Every year when clubs are chosen, there are always a few clubs that students are a little unsure about. Sometimes it is because they are not sure what the club is or because they do not know what they club does. Either way, they are hesitant to sign up for them and in turn move on to choose a more popular, well-known club.
The Game Design Club is one of those lesser known clubs here at Lincoln Park. It is not overwhelmingly large like other clubs – it has about 20 members — and there is not always much activity seen. That does not mean that the Game Design Club does nothing because the members are actually working quite hard. During club meetings, the members experience some of the newest types of gaming technology. They are currently working with Blurst, which is a website that features high-flash games.
The club, which meets in the Media Design Lab, does not have much planned for this year just yet. Doug Sharp, the advisor who is in charge of the Game Design Club, would like to plan a field trip to GEARS and possibly to some game design studios in Pittsburgh. GEARS (Game Environment Applying Real Skills) is a program that is part of the Lincoln Interactive program, run through the National Network of Digital Schools, and it works to create educationally-based games. According to Sharp, “Kids are more likely to play video games than to study, so why not get them to study while playing games?”
Unlike the majority of the clubs at Lincoln Park, the Game Design Club does not have a president or any officers. Sharp and the members of the club agreed that it is very laid-back and has no need for officers. There are members who have been part of the club in previous years and some new, just like any other.
Taylor Heinselman, a junior, is a new member to the Game Design Club. For her, Game Design Club was not her first choice but it worked out well for her. Heinselman says that she enjoys experimenting with games and that there is a possibility that she will want to go into a career for gaming design or computer programming.
A second-year member of the Game Design Club and a sophomore here at Lincoln Park, Brandon Stettner, says that the club is much better this year. He stated that last year the attendance to club meetings was very poor and the club activities were only available to select members due to a lack of computers. This year, there are less people in the club which means there is not a problem with the computers. He says that this year the Game Design Club is more of a “doing stuff club” and that members are actually playing games and getting more involved.
Senior Dan Burnside has been involved in the Game Design Club for the past two years and the Gaming Club for one. He says that it has changed a lot in the previous years. When the Gaming Club was still available, more people actually played games. It was focused on a more social aspect. If someone found a good game they might bring it to other members of the Gaming Club who would then play it. “It was a bunch of gamers doing what they do best.” He says.
Although it is not as well known, the Game Design Club is an active club that is really doing things this year. The members are stepping up their game and really doing a lot more than they have in previous years. Things seem to be getting better for the Game Design Club members and hopefully there will be positive advances for the club throughout the year.