Gamers on campus have a new club to meet at
By: DAREN HEMBRADOR
Staff Writer
STLCC – Meramec has a variety of clubs and organizations to test and exercise both physical and mental skills, ranging from Improv Club to Fencing and Outdoors Club. One particular club has emerged as the new kid on the block – The Competitive Gaming Club. 
Club founders and STLCC-Meramec students Dan Wichern and Evan Delia said they organized the club to create a friendly, interactive and cooperative environment for casual and hard core gamers.
“[The club’s purpose is to] meet new people, learn cooperative and strategic gameplay and enjoy gaming around peers,” Delia said.
The club currently provides console gaming from titles such as: Super Smash Brothers, Mortal Kombat, and Call of Duty. Talks for PC gaming may come around in the future.
The competitive Gaming Club is open to anyone regardless of gaming skills. Joining the club will build a person’s strategic coordination on certain moves, techniques and analysis on character strengths and weakness. Discussions on competitive strategy and coordination have brought on the attention whether competitive gaming is considered a sport. Considering the amount of mental preparation and coordination, whether with a teammate or a game controller, gaming is considered an electronic sport. Similar to chess and golf, they take as much strategic preparation as gaming. Playing against a human opponent can be challenging and exhilarating, whether it is on an outdoor court or on a computer monitor.
With the popularity of video games rising, it is no wonder the Competitive Gaming Club has taken a chance in Meramec. It is an interesting and more interactive way to learn about other games and new techniques to improve gaming skills. Gaming also provides a way to relax and immerse to a whole new environment. The club almost brings a nostalgic era of learning games and completing levels by talking to friends about the game, instead of searching for cheats in the internet. Anyone interested in gaming is welcomed to join, as long as “rage quitting” is kept to a minimum.
