Club leaders and competitive gamers share how they’ve created a space for all who love gaming and hope to shatter stereotypes about our favorite way to procrastinate.
How and when did Slug Gaming begin and how has it evolved since its founding?
Slug Gaming started in 2014 as a grassroots effort to bring together games at UC Santa Cruz. Since then, it’s grown into the largest gaming organization on campus, with a presence in both competitive esports and casual gaming. We now support over 20 teams across titles like Valorant, League of Legends, and Apex Legends, with many placing in top collegiate tournaments. In 2024, we opened a dedicated esports room in the Jack Baskin Engineering Building, giving our esports community a space to grow, practice, and connect. Beyond competition, we host casual events, watch parties, and collaborations like SAMA’s SlugCon to keep our community inclusive and engaged.
How do regularly scheduled club events & meetings work? Walk me through the experience of being a Slug Gaming club member.
Our general meetings and community events are open to everyone, and we welcome players of all skill levels and backgrounds. While some events are more structured, like game-specific watch parties or themed hangouts, others are more casual, which allows members to connect organically over shared interests. This year, alongside our esports room, we launched a new weekly gaming lounge at the Ming Ong Computer Lab in partnership with ITS. Every Friday from 7-10 pm, we host casual play sessions there with a curated list of games available for anyone to join in. It’s a great face-to-face space to build community and meet new friends. Our Discord server is the central hub for all things Slug Gaming. It is where members can find dedicated channels for specific games, coordinate matches, or jump into casual intra-murals and custom games. Whether you’re grinding ranked or just want to unwind with others who enjoy the same titles, there’s always something going on.
“Above all, we aim to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone can find their place in the gaming community at UCSC.”
What kinds of games and competitions does Slug Gaming focus on, and what do you think makes these activities particularly appealing to students in the engineering field?
Slug Gaming supports a wide variety of games, both casually and competitively. Our esports teams compete in national collegiate leagues like the NECC and UCEI (the University of California Esports Invitational), as well as in smaller tournaments and invitationals. Some of our most active titles include Valorant, League of Legends, Apex Legends, Overwatch, and our newly added Splatoon teams. We also organize intramurals and custom matches within the club, with League of Legends being especially popular for casual intramural competitions.
What makes these activities appealing to students in the engineering field, and beyond, is the collaborative, strategic, and technical nature of competitive gaming. Many of the same problem-solving and communication skills that go into engineering also apply to team-based games and esports. Plus, gaming offers a fun and social way to decompress while still engaging those analytical and creative minds. While Ren and I are personally from the AGPM (Art & Game Design) major, we have found that our club attracts members from across disciplines, with engineering students making up a large and active part of our community.
Describe your most memorable tournament or other gaming event. What made it special to you?
Serene: One of my most memorable events was last year’s Spring SlugFest. It was a weekend-long celebration of our intramural finals and custom matches across different games. At the time, I was serving as the Events Director, it being my first year in the club’s leadership, and seeing the event come together was incredibly fulfilling. What stood out most was the sense of community and camaraderie across all the different game groups. Whether people were competing or just watching and cheering each other on, there was a real feeling of connection. That energy made it clear just how special Slug Gaming is, and how much potential we have to keep growing as a community.
Ren: I really enjoyed SlugCon 2024 in the spring of last year, where I got the chance to connect with gamers from our adjacent communities in GDA and Slug Anime. We hosted a Valorant aiming competition in Ming Ong, which was a blast. At the time, I was serving as a Graphics Officer, and I collaborated on some of the promotional content that followed up to the event. It was special to me because it brought together all my interests—gaming, art, and anime—and showed how events like this can build real connection and community.
How does Slug Gaming build community among its members beyond gaming together?
While gaming is at the heart of what we do, community is what keeps people coming back. We host social events like watch parties, hangouts, and collaborative programs with other clubs like SlugCon to create shared experiences beyond the screen. Our weekly gaming lounge at Ming Ong gives members a chance to connect face-to-face in a relaxed setting, even if they don’t have their own equipment. On Discord, we’ve built a dynamic space where people can talk, share interests, and support each other across game titles. Whether someone is here to compete, make friends, or just unwind, we work hard to ensure there’s a space where they feel welcome.
What skills or benefits do members gain from competitive gaming that might translate to their engineering studies or future careers?
Competitive gaming builds a surprising number of real-world skills that translate well to both engineering and broader career paths. Players learn to think critically, communicate effectively, and adapt quickly in high-pressure situations, many of the same qualities needed in tech, engineering, and creative fields. Team coordination, time management, and strategic planning are all key to succeeding in esports, just like they are in collaborative projects or the workplace. For many of our members, being part of a competitive team also builds leadership, confidence, and resilience, especially when learning how to grow through wins and losses. Whether someone is aiming for a job in game development, software, or beyond, these experiences provide a solid foundation.
What is something that you’d like to share with people about gaming culture that perhaps folks don’t consider or have misconceptions about?
A lot of people still see gaming as isolating or purely recreational, but in reality, it can be a powerful creative and social outlet. For many, gaming is a space to tell stories, express ideas, and build meaningful connections with others, especially in college, where it can be hard to find your community.
“At Slug Gaming, we see firsthand how games can bring people together across different backgrounds, majors, and experience levels. It is more than just playing, it is sharing experiences, collaborating, and even learning new skills along the way. Gaming culture has so much depth when you look beyond the stereotypes.”
For students interested in joining the fun, what upcoming events do you have planned, and how can they connect with Slug Gaming?
We’ve got some exciting events coming up! Our next general meeting is on May 9th, open to anyone curious about the club or looking to get involved. Then on May 11th, we’ll be hosting a tournament as part of SlugCon, in collaboration with SAMA (Slug Anime & Manga Association). It’s a great chance to see what our community is all about, whether you’re here to compete, spectate, or just hang out. To get connected, join our Discord server through www.sluggaming.club or our linktree https://linktr.ee/sluggamingucsc. That’s where you’ll find info on events, game channels, and ways to get involved with both casual and competitive play. Everyone’s welcome!