The weekend of August 29th saw the return of the OU Gaming Club’s Back to School event inside the OU Gaming Lounge, with over 125 attendees from Friday through Sunday. The Gaming Lounge is bigger than ever, and OU ECCI has plans for expansion and renovation in the future.
With the inclusion of an MSI sponsorship for the second year in a row, this event marks a significant milestone in the development of OU Gaming. Other sponsors, such as Pizza Hut and Insomnia Cookies, have provided support for the club during the event.
Nolan Swindler, a freshman Finance major, is one of many who had a blast at the Gaming Lounge.
“I like how anyone can come in and play games, and there’s enough space for everyone,” Swindler said. “I’m hoping to be on the Valorantteam and compete there.”
Gaming tournaments, including Mario Kartand Super Smash Bros.took place over the weekend, along with other events such as Rocket Leagueone-on-one scrimmages.
Sam Graziano, a senior and the Production Coordinator for OU ECCI, has been excited to ramp things up for the Fall 2025 semester.
“Me and the other admins have been getting to work already,” Graziano said. “We’ve been making media content over the summer. I’ve been doing interviews for my team, and I’ve got a huge team on Production this year.”
Isaiah Bergstrom, a sophomore Finance and Computer Science double major, has enjoyed the Gaming Lounge and its changes since it was opened in 2024.
“It’s very well organized,” Bergstrom said. “There’s been some changes in the last year that I’ve appreciated. It feels homier.”
The OU Gaming Club Discord server has also seen an expansion, with over 450 new registered students added and a total of over 4,400 total members in the server, up from nearly 3,900 from the previous year. During the 2024-2025 school year, 444 total registered students were added, while the club has already surpassed those numbers in the first week of classes.
The Back to School event’s giveaways were as big as ever, and many students came away satisfied.
“I showed up today, had one name in the entry, and I guess I got lucky,” said Jacob Rapp, a Film and Media Studies major and the winner of an MSI Immerse GH50 headset. “I’m really excited to compete with Apex on the collegiate level.”
A freshman Costume Design major, Taren Diaz, won the grand prize, a full turnkey gaming PC, which she was ecstatic to have won.
“I was actually supposed to drive back on Monday,” Diaz said. “I was hanging out with my parents today, and something in my brain told me, ‘come back tonight, you haveto come back.’”
The Back to School event was a success for the Gaming Club, but there will be more events to come.
Weekly gaming events and in-houses will be available for interested students to attend throughout the semester. Additionally, the Sooner Dojo Series will kick off in the near future with Super Smash Bros.
Stay up to date with future OU Gaming Club events at our Discord server and social media.
