Gamers gear up for fall esports excitement

The Central Gaming Community welcomes incoming students at the University of Central Oklahoma as it gears up for the fall semester filled with games and other events.

The group, created in 2021, hopes to be a place for people who enjoy all types of games — including online multiplayer, tabletop and roleplaying — to come together and find a community here on campus. 

“We may seem small, but we are so active during the year, and we’re growing every semester,” said Paighten Barnes, the Central Gaming Community president. “We’ve already added 50 people to the Discord group and I am approving more daily.” 

Throughout the semester, the group plans to host a variety of events, from weekly “gamer lunches” in the Nigh University Center to gaming tournaments like “Super Smash Bros.” and “Fortnite.” Barnes also added that they hope to work with other groups on campus for future events. 

Aside from in-person events, the group also gets together to play games online and connects through the Central Gaming Community discord server. 

“Group members will usually get together to play throughout the week and it is open to anyone who joins,” Barnes said. 

The Central Gaming Community will host many events at the CO-OP Gaming Arena, 101 N. University Drive in Edmond. The CO-OP area, aside from hosting esports tournaments, can be rented out for a variety of group events where people have access to game consoles, tabletop games, and even VR gaming setups. UCO Students can rent out the space for free.  

For more information on upcoming events, or if you want to join the Central Gaming Community, follow the group on Instagram @ucocgc, which points to the group’s Discord server. 

Visit coopgamingarena.com.