Loud cheers and laughter can be heard echoing from room 1200 in 6 E. 16th Street on Friday nights as soon as you step off the elevator. Peer inside and you’ll find several students hunched over their laptops engaged in a fierce match of League of Legends and a dozen others crowding around the larger screens playing Tekken and Smash Brothers. These students are members of The New School Game Club.
A growing group on campus, the club hopes be a place where students can “relax, have fun, meet people, and understand that everyone can play games,” said Parsons student and club president Justin Kinard.
Each Friday night, the group hosts a game night. Some nights are theme based, while others are just free gaming time. Throughout the night there are different games that happen simultaneously. While the club does play digital games, those aren’t always the focus.
“When a lot of people think games they think digital games but we try and mix it up,” said Kinard. “Whether it’s traditional card games, story-based card games, or live action role play, board games, that’s all important.”
For those worried that they might not have the skill level to join the club, think again. It’s open to everyone, no matter the skill level. “Whether you’re a person who plays a lot of games or not, we want to make it comfortable,” said Kinard. He hopes to make the space comfortable for those who have never played digital games to not feel pressured, and just give the games a chance. Though if you are looking for guidance on how to play, he will be there to help.
Some games the group has played in the past include Dungeons and Dragons, Mario Kart, Smash Brothers and Cards Against Humanity.
For some the group has served as a great place to meet people on campus. “I went for the free pizza but I stayed for the amazing people,” said vice-president Rohil Aniruth. Aniruth was invited to a club event before becoming a student at The New School. When he decided to further his studies at the university the club had made a lasting impression. “I remembered the warmth of The New School through Game Club,” he said.
The club’s membership is made up of students from different divisions, majors, and even those who don’t attend The New School. “It’s diverse,” says Kinard. “Some of them are fashion, some of them really care how they look, some of them don’t, they’re Lang kids, or kids who don’t go to school.”
For Kinard, this diversity is reflective of the actual gaming community. “The community is not just the angry white boy,” he says.
In the future, the group hopes to bridge the connection between games and what is happening outside of the University. “This semester I hope to grow, and to have The Game Club be an avenue for students to do stuff outside of school,” said Kinard noting social change, team building and ways of securing scholarships through games. “I want people to understand games can be just for fun, they can also be more than just toys.”
Aniruth is on the same page. He hopes to start putting on larger events each month that will allow the club to give to funds to charities or other organizations they are passionate about. “Games contributing to social change is important,” he said. “If we are able to get NSGC to a place where it is contributing substantially, I feel like that is a pretty awesome goal.”
Illustration by Alex Gilbeaux.
Taylor is a journalism + design junior from Florida.
