While some students release stress through exercise and partying, senior Jacob Brown prefers escaping school related stress by gaming every Friday night in the Union.

The Bowling Green Gaming Society is a group looking to build friendship and a community with their fellow students through their enjoyment of games.

“We have a very diverse set of members,” said Brown, president of the Gaming Society. “The group is a great way to meet new people and to de-stress after the week.”

The tradition of meeting new people and forging bonds through gaming isn’t new to the University. In fact, the Gaming Society has had a presence on the campus since the 1980s, Brown said.

Its presence has evolved beyond Friday night gaming. The group participated in last week’s tournament Animarathon, a convention celebrating Japanese culture.

The Gaming Society divided into three groups for the convention and hosted board, card and video game tournaments, said sophomore Tyler Redick.

Almost 50 people participated in the respective tournaments, which was viewed as a good way for the Gaming Society to advertise themselves, he said.

“We would have liked a bigger turn out, but we’d love to get involved with Animarathon again next year,” Redick said.

The group is always looking to connect with gamers and build a bigger campus presence, Brown said.

“The community is what keeps me coming back every week,” said Jetrey Bond, sophomore and member of the Gaming Society.

Board games such as Apples to Apples and Dungeons and Dragons are some of the games played, but others engage in popular card games like Magic in the Gathering and Cards Against Humanity, he said.

The group plays more board and card games mainly because of copyright laws on video games, Brown said.

The only way the group could legally sponsor a video game night is by obtaining permission from the game developer. The Gaming Society has a letter on file from Nintendo granting permission for their games to be played for gaming nights, Brown said.

Despite these rules, several members use the weekly meetings to play online games such as League of Legends, which technically doesn’t violate any laws since the games are played on personal computers, he said.

More than 15 games are played among more than 40 members who attend every Friday night, Redick said.

“It’s a good place to go to be with [gamers] like us,” Bond said.

Both of these members heard about the Gaming Society from the University’s Campus Fest. The group also updates and advertises through social media.

The Gaming Society tries to reach out beyond the University grounds and has made a name for itself in the local community. Some community members have been involved for almost 10 years, Brown said.

Its members pay a yearly $10 fee, which helps fund themed parties and buying new games, said Brown,

Students and community members can become involved by attending one of the Friday group nights and paying the annual fee, he said.

A major factor that helping the Gaming Society recruit community members was proximity. Bowling Green doesn’t have many community outlets for gamers, and some members just prefer to stay local, he said.

“We serve a [gaming] population that otherwise wouldn’t be served,” Brown said. “Gaming society gives gamers a great chance to be social with one another.”