A group of nerdy guys playing video games is not what you'll find at a typical meeting of the Gamers Club -- at least not for the whole time.
The Gamers Club is a group dedicated to the art, the meaning and yes -- the playing of video games, according to Co-President Erik Hansen.
Founded five years ago, the Gamers Club began "on a whim," and members would meet in each other's rooms to play games, Hansen said.
Although Hansen holds that the club "has not evolved much," the organization boasts between 20 and 30 regular members, and meetings have moved to Newcomb Hall.
"It's a place to show up for two hours and game and talk about games," Hansen said of the club's current atmosphere.
For the first hour of their meetings, members take turns leading a presentation on some aspect of video games. Past presentations have covered everything from the economics of gaming to legendary romances in games.
"Everyone in the club believes that games are a legitimate art form," Hansen said. "A lot of games aren't -- they're just to make money for entertainment ... but we talk about that aspect of games."
Some meetings, called "challenge days," devote both hours to a series of challenges in different games that roughly follow the same theme. On Valentine's Day, the club played a game called Cooking Mama, in which the person who figured out how to cook the most romantic meal won, followed by a mini-game in the Legend of Zelda in which the player collected stars for little girls who were obsessed with the main character.
"The winner doesn't really get anything besides bragging rights," second-year College student Campbell Bird said, but even so, club members enjoy these mini-tournaments.
"It's a relaxation period," Hansen said.
Other meetings are trivia days, when Hansen and Co-President Matt Palen devise a Jeopardy-like game and members compete in two teams.
Each semester, however, builds up to the club's largest event -- a day-long festival consisting of tournaments and single-player games. The festival is not limited to the club's gamers and non-members are welcome; Hansen said between 80 and 100 people show up to test their skills during the busiest hours.
Usually, though, the Gamers Club sticks to its meetings and smaller gatherings among club members.
"The environment we try to foster is a low-intensity environment," Hansen said.
This laid-back atmosphere is Bird's favorite aspect of the club.
"There are people there who are super into video games and know everything about them and can kick your ass in any game, but there are also people who are there who have fun playing video games one hour a week maybe," Bird said. "The meetings aren't mandatory, there's no dues -- having an open atmosphere brings in a lot of different people who are interested in the same things on different levels."
The club also welcomes a wide range of games and the members, who are interested in a variety of genres, take advantage of that, Hansen said.
"When I first went into it, I thought there would be a lot people who played Halo online all the time ... but there are people that play all sorts of things, even people that play crazy Japanese import games that don't come out in the U.S.," Bird said. "We never really pigeonhole ourselves into any specific type of games."
As for diversity among members, Palen said the club is split pretty evenly between College and Engineering students. Although the club is predominately male, Hansen said there are about three female regulars. And as for skill level, anyone is welcome.
"We're not skill-oriented at all," Hansen said.
Anyone who has played a video game knows they are notorious for sucking away the hours in a snap -- the same hours that could be spent catching up on some homework. But according to Palen, it's all a matter of time management. He likened gaming to watching television -- some students will catch their favorite TV show to unwind, while Palen and other members of the Gaming Club will catch up on their favorite game instead.
Bird said he does not feel like he sacrifices another sphere of his life to make room for games, either.
"It's what I do for fun," Hansen said. "You play, your friends play, and so when you hang out, you play"
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