Michael Gennaro
North Bureau Chief
Interested in game development? Or do you just like to relax and enjoy video and tabletop games with your friends?
The Virtual and Digital Media (VDM) Club on North Campus offers a little bit of everything for students who are into videogames, card games, tabletop games and other similar media.
Jessica Perez, a Student Life member and the head of the fast-growing club, estimates that VDM has “at least 50 active members.”
VDM club frequently puts on free tournaments and gaming contests that are open to all BC students who wish to participate. Competitive fighting games like the “Super Smash Bros.” series are a favorite, although the club features all genres of video games in addition to a myriad of tabletop and card games.
“Right now, we’ve made a list of games, and that list shrinks every time we do a tournament,” Perez said. “We do a tally.”
Turnout is usually large, with more than 30 students usually participating. VDM provides the games and equipment and sells snacks and drinks at the events.
Winners receive prize rewards and the prizes are usually good ones; one recent winner walked away with a Nintendo Switch carrying bundle.
Outside of tournaments, starting in January, VDM will be partnering with Senpai’s Studio, an up-and-coming gaming company that specializes in tabletop and card games.
Tomas Formoso, the head of Senpai’s Studio, sees a unique opportunity in working with Broward College and its students. Formosa started Senpai’s Studio in 2017, and he sees the partnership with BC as a chance to grow for everybody involved.
“The partnership with Broward College’s video game club is still in its infant stages and we have a magnitude of ideas that we are going to try to bring to life. Such things include jointly hosting events, tournaments and even leagues. A quintessential example would be our upcoming contest that we are doing with the club,” Formoso explained.
VDM and Senpai’s Studio currently have plans to put on a contest that will allow the winners to design their own characters in an upcoming Senpai’s Studio project.
Perez sees the contest as an opportunity for VDM members to get their name out there. “The contest is to take a character, create it, design it, make it, get it featured,” Perez said.
Formoso elaborated, “Since our first game that our studio is making is an RPG strategy game, we do incorporate a basic element normally found in RPGs: Classes. Now a mechanic that we have in our game is the ability to save your progress over multiple game sessions, with that being said, we are going to take the participants through the journey of building a class from scratch and furthermore, solidify that effort in the game’s world by creating a character from that class.”
Essentially, VDM members will get the chance to design their own character or class type to feature in an upcoming Role-Playing Game by the studio. A unique opportunity, indeed.
“Now this is the beauty of this partnership,” Formoso said. “Essentially, gamers love to game, and as a studio it will be a great help for our content creators to see ideas from people who like and typically play our type of game. A win-win for both of us!”
Outside of the contest, Senpai’s Studio is donating a 4K Ultra-HD flat-screen television and an Xbox One X system to VDM for use in gaming contests and tournaments.
As for the future of the club, Perez has plans to stay active and keep everyone involved.
She plans club meetings around members’ schedules, and she is frequently ahead of the curve in coming up with ideas and partnerships to keep members interested.
She currently has plans to put on a monthly video game day on the last day of every month as a fun de-stressor for students.
“It’s whatever games people bring in. Board games, ‘Magic: The Gathering,’ whatever people want to bring in,” Perez said.
Students interested in joining can contact Perez at Student Life on North Campus.
Students must maintain a 2.5 GPA minimum to remain an active member of the club.
gennm2@mail.broward.edu
Photo: Two members of the Virtual and Digital Media Club play video games on North Campus. Courtesy of Virtual and Digital Media Club.