Loyola alumnus Yuichiro Oguma founded the Loyola gaming club spring of 2016 on the foundation of maintaining a friendly environment and setting up occasional tournaments, according to senior and current gaming club President Quinton Liang.

Liang, who’s been the club’s president for over a year, said club members meet every Friday around 5:30 p.m. in Satchmo’s Lounge in the Danna center and then move into the media lab in Monroe hall to play esports.

Sophomore Vincent Nguyen said he joined the club two years ago when he heard about it through word of mouth.

“It’s a very relaxed environment to hang out,” he said.

Sophomore Sundiata Bondojia, who’s been a club member since the fall of 2019 shared Nguyen’s sentiments.

“I joined because I love any opportunity to play video games and be with people,” Bondojia said.

Gaming club members tend to play fighting and arcade-style type games at meetings but are not opposed to playing whatever games members bring in, according to Nguyen.

Despite the club’s openness to play a variety of esports, both Nguyen and Bondojia said they have different tastes in their preferred games.

While Nguyen said his favorite game is Pokemon Emerald, a strategy based role playing game, Sundiata said he is a big fan of Grand Theft Auto V, an open world game that gives players a lot of freedom in how they play.

The skill level varies and the competitive level goes from casual to hypercompetitive based on how the gamers feel that day, ” Nguyen said.

Despite differences in taste, Nguyen said the club was an opportunity to meet people and make good friends.

“My favorite part about being in the club are the different games people bring and being with people who love what I love,” Bondojia said.

Both Bondojia and Nguyen said they enjoy the company they share with their fellow gamers.

“There is nothing I would change about the club,” Bondojia said. ” I believe it is just wonderful.”

While gaming club members share notable times together doing what they love, not as many people as they would like know that the club exists, according to Nguyen.

“We could get more people involved by expressing how you can make new friends through gaming,” Nguyen said.

Both Bondojia and Nguyen encourage Loyola students who love video games to come check out the gaming club and noted that the main goal of the club is to have fun.