From games like Uno and Clue, to Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, Utah Tech University’s Table Top Game Club has a game for anyone.
Originally called the Games Club, it was founded in 2022 by Utah Tech alumnus Colin Doyle. The club had humble beginnings, and at one point, Doyle was in charge of running it alone.
“I was the one person running it in the club’s early days,” Doyle said. “I was doing the work of three to four people to keep the club alive.” The club now has more than five people running it, and more than 15 members.
On April 3, in the Snow Math and Science Center, the Table Top Game Club held its weekly board game night. The night started at 6 p.m. with a dozen attendees arriving early to sit around the tables and talk while they waited for some members to bring in the board games.
The club has six buckets filled with a very wide variety of games, some being more complex, others being a lot simpler. With the goal of making sure anybody can feel included, the club doesn’t want not understanding a game to be the deterring factor for a student to come participate.
President Miranda Keller, a sophomore biology major from St. George, leads the club with the goal of sustaining an inviting and therapeutic environment for students and friends.
“I want the club to be as open as possible,” Keller said. “I want anyone on campus to be able to come in and grab a game and play.”
The event lasted nearly four hours, and throughout the night, attendees came and left as they pleased. Consistent attending members stayed almost the whole night, and expressed appreciation for the easy-going environment.
For many, the club has been an opportunity to find their place at Utah Tech and an opportunity to enjoy an evening in a more laid-back environment.
“I just started coming, helped grow the club and made a lot of different connections through board games,” said Kate Threet, a junior general studies major from Traverse City, Michigan. “I feel mentally healthier and just socially better.”
Some members pointed out that, unlike other clubs, this one really makes it easy to make friends with a wider variety of personalities.
“It’s an environment where you feel like you can just come and make friends,” said Joseph Gee, a junior English major from Preston, Idaho. “I’ve made friends I wouldn’t think I would make elsewhere… I believe some clubs struggle in trying to make those friend groups happen.”
Even after graduation, Doyle still has a connection with current club members.
“I’m glad I made the club, as I met people that I’m still friends with to this day,” Doyle said. “I’m also glad it’s big enough to run after I graduated.”
Everybody is encouraged to attend and play some games.
“There are great people here, they would love to have you,” Gee said. “They have way too many games for their own good.”
