By Courtney Stinson

Staff Reporter

As a part of Week of Welcome, ABXY, UA’s video gaming club, will give students a chance to unwind with video games tonight at their first official game night of the semester from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Ferguson Center TV lounge.

In an effort to attract a diverse group of students, ABXY will cater to a variety of gaming interests and by offering a variety of games from “Dance Central” to sports games.

With the pressure of classes and professional development clubs, AXBY is meant to be an organization where students can relax and focus on doing what they enjoy.

“It gives students a chance to meet people with similar interests and have some time to wind down from the constant classes, classes, classes all week,” Lauren Liebe, a UA graduate student and ABXY member, said.

Liebe also enjoys the sense of community ABXY provides by bringing different people together with a common interest.

“[The community is] pretty fantastic. We have a lot of people who are really enthusiastic,” Liebe said. “It’s a chance to meet a lot of new people and make a lot of friends that you might not otherwise have found.”

“You could play games in your dorm or your apartment alone, or you could come to an event with 20, 30, up to 60 people who are all interested in the same thing,” Mintz said. “You have friends who have different perspectives in the same scenario. It’s really the ideal kind of community.”

Aside from this game night, ABXY will also host other events throughout the year including more game nights, tournaments and a Halloween event. Last year, the group held a Pokemon formal.

ABXY affords its members the opportunity to game competitively. Members of ABXY’s fighting game league have won local tournaments. Other members have gone to the regional Pokemon tournament. Through ABXY, students can find people with similar interests with whom they can travel and compete with in tournaments.

Membership in ABXY is as relaxed as their events. A $10 membership due affords members voting rights and food at events, but the only requirement for membership in the club is attendance. ABXY’s game nights and league events are free and open to the public.

“The biggest thing is we don’t want to exclude anyone,” Mintz said. “If you can’t afford $10, that’s fine. Just show up, have fun and hang out.”