The UNL Electronic Gaming Club (EGC) gives students an opportunity to interact with other people who share a passion for gaming. In the following interview, EGC President Scott Barrett describes the club’s origin, purpose, and ways to get involved.
Q: What is the purpose of the UNL Electronic Gaming Club?
A: The UNL EGC is largely a social organization intended to bring students together in a relaxing and fun setting that encourages the formation of lasting and meaningful relationships through the medium of gaming. We also hope to help erase some of the social stigmas that have followed gamers, such as being nerds who don't go outside or interact with others in real life. We've seen an exciting trend recently in our society that embraces "nerd culture" as something that is unique and of great worth, and we're hoping to contribute to that trend. We also hope to work with the other gaming related clubs on campus, such as the Game Developers Club, the UNL Association for Computer Machinery, and the Game Theory and Culture club from the communications department, to provide education and networking in fields involving the gaming-industry as a career path. The game-industry is the fastest growing and arguably most profitable entertainment industry in the world, and the opportunities for a career in the game-industry are both promising and exciting.
Q: How many members does EGC have?
A: There are currently 135 registered members of the club. Our events so far have ranged from roughly 10-15 people in attendance to over 100.
Q: How was EGC formed?
A: The club was originally formed in 2005, but went defunct in 2008. This previous summer, several students at UNL formed the Nebraska eSports Association (NeSPA), a non-profit social organization independent of the University. The purpose of this organization is to promote amateur competitive video gaming in Nebraska and the Midwest, a region whose options for competitive gaming have historically been very limited. We also wanted NeSPA to be involved in supporting clubs and gaming-oriented social organizations at the grassroots level, so it only made sense to revitalize EGC, which happened this past October.
Q: What are meetings like?
A: We meet once a week on Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m. in the Nebraska Union. Currently we're meeting in the Rec Room, but we're looking to change that to either the Crib or the rooms off to the side of the food court. These weekly meetings serve two purposes. First, club leadership meets to discuss upcoming events, plan future events, organize club promotion, and review past events. All members are welcome to join in the discussion and share their ideas on how things should run. Second, we setup several consoles (XBOX, PS3, Wii, etc) and play games. It's very casual and we'll play whatever people are interested in. The club itself only owns a single XBOX, so members are encouraged to bring their own system, games or controllers and to share with others. If you intend on bringing a system, it will also help if you notify us beforehand via email so that we can plan accordingly and arrange to have enough TVs.
Apart from regular Wednesday meetings, we also have LAN parties and tournaments. The LAN parties are largely "bring-your-own-gear" events in which we meet together and play games throughout the night. Games typically played at LANs are StarCraft 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter Strike, Minecraft, League of Legends, Tribes: Ascend, Super Street Fighter 4, and Call of Duty, though there is no restriction on what we play. It is entirely up to those in attendance.
Q: What kind of events does EGC participate in?
A: NeSPA will also host tournaments from time to time, and these are sometimes held on campus through the UNL EGC as well. Last November, a StarCraft 2 prize tournament was held with a $200 prize pool. About 120 people were in attendance to watch 36 competitors battle. NeSPA also hosted a prize Super Street Fighter 4 tournament in December.
Q: Why should people join the UNL EGC?
A: Anyone who is interested in gaming and meeting new people should join the club. At this time, the club charges no fee for membership and all of our events are free to students (except for prize tournaments, which include their own registration fee). There are also opportunities for leadership. If you are interested in participating, just send an email to nebraska.esports@gmail.com and we will keep you informed on upcoming events, both at the University and throughout the area.
For more information about EGC and NeSPA, visit nebraskaesports.org and follow NeSPA on Twitter @NE_eSports.