Gaming society gives students a break from schoolwork

Magical spells and exploding kittens might seem like a unlikely combination, but for members of the Games and Mindless Entertainment Society (GAMES), it’s part of a night of fun on the second floor of the Muenster University Center.

The stress of schoolwork can become a burden, and GAMES aims to offer a getaway from those stresses in an environment for students to gather, relax and have fun.

“(Students) just enjoy the time, have a study break, socialize,” GAMES Adviser David Alexander said. “There isn’t any meeting per se, people just show up and start playing games.”

The club meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. to spend their evening playing games both new and old.

These games can range from tabletop card games such as Magic: The Gathering or Exploding Kittens, to computer games including Minecraft or Surgeon Simulator.

“I didn’t think board games were still a thing,” said senior Katarina Hammoud, the club’s president, about the first time she heard about the club. “But they are alive and well.”

GAMES encourages members to bring their own games. In the past, students have brought gaming consoles and hooked them up to a projector, as well as connected computers to each other through a Local Area Network for multiplayer competitions.

“People just bring (games),” Alexander said.

He said Wednesdays usually yield a group of about 50 students who gather to socialize and engage in games.

First-year student Morgan Shaffer was among the crowd of students playing games Sept. 2. This was only his second week attending, and one of his first impressions was how welcoming the club was for new students.

“It was fairly open,” Shaffer said. “Anyone can come, you don’t have to be a hardcore gamer to do that.”

In January, the club hosts an annual event called Vermincon.

They rent out the second floor of the MUC for a weekend, and invite students and the public to attend and engage in a variety of games and exhibits.

An exhibit from this past Vermincon was a starship simulator where a group of players worked together to secure their ship. Vermincon 2016 will be held Jan. 22-24.

Hammoud said meeting students from around campus is one of her favorite things about the club.

“I’d say the biggest thing is getting people to make friends,” Hammoud said. “It’s nice to do things out of class and not at work – where you can just meet people who have similar interests.”

(Photo: Games and Mindless Entertainment Society members Andrew Smith, left, a first-year, and Levi Blanchard, also a first-year,  play the game Magic: The Gathering. GAMES club members can bring in their own games to teach to other students how to play them. Katie McGuire / The Volante)