The Video Game Making Club at Oakland University is one of the many ways students can get involved with gaming.

With Bumpers Game Room seeking renovation this summer and the popularity of gaming on the rise, many students want the chance to make their own idea come to life.

President Neil Ferman started the club last semester. Since then, he has heard from over 60 students and has a strong team of about 12 that work biweekly producing games.

“We’re in need of sound designers and artists right now,” Ferman said, “We haven’t completed any full game yet, but we’ve tested 2D platforms so far.”

Ferman also said that it could take up to three years for a full game to be produced. So far, there is no clear cut path for the first game the club will make.

“Personally, I’d like to see a role-playing game. But there’s a lot that goes into those, so nothing’s set in stone,” Ferman said.

The main problem the club has had thus far is that many members come for a few meetings, but don’t stick around.

“Making a game is hard and takes a group of dedicated people,” Ferman said. “There have been people who come in for a few meetings and never come again.”

Some students didn’t even know that the Video Game Making Club existed at Oakland, and their reactions to it were mixed.

“I might join a club like that if I had spare time,” freshman Brian Curtin said. “I’d like to see how the whole process works and what level of complexity the members of the club are at. I didn’t know we even had a club for this, though.”

But other students, like Nicholas Reed, said that sometimes there is a lot to be offered with playing games, too.

“The best part of playing games is the immersion into the game, like getting lost in a good book, but you can watch the story unfold and control it to a certain degree,” Reed said, “and making games is kind of like writing a book. I’d get to take an idea that I find enjoyable, forge it into reality, and share it with others.”

However, as of yet, the Video Game Making Club hasn’t shared any of it’s content with the general student body. But Ferman said there’s a possibility of a beta release of some platforming games to be released soon.

For more information, the Video Game Making Club can be found on Grizzorgs, where more information can be found about meeting times and locations.