Kayla Hopple

kah6623@psu.edu

Contributing Writer

The Gaming Club is a student organization like no other. It is a group where students play games together, make new friends, and have fun. From board games and card games to video games, there is never any room for boredom in Gaming Club membership.

At 7 p.m. every Friday, the Gaming Club members and their officers gather in the upper level of the Reed Union Building to have a brief meeting to discuss extracurricular club events like Pokémon card game tournaments, Dungeons & Dragons miniature painting, and video game poster raffles. Sometimes, they also discuss club officer elections such as vice presidents and treasurers. Immediately following the meeting, many members head downstairs to play a multitude of card games, board games, and video games while having Little Caesars pizza and drinking different sodas. Sometimes, the Reed Union Building’s front desk provides Wii Remotes and a box of nostalgic titles for the building’s Wii console for members to enjoy during their game night such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, among others. More recently, some Gaming Club members are bringing their own video game consoles to the event like a Nintendo Switch and a PlayStation 2 to play their own games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Party Superstars, and Tekken Tag Tournament. Some members also gather in groups and participate in Dungeons & Dragons campaigns and work together to battle mythical beasts and traverse through mythical lands.

Noah Breindel, one member of the club, enjoys this club because he gets to have fun with friendly people. “Everyone is always warm and welcome,” he says. “I’ve never had any run-ins with anyone that’s rude or mean. Everyone’s really nice.”

Another member of the club, Leo Karmer, enjoys the club’s convenient location within the campus, the Reed Union Building’s lounge area in the heart of the campus. “It’s just a neat little place where […] you can’t decide on […] someone’s dorm or […] a specific area outside of campus,” he explains. “You can just hang out in the lounge […], [but] for the gaming club, picking the lounge to have the club here was a great option.”

According to club president Cory Ross, the Gaming Club has been more active than ever as of this year. “It’s been a really big impact for me,” he says. He claims that as president of the club, he is thankful for all the engagement the club members promote that keep the club active.