Last summer, a group of students came together with a passion for gaming and the hope of spreading it across the University. Their efforts led them to create ABXY Gaming, the largest videogame club on campus.
“We just tried to provide a community network not only for the hardcore gamers, but for casual ones as well,” said Adrian Morris, a junior and the club’s current president.
Led by Morris, ABXY has made great advances in its first year as a student organization. Next year’s leaders include president Kelli Abernathy, vice president Tiara Dees and treasurer Stephen Swain.
The group has already accumulated more than 350 registered members and has hosted more than 15 game nights and several tournaments and special events, with sponsorship and support from organizations such as EA Games, AMP Energy, Tabletop Gaming, Creative Campus and University Union.
Game nights, the club’s main gatherings, are free to attend and held in the Ferguson Center Game Room on Fridays before football games in the fall and every other week in the spring.
On Jan. 31, ABXY teamed up with Creative Campus to co-host its inaugural gaming convention, PixelCon. According to its website, the event was held to help raise awareness for local gaming communities, showcase the various talents, and introduce career-oriented individuals to information about the gaming occupational field.
ABXY has not only proven itself influential in the gaming community, but also to the University as a whole. In April, The SOURCE awarded the club the Crimson Star Award as well as the award for Best New Student Organization for the 2009-2010 school year. Plans to expand the organization’s influence are already in the works.
“We definitely want to plan more events for next year and get involved in community service projects, as well as set up a tent for tailgating on game days next year,” Morris said.
In the meantime, ABXY is open to all gamers and welcomes new members. Spreading the word of gaming and getting people around campus together to share in their passion for videogames has only just begun.
