you know, you know. I’m not saying that for sympathy or attention. I’m saying it because sometimes the people who look like they’ve got everything together are carrying some heavy s**t behind the scenes.

Mental health doesn’t always look like somebody completely falling apart. Sometimes it looks like going to work every day. Running a business. Taking care of your family. Making people laugh. Showing up for everybody else. Posting like everything is cool. And still fighting your own battle when nobody’s around.

That’s why checking on your people matters. Really checking. Listening without judging matters. Giving somebody room to say, “I’m not okay,” without immediately trying to fix them matters. And asking for help doesn’t make you weak.

If you’re struggling, please tell somebody. A friend. Family member. Therapist. Pastor. Counselor. Somebody. You don’t have to carry everything by yourself.

If you or somebody you know needs help:

988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988, 24/7. In Michigan, 988 calls are connected through the statewide crisis system, including MiCAL.

Michigan Peer Warmline: 1 888 PEER 753 (1 888 733 7753), seven days a week from 10 AM to 2 AM for peer support from people with lived experience.

Detroit and Wayne County: DWIHN’s 24 hour crisis line is 1 800 241 4949. It’s free and confidential.

Your life matters, even in the moments when your mind is trying to convince you otherwise. Please stay. Please talk to somebody. Please give tomorrow a chance.

***dePreventionMonth

Today we take a moment to remember September 11, 2001.

It’s been 25 years since nearly 3,000 people lost their lives at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93. People were simply going to work, getting on flights, doing their jobs, and living regular lives when everything changed. Then you had first responders running toward something everybody else was trying to get away from.

If you were old enough to remember that day, you probably remember exactly where you were when you heard what happened. For the generations who weren’t here yet, it’s on us to keep telling the story and making sure those lives, those families, and those sacrifices aren’t reduced to just another date in a history book.

Today isn’t about Round 1, gaming, or business. It’s simply about remembering the people who never made it home, the families who still carry that loss, the survivors, the first responders, and everybody whose life changed forever that day.

We remember. We honor. We’ll never forget.

This one is WILD.

Hideo Kojima’s PHYSINT, the action espionage game people have been calling the spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid, is now being published by Xbox instead of Sony. Xbox and Kojima Productions officially confirmed the new partnership, expanding their relationship beyond OD.

That alone is already crazy, but the backstory makes it even crazier. PlayStation reportedly stepped away from the project, and Kojima Productions spent months looking for a new partner before landing with Xbox. Now Xbox gets to attach itself to one of the biggest names in stealth gaming while PlayStation watches from the other side.

For Xbox, this is a BIG get. They have been getting cooked for years over exclusives, identity, and giving people a reason to actually buy the console. Landing Kojima for a Metal Gear style espionage game is exactly the kind of move people have been asking them to make.

Now the question is simple.

Did Xbox just steal a future classic from PlayStation?