While the rise of competitive video gaming has led to colleges’ offering scholarships to student-gamers, the University of Alabama at Birmingham has taken a different approach, leveraging the popularity of eSports to identify innovative ways to grow and develop important connections for UAB students.
Good Games at UAB, or gg.UAB, is a university-sponsored program that aims to create an environment that fosters a community of students with diverse backgrounds who actively engage in numerous eSports and technological initiatives throughout the year.
“gg.UAB is where students from across the university can come to dive into the gaming culture while building relationships and develop skills that they can use outside of the gaming world,” said Quang Do, coordinator of student activities in UAB’s Office of Student Affairs.
The program is run by a board of 13 student-leaders. Do, who serves as the program’s adviser, says the meteoric rise of the popularity of eSports and video games has allowed connections to transcend barriers found in conventional activities.
“People who are gamers can tend to be less social,” he said. “We’ve created a welcoming place for students to play video games in hopes we can break that stereotype and create many exciting opportunities for them.”
gg.UAB promotes cultural and community awareness and provides extensive programming, hands-on experience and professional development. Organizers also work to increase career opportunities for students, efforts that include connecting students with companies — those that focus on the video game industry, as well as those that do not.
gg.Friday, the program’s staple, aims to engage students with eSports and video games in a social environment.
gg.Edu is a series of intellectual and educational discussions about the impact of eSports and video games in culture. Topics range from sexism in video games to how massively multiplayer online (MMO) games have shaped interactions between players.
gg.Co-op is a mentorship program with local organizations where UAB students help youth develop skills in team mechanics and dynamics through eSports.
All facets of the gg.UAB program culminate toward one giant end-of-the-year event called BlazerCon. An annual multiday convention, gg.UAB’s largest event is designed to promote eSports community and culture with gaming tournaments, networking opportunities and cosplay competitions, where participants dress up as their favorite sci-fi or fantasy characters.
“These events build valuable and impactful relationships that increase community involvement,” Do said, adding that gg.UAB is unique in that it does not just promote video gaming competitions. “What we’re doing is different from any other college campus. With the growth that we’ve experienced in such a short time, I think this is a model we can take to other institutions and share our success.”
As for the name, Do says it is common in eSports for players to type ‘GG’ after a match, which is the acronym for ‘good game.’ He says that the ideology of sportsmanship and community are things that are necessary to reach gg.UAB’s goal.
gg.UAB has numerous events planned for the upcoming academic year to get interested students involved, including WelcomeCon on Aug. 22 as part of Welcome Week. The event will begin at 8 p.m. and last until 2 a.m. at the Campus Recreation Center. Food, gaming and a special screening of “Avengers: Age of Ultron” will be provided for all who attend.