March 29, 2024

On-campus gaming group welcomes new and inexperienced players

Video games. Whether you play them yourself or are only dimly aware that they exist, we can’t deny that they’re becoming an increasingly important part of popular culture. Online streaming services like YouTube and Twitch let people enjoy games even if they can’t afford them, and eSports leagues are becoming more and more prominent. Even so, video games still have a reputation for being an insular entertainment medium that’s difficult to break in to.

On campus, the “gaming collective” is a student organization that aims to be Capital’s bridge into the greater gaming community.

“We’re mostly about, if you have a tough week or stuff’s just not going right, spend a couple hours on a Friday night, come down and play some video games,” said Edwin Souder, the organization’s current president.

The organization’s meetings are meant to have a casual atmosphere to help students unwind. Members will bring in various gaming consoles, for example a Nintentdo Switch, PlayStation or etc., and students who attend can decide for themselves what they’d like to play.

According to Souder, the gaming collective tries to have a variety of games available for people to play, but it mostly depends on what individual members bring to meetings. “We try to encourage people to bring [their own] stuff,” Souder said. “Because if people bring stuff, that means that not only will the veteran and hardcore players be able to test their luck with games they might not have access to anymore, or test their luck against someone new to Capital… it’s better for casual players because they can be like, ‘I’ve always wanted to try this game, I want to see if I like it or not,’ or if I want to get into the scene of it.”

For the more competitively inclined, the gaming collective also hosts tournaments during meetings, playing popular fighting games like Super Smash Bros. and Dragon Ball FighterZ. Tournaments are seeded to make sure newer players or those less familiar with the games are not immediately squared up against expert players, and so that expert players are free to test their skills against one another.

The gaming collective is also beginning to branch into eSports with an event Souder calls “Convergence.” At Convergence, gamers from all over the state of Ohio come and participate in a tournament here at Capital. Players pay a small entry fee in order to compete at their game of choice for potential winnings. Convergence made its debut on campus last year, and is currently being organized for another run at some point during this academic year.

Another event the gaming collective has planned for the future is “Retro Game Night.” During this event, attendees would be able to play games from the classic eras of the medium. The gaming collective also intends to host “Gaming 101” events to help familiarize newer players with certain games.

While the competitive aspects of gaming are well represented in the organization’s activities, Souder emphasizes that there’s something for every type of gamer and that, “…the core message is still, we’re just here to have fun, chill out and play games.”

The gaming collective meets Fridays from 6-11 p.m. in room 141 of the Convergent Media Center.

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