Gaming Culture 2019

uwec launches into gaming

STUDENT SENATE, RECREATION PARTNER TO OFFER INTRAMURAL ESPORTS

words by LAUREN FISHER photo by UW-EAU CLAIRE IMC

TEN NEW DELL DESKTOP

COMPUTERS are awaiting place ment in their new home in UW-Eau Claire’s Hilltop Recreation Center, where they will become part of the university’s new intramural esports program. The program will pro vide the space and organizational structure for UW-Eau Claire gam ers to compete against one another in League of Legends, Super Smash Bros., and other contests.

Esports is competitive computer gaming, and it’s a worldwide pastime with more annual viewership than the Superbowl. Athletes train and com pete as teams, studying their gaming specialization and often streaming their practices and matches for spec tators to watch. Official tournaments and individual athletes and teams attract big-name sponsors as would a traditional sporting endeavor.

The esports program was estab lished in a partnership between the Student Senate and the University Recreation and Sport Operations, according to Joe Murphy, a third-year student and the director of infor mation technology for the Student Senate. He worked with the senate to draft and pass a bill that provided $17,000 of student senate fee money to pay for the gaming systems. The fee money paid for five of the comput ers, while Dell donated the other five. The Recreation Department agreed to set up and maintain a space in the hilltop center to run the systems.

“This is the smallest it’s ever going to be,” Murphy said. “Real istically, there’s always going to be more and more high school graduates interested in esports and once the university has a program, it’s going to be able to appeal to those students.”

Interest in esports is already ex ploding, according to Garrett Larson, the Recreation and Sport Operations competitive sports coordinator. “I’ve never seen a student group grow as quickly as esports has grown here in a short amount of time,” Larson said. “Gaming has been around a long time, but it’s advanced into something more than people just playing a game. This isn’t a fad; esports is here to stay.”

This is illustrated by the rapid growth of Blugold League of Legends, UW-Eau Claire’s first esports club which was founded just this year. In that time, it’s gained more than 160 students.

UW-Eau Claire’s esports program

will begin as one where students compete against each other, but might become an inter-collegiate organiza tion like UW-Stout’s blooming esports program, Murphy said.

“I think if you give it five years and check back in, a rivalry between the two school is on the table,” he said.

“I think engagement is really im portant in academics,” Murphy said. “I think feeling like you’re a part of something is going to help you per form.” While the university has many

opportunities for students to engage with their campus through athletics such as soccer, basketball, and more, an esports program will bring a previ ously underserved population into the fold.

This inclusion comes with a host of opportunities to grow, Murphy and Larson said. Esports athletes, just as traditional athletes do, practice team work, improve focus, think creatively, and learn the value of hard work.

“People look at it and think you’re just clicking a couple boxes, but it’s

really complicated," Murphy said.

“It’s just like football; you can watch the Vikings or the Packers play and they’ve got all different plays laid out, they’ve got game plans, they know how each of the other players is going to operate, it’s really similar in that regard.”

The campus esports program is slated to be officially up-and-running during the spring semester. For more information, check in with University Recreation and Sports Operations.

<< Realistically, there’s always going to be more and more high school graduates interested in esports and once the university has a program, it’s going to be able to appeal to those students. >>

pinball prominence

YOU MIGHT BE PLAYING NEXT TO A GRAND CHAMPION

MARTINSON

PAULSETH

THE

NEXT TIME YOU’RE FEELING OVERWHELMED

AT A CROWDED BAR OR RESTAURANT, search the walls for a pinball machine. Walk over, figure out how to get multiball, extra ball, and the super jackpot, then play your heart out until that weird guy finds another person to talk to. While you’re at it, you might just find that you really enjoy it. All of those flashing lights, flippers, but tons, and switches can be intimidating, but it doesn’t take long before you’re playing every time you go out. A lot of people glance over pinball machines as things of the past, but there are a select few who still shred the flippers in hopes of becoming a grand champion.

In fact, pinball is alive and well in Eau Claire. While machines can be scarce from time to time, there are always people willing to hop on and flip an afternoon away. One champion around town, Adam Stephenson, livestreams his pinball games and has a pretty solid online following.

“Pinball is so analog,” says Stephen son, “there’s a real satisfaction that you can feel when you make a shot or get a combo that you can’t get with any other medium.” That satisfaction can be hard to find when you’re just starting out, though, because folks don’t want to drain quarters for frustratingly short games as they hone their skills. Adam suggests that you play with your friends and take advantage of the fact that you can typically get 3 credits for 2 dollars on any machine. Going head-to-head is a great way to increase your match re play and win a few games, especially if you’re playing with a friend who knows what they’re doing.

Another encouraging fact is that most pinball veterans love to share their knowledge and give support where they can. “I love throwing money at new players,” Adam said, “if you see me play ing, approach me. I think that goes for many more experienced players. Most of us love to answer questions, play a

few rounds, or just geek out with other people who love pinball.”

Keep your eyes open for machines at bars, restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys, or arcades when you’re out. Tuck those quarters away and keep them on hand for an after noon when you’re feeling adventur

ous and make some new connections. Don’t be surprised if you work your self into simultaneous states extreme excitement and frustration – that’s just how it goes sometimes.

Check out Stephenson's pinball live streams and more on his Twitch profile at www.twitch.tv/bitsandbeer

WINLAN

Jan. 10-12 • Banbury Place • facebook.com/WINLANParty

A semi-annual 3-day video gaming and board gaming LAN party. Frequently draws 140+ attendees.

UW-Stout SGX Stout Game Expo May & Dec. • UW-Stout • uwstout.edu

The Stout Game Expo (SGX) invites you to play dozens of free games at a semi-an nual gaming event. The games were created by freshmen, sophomores, juniors and senior students on a variety of platforms.

Clearwater Con

Late June • Find it on Facebook

by JAMES JOHONNOTT

An annual 3-day tabletop gaming convention featuring RPGs, board games, card games. Usually held in late June at a hotel in Eau Claire. Check Facebook for more.

words by MAX

• photo by ANDREA

where to buy, play, and peruse

GAMING STORES THROUGHOUT THE CHIPPEWA VALLEY

compiled by JAMES JOHONNOTT

THE FRIENDLY LOCAL GAME STORE (FLGS) holds a special place in gaming culture. Whether its a comic shop that hosts card tournaments in the weekends, or a game store with side rooms for role playing games, a FLGS is a hub for gamers of all ages. Most of these establishments host tournaments so check their websites or swing the shop to get a tournament schedule. Any good FLGS will teach inquiring players how to play any of the games they sell.

D20 GAMING

2158 EastRidge Center, Eau Claire • (715) 514-2799 • facebook.com/d20gam ingllc • A clean, friendly, and wel coming environment that meets your gaming needs. D20 Gaming is owned by Phillip Grant and Savanna Staves. Offering Magic the Gathering singles, sealed product, accessories & tour naments, Pokemon, Heroclix, D&d/ Pathfinder books & dice, Warmachine and more.

CLAIREMONT COMICS

2215 Fairfax St, Eau Claire • (715) 8312112 • Find it on Facebook • Buys and sell Comic books, MTG, warhammer fantasy and 40k, and D&D. Featuring 2 large tables for strategy miniature gaming with terrain to use, 32 tables for MTG tournaments, snacks, soda, and free WiFi.

GAME QUEST GAMING

326 Main St E, Menomonie • (715) 235-9353 • facebook.com/gamequest gamingmenomonie • A family-owned game store carrying new and used video games and consoles along with board games, Magic the Gathering supplies, Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Dun geons and Dragons, Warhammer 40K and much more.

GAMES BY JAMES

Oakwood Mall, Eau Claire • (715) 8353669 • facebook.com/GamesByJames

• A local branch of the Minneapolisbased stores for games of all shapes and sizes and age ranges. Everything from jigsaws to dice games, D&D supplies to Magic: The Gathering and beyond.

GAMING GENERATIONS

4052 Commonwealth Avenue, Eau Claire • (715) 514-5111• facebook.com/ ggeauclaire • Buys and sells video games of all eras. If you’re looking for an old-school system to play your favorite childhood game, or to clean out your closet, Gaming Generations is here to help. Also sells plenty of gaming themed merchandise, perfect for gamers.

HEROES WELCOME

424 Main St E, Menomonie • (715) 505-4660 • facebook.com/HeroesWel

come • Offers comic books, graphic novels, board games, Magic the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, Pokemon, Munchkin, Star Wars Des tiny and more.

K3 FANTASY & SPORTS CARDS

105 N Bridge St, Chippewa Falls • (715) 726-8780 • Find it on Facebook • Buys, sells, and trades sports cards and fantasy cards including Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Poke mon in downtown Chippewa Falls.

OLD SCHOOL

PINBALL & ARCADE 2928 London Road, Eau Claire • Find it on Facebook • Eau Claire Games & Arcade has moved and reopened as Old School Pinball & Arcade in Kings Plaza. Featuring 60+ fully restored classic and modern arcade machines, the arcade also has an extensive library of classic and modern video games for sale.

Is your FLGS not listed? If so, we’re sorry! We probably don’t know about it and if you reach out to our listings editor James at james@volume one.org he’d be happy to help you. We'll make it up to you by including your information in future versions of this list.

Hey

ere’s now a trusted local option for selling your reserved seating or general admission event tickets online and at the door, at no cost to you

It’s called Volume One Tickets and it’s easy to use, fully customizable, and comes with built-in promotion through Volume One’s powerful network of print, digital, and email promotion.

You can set up your event and tickets yourself, or let Volume One staff help you.

No event is too large or small – thousands of tickets have already been sold locally for concerts, fundraisers, food tastings, classes, races, parties, and more.

is year, partner locally with Volume One Tickets and see how fun and easy selling tickets online can really be.

dungeons & dragons: 7 reasons to roll

THERE'S TONS OF VALUE IN THE LEGENDARY ROLE-PLAYING GAME

words by JAMES JOHONNOTT

THAT SOUND

PLASTIC DICE hitting the table in your base ment. The fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons has enjoyed something of a renaissance during the past several years. The game has been heavily referenced on the hit Netflix series Stranger Things and casually discussed on late night TV between personalities like Anderson Cooper and Stephen Colbert. The most successful crowd-funded TV show, at $11 million, is based on a weekly D&D webshow played by a group of voice ac tors (Critical Role). 2019 marks the 45th anniversary of a game that has strong midwestern roots having been invented by Midwesterners Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in Lake Geneva, Wis.

But if the phrase “fantasy role-play ing game” seems a little foreign, then allow me to break it down. Dungeons

& Dragons is a game where a group of people create and play characters, each of which has set of specialized skills that make them different, that work together as a team to overcome challenges set forth by the Dungeon Master (equal parts storyteller and rules referee) in a fantasy world. A gaming group regularly meets for a handful of hours at a time to play through these scenarios in a story that spans several weeks, months, and sometimes years. A game of Dungeons & Dragons includes storytelling, puzzle solving, action adventure, dice gaming, improvisation, and acting.

For a lot of people, D&D isn’t just a hobby, but a foundational element of friendships, a creative outlet, an escape, and much more. Rather than getting into the nitty-gritty of the game, here’s just seven reasons why picking up some dice and finding a D&D gam ing group is great for anyone.

YOU HEAR MIGHT BE THE SOUND OF A HANDFUL OF

1.

GET CREATIVE.

At its core, D&D is a game fueled by creativity. No two games will ever be the same, because every group of play ers will imagine a different character and adventure in a different way. The game exists in a special, shared imagi nation space between the players and the Dungeon Master. For Dungeon Mas ters in particular, the books are only a starting point. The fantasy worlds of D&D are imagined and brought into existence through words alone.

2.

GET SOCIAL.

While geek-related activities often get a bad rap for being “antisocial” this couldn’t be further than the truth for D&D. The game can only be played with others. For some, that group might be a weekly group of changing members at one of the Chippewa Valley’s fine gam ing shops. For others like myself, it’s a group forged from friends. A gaming group of friends only gets closer as they explore the world D&D together and face challenges as a team. Friends that you only see once every month or once or twice a year can turn into the kinds of friends you see on a weekly basis. For those that attend groups at a local game shop, the shared language of the game dispenses with the formalities and awkwardness that can plague anyone of any age from making new friends.

3. IMPROVISE.

D&D is a game with rules, but it’s not at all like playing through a novel or a video game; the world responds to the actions of the players. The game chal lenges its players to come up with inter esting solutions to problems. Unshackled by real-world consequences, players can try anything from the reasonable to the outlandish to solve a problem. Often the most courageous (read: off-the-wall) solu tions are the most memorable.

4. INSIGHT.

An oft over-looked benefit of D&D is the opportunity to live vicariously through daring fantasy heroes, but also to look inward at those same charac ters. The game world not only allows players to create elves and dwarves, or wizards and rogues, but also to play as a character completely different from themselves. In a world powered by imagination, aspects that some of us take for granted like religion, gender, and sexual orientation can be chosen at will. This freedom offers players the ability explore aspects of their own personality they may have never explored real life.

5. SKILLS.

A D&D game challenges the players to use several skills that are useful

in daily life. Team building, creative problem solving, quick thinking, listen ing, and empathy are all important to the game. These skills alone are a great reason for people of all ages to grab some dice. Younger players will learn a lot from the game’s challenges, and adults can brush up talents impor tant in their social lives and careers.

6. MAKE MEMORIES. Ask anyone who plays D&D what the most memorable moment in their game is and you’d better grab a chair. A gaming group’s sessions are chock full of tales of harrowing adventure, that will common ly be recounted over a few drinks like old war stories. The true magic is that players will almost always remember

their adventures as though they, not an imaginary character, lived (or didn’t live) to tell the tale. Through the power of the game, these stories can be a vivid shared memory between friends.

7. HAVE FUN!

Most importantly, D&D is just fun! It can be challenging to learn the game if you don’t have someone to help show you the ropes, but once you get the hang of it and take advantage of the experiences it has to offer, it’s hard to put down. I discovered the game in 2008 and I’ve been playing in different groups ever since. It’s strengthened my friendships, helped me connect to other people, let me flex creative muscles, and more.

<< For a lot of people, D&D isn't just a hobby, but a foundational element of friendships, a creative outlet, an escape, and much more. >>