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Volume CXXXIII, Number 6 |
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Bowdoin Digital Underground digs in for great gaming
GRACE CHO
ORIENT STAFF
They are everywhere on campus: on your computer screen in your room, the common room in social houses, even in the library (well maybe not, but they will be). They are computer and video games, and around campus they range from old-school Nintendo to Xbox to computer game systems and more. They are a for source for procrastination, solving boredom, and developing arthritis in the hands. But if you're feeling tired of playing Madden 2004 against your roommates (or by yourself for that matter), then the Bowdoin Digital Underground (BDU) is just the place to find other gamers willing to put off that chemistry problem set and stare at a TV screen for hours at a time.
The Bowdoin Digital Underground is a group made up of Bowdoin students and community members who share an affinity for gaming and want to play each other without having to leave the comforts of home or dorm. Members are able to play each other in nightly gaming sessions known as fight clubs, LAN parties, and tournaments during the year.
"How the BDU works is that a person connects to a server and enters a virtual space where other members are also connected," explained BDU vice president John Gronberg '06. "Everyone in the space plays the same game against each other."
"As of last year, nearly 45 people were playing nightly, and of them about 15 to 20 were Bowdoin students," added Gronberg.
In the fight clubs, members competed in games like Unreal Tournament 2003, an arcade-style first-person shooter video game. But the big turnouts happen at local area network (LAN) parties, when gamers come together in a single physical space such as a common room, bringing with them their computers or game systems and playing against each other tournament-style, for prizes. The LAN parties draw more people due to the tournament-style setting and the food and music.
The BDU was the brainchild of founder Will Gilchrist '06. When arriving on campus in the fall of 2002, Gilchrist noticed there was no gaming club on campus. Having gone to a couple of LAN parties at larger schools with well-established clubs, the creator of the BDU thought that it would be great to have a gaming club that provided a relaxing study break, fun atmosphere, and alternative to the general weekend college nightlife.
"Gaming is a hidden culture on college campuses. It's out there and all over the place, but people don't seem to want to organize and bring it out into the open so much," said Gilchrist. "The BDU does that and there is no other club like us in Maine."
Gilchrist first pitched the idea to Gronberg, his first-year roommate, who liked the concept. The pair decided to turn the idea into a reality.
But the road to starting the BDU and gaining club status was not an easy path to travel for Gilchrist and the other original members.
"We had a horrible time trying to form a club," said Gildchrist. "We were denied twice by the SOOC and they never took us seriously. For the first semester, the club was literally underground. We ran the club and hosted a tournament without receiving recognition from the school."
After gaining permission, to be an official club on campus on the third attempt, the BDU has had other challenges to face.
"CIS changed the campus network over the summer, so it makes it harder for us to compete against people off campus. But we are trying to fix that," said Gronberg.
Despite these challenges, the BDU has made a name for itself on campus and in the online gaming community. The BDU plans to have several tournaments throughout the year, and the first one will be this weekend.
All are welcome to join in on the Madden 2004 tournament happening Friday, October 24 at 6:00 p.m. in Cleaveland 151. Email BDG@bowdoin.edu for more information.
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