Kwantlen Gaming Guild builds community for gamers at KPU

Editor’s note: Brylian Marin, who was interviewed for this article, has contributed to The Runner. The Runner acknowledges this and has taken steps to prevent conflicts of interest or potential bias from influencing the article. 

The Kwantlen Gaming Guild (KGG), established in 2014, has long been a home for gamers at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Over the years, the club has offered students a space to connect through a shared love for video games like Super Smash Bros., Mario Party, Just Dance, as well as various tabletop games. However, the pandemic brought significant disruptions, leaving the KGG without leadership and causing it to become inactive and deregistered by the Kwantlen Student Association.

But thanks to the efforts of third-year information technology student Howard Chen, KGG’s events coordinator, and journalism student Brylian Marin, who serves as the guild’s president, the gaming club has made a comeback. Chen took action within the KGG in 2022, reconnecting with members like Marin and alumni to rebuild it from scratch.

“I started out from nothing, with very little information on who ran the club before me and how it was run,” Chen wrote in an email statement to The Runner. “However, bit by bit, I got the support of more senior members and together we jump started the club.” 

While the KGG has returned, it is facing financial challenges due to budget limitations, which has required the club to get more innovative. The team is working to bring MegaRealm VR to future events. They also had Red Bull Canada support its annual Halloween-themed “Revengeance of the Gaming Dead” event, which was held on Oct. 17 at the KPU Surrey campus. 

The event featured a wide variety of activities, including video games, board games, a trivia contest, and a costume competition. Students celebrated from early afternoon into the night.

The fall 2022 “Revengeance of the Gaming Dead” marked the first time the club hosted a major event since COVID-19 restrictions were eased.

“Admittedly, [I] wish I got to play some games a bit more, especially since I might as well have been spread out on the floor since I was all over the place trying to run so many different sections of the event,” Marin wrote in an email statement to The Runner.

“However, I still enjoyed that event and it’s still one of my all-time favourite events to come out of the KGG. Also, having at least 200 people attend the event was encouraging to see, as it seemed to tell the KGG ‘We’re happy to have you back and running events’ as far as I’m aware.”

Looking ahead, Marin is hopeful that future KGG events will have more offerings, including competitive Pokémon and active esports at KPU. However, he acknowledges that these ideas might have to wait for future leadership to implement.

“The KGG, I felt, has always been a place for those who don’t have a place somewhere to come to and connect with people like them,” Marin added. “I hope someone like me can experience what I was fortunate to experience with the community the club has had throughout the years.”

For more information about the KGG and to get involved, visit www.kpugaming.ca.