About two years ago, I attended a club fair as a first-year student with low expectations. I certainly had high expectations, but since it was my first time interacting with Notre Dame's student community, I didn't have any particular expectations in mind. Despite being in the same class of 2026, there were people who were clearly familiar with the university and its student group. Some had dreamed of coming here their whole lives and knew exactly what they wanted. I wasn't one of them. I got lost. I was very excited, but I still lost. I was just looking forward to finding something that belonged to me.
As I entered the huge Notre Dame Stadium, which I had only seen from a distance at the time, I was overwhelmed by the options in front of me. A member of what appeared to be the Student Activities Office handed me a piece of paper listing dozens, if not hundreds, of clubs and organizations.
This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to redefine myself, rebrand and mold myself into what I wanted to be in college. The legendary stories of epic college experiences were deeply connected beyond the classroom to clubs and passionate community projects. After taking a deep breath, I walked into the heart of the beast.
Instantly, the cacophony of halls merged with the inevitable identity crisis that thwarts anyone trying to fit themselves into a single box. I think you could also go to an academic club. Or is it more athletic? Yes, it's a service, but which one? It doesn't hurt to be political. Should I think in terms of having fun, learning, or doing? Is this for my profession, for my life as an artist, for my spiritual awakening, or for something completely different? Is it for something? Work, grad school, school, etc? How many organizations can I belong to at once? What's the best combination? What, where and how? What should I do?
Soon after, I found the obvious answer. Right near the entrance was his two table set dedicated to the video game club. I hesitated for a moment, then walked away. I've been passionate about video games, their development, conception, and magic all my life, and that's exactly why I quit. Shouldn't we consider other options? Shouldn't we try to discover something else, something more? I knew it was a lie, but I walked away.
I attended the entire fair and registered for everything that had minimal interest. To this day, emails from these organizations pop up in my inbox and then quickly disappear. I attended several of their meetings, but that foretold spark never ignited.
With one exception.
After completing one round of the club fair, the exit was right in front of me. I can't tell you what it was, but something struck me. I turned around and looked around the entire fair again, this time in reverse order. Despite carefully analyzing each stand from a distance, I did not approach any of them. Just as I was about to leave, my eyes fell on the first table that caught my eye.
“Hey! You! That's right, you!” I don't remember who it was that changed my life that day, but his voice and finger were pointed straight at me. “I know you want to do that! Do it!” In his other hand, he had a QR code for me to scan. I did it half unconsciously. That day, I joined a video game club. What did I have to lose?
The following week I received a follow-up message letting me know about an event they were hosting. I ignored it at first, but ended up resending the ad a few days later. There were only a few hours left until the registration deadline, and I couldn't think of anything else to do in that time, so I registered again half-heartedly.
That day I met my future girlfriend. That day, I met my future best friend in college and became part of a group of people that I truly belonged to and encouraged me to change on my own terms. The moment I let go of the idea of absolute maximum efficiency, I was not only happier, but these abilities that I was obsessed with developed naturally and in a way I enjoyed. Just a year later, I became president of the club.
The nature of the video game club makes it seem like it's an academic club, but that's not the case. The thing about video game clubs is that they're artistic clubs, but they're not. It's an athletic club, but it's not an athletic club. It's a recreational club, but it's not. By all standards, we refuse to compartmentalize ourselves into one of the many boxes to which we must conform. These boxes, which require that our every action must directly indicate a step in the right direction, very arrogantly assume as if we know what is best. They are not and never will be. I believe that if we accept that, we can grow.
Indeed, video game clubs provide students with an opportunity to explore their interests in an appropriate capacity. It has the standards that a box demands, but without suffocating itself. Whether it's by acquiring specialized hard skills in the technical field as part of the game development section, or by acquiring communication and teamwork skills from the Esports Elite Unit. Even as part of the General Assembly field, due to the genuine and actually useful networking that comes from sharing a true passion with others in the game development section. But the great thing about the video game club above all else is that it doesn't feel like it's lying. It doesn't force that horrible blindfold we start on ourselves.
With the unveiling of a brand new Gaming Lab within the ITC Building and the Club's biggest event in its history, the Gaming Olympics, coming up on April 6th, the Club has a lot of work ahead and a range of new opportunities to offer . to that member.
Personally, I think it's pretty cool. However, I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little biased. I did pretty well there. Maybe you are too.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of the observer.
