Dana Hall has a new club dedicated to video games. Meeting every Wednesday, club members play different video games with each other, collaborate, and teach each other new skills and techniques to win.
Madeline Blessing ’24 started the club this year because of her own passion for gaming and her desire to meet new people who share the same love for video games. The club has varying participation per meeting, but Madeline says that “having around eleven members participating is ideal because that is about how many people a gaming server can hold.” Member Jordan Weller ’24 said, “I really love the club. Madeline has put a lot of work into making it a reality, and I hope she’s proud of all she’s accomplished.”
A club meeting typically revolves around playing a video game altogether. Recently, they have been playing a lot of Among Us and Minecraft. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a few of the members join the club meetings remotely from home. Madeline says that remote participation occasionally causes trouble with Minecraft because it is easier to collaborate when every member is on the same wifi network. Among Us, however, works perfectly with remote learners because it provides a game code that members can join with no matter their location.
In coming years, Madeline hopes that the club can eventually include middle schoolers. Although middle school students have certain IPad restrictions, she hopes that they will be given the privilege to participate during lunch time. Madeline also hopes to eventually be able to bring in a Nintendo Switch or an Xbox to plug into a TV to diversify the different games that the club can play.
Forming a club as a freshman also posed some challenges for Madeline. She expressed that finding a club advisor to watch over the club was her main concern but that House Director and Middle School teacher Mr. Brett Elwell came to the rescue and allowed for the Gaming Club to start their lunchtime fun.
Image source: Red Bull.