NUSELO Top 20 Player Rankings - Part 2 - 10th to 1st
The second part of the top 20 player rankings of players competing in NSE & NUEL.
last year
Our Feburary Society of the Month is the University College London Gaming Society - Congratulations!
We selected the UCL Gaming Society for curating a series of standout events in the past month. From dynamic social gatherings like the Valentine's Day event at Meltdown London to the enlightening UCL Gaming Industry Talk Series, offering students valuable insights into the gaming realm. Their active involvement in helping coordinate CLUE Varsity, one of London's premier varsity events alongside UCL, KCL, ICL, and LSE. UCL has truly exceeded expectations, delivering a diverse range of events that seamlessly blend excitement and information!
We reached out to 'Bean', the President of University College London Gaming Society, to find out more about their events/ committee and what is needed on how they have made each ran smoothly and efficiently! Here's what they had to say:
There seems to be a great community and collaborative effort around you and your community and of the university. How did the collaboration between your esports committee and the university begin, and what kind of support did the university provide?
Gaming Society was established in 2014 with the aim of providing a platform for people to meet, interact, and share their interests. As you can see, the student union at UCL was receptive as we are celebrating our 10-year anniversary in 2024. UCL Gaming has always been focused on maintaining an integrative approach evidenced by our range of events throughout the year and we always try to gather feedback on what our members want to see.
A common misconception is that you have to be a competitive esports player in order to be a part of gaming societies. Almost every person in our generation will have been a gamer to some extent. Nintendo DS, Wii, arcade games, candy crush... It does not matter whether you are the best player in the world or the best in your household, as long as you want to spend some time having fun, trying to beat others in an intense game of Mario Kart, or doing some arts and crafts for Halloween, you are welcome to join.
This is where events (especially at the start of the year) are important. At UCL, societies are encouraged to have "Give it a Go" sessions where individuals try some activity your society offers. This year, we collaborated with KCL, LSE, and ICL in October to have a gaming GiaG at SideQuest. The university provides a platform, but it's the people in the society who really make it as vibrant as it is.
You've run some big events such as Clue Varsity between KCL, ICL and UCL which looked really impressive. how do you make sure everyone is heard and feels included and understood everything?
Communication. When organising large-scale events, you can be sure that not everyone will agree on how things should be run. This is where communicating open and clearly can be a gamechanger. KCL, ICL, LSE and UCL have a long-standing partnership which culminated in the establishment of what we call CLUE (Central London University Esports) a few years back. Therefore, it is customary for incoming committees to meet and discuss potential collaborative events.
Therefore, in 2023, prior to the start of the academic year, we all met and planned a roadmap of what we wanted to do. Our collaboration started with an online varsity event held in July of 2023, followed by many other themed events (such as Halloween or our Winter Wonderland nights). After these events, we would talk, and discuss what could be improved for the future. This set us up for success when faced with varsity as we had practised communicating effectively. Minutes were taken at meetings so those who could not attend were clear on the points discussed, for example.
TL;DR: frequent and open communication is key.
Can you describe how the teamwork within your committee played a crucial role in achieving your goals? Is there anyone in particular you would like to give credit or a shout out to?
All of the UCL Gaming staff were incredible throughout all our events. As we are a small(ish) committee, our roles often become cross-functional. At the start of the academic year, we had a meeting and discussed each person's responsibilities and how these could change as the year went along. Everyone was incredibly receptive and willing to put in the extra work. This was furthered highlighted when leading up to varsity, I had to step back from my responsibilities for a while. KallenW and Dozy really stepped up and made sure varsity was a success. Again, communication is what really made the difference. They took the lead whilst I was able to be there to support wherever needed or possible. Another adversity throughout the past month was the fact our treasurer resigned. As a result, we have all been putting more work in and everyone in the committee has been willing to help where possible.
Bear, Hholysmokes, Nahylia, and Susan.c, deserve a shout out alongside KallenW and Dozy as they have all been so proactive in making sure UCL Gaming continues to be amazing! And our members of course whom without there would be no Gaming Soc.
Do you have any advice for smaller societies on how they might grow or get their university to collaborate with them?
When it comes to universities, I would recommend communication and patience. I have seen university student unions be sceptical of gaming and esports. As the SU staff change, so will the mindset so be patient but also communicate your interests. If you really want to establish a gaming society, be perseverant.
Growth is always hard at the start. Try to grow your online presence and have a mix of in-person and online events (even if it's only once per term) to cater to different needs. Collaborate with nearby universities, students bodies, or esports organisations and let people at your university know you exist and what activities you partake in. Remember to let them know they don't have to be a pro, and that everyone is welcome,
I strongly believe, as shocking as this may sound, the best way to grow and foster a positive community is communication.
Do you have any exciting plans or events going forward?
Yes, of course we do! We will be holding an end of year/ 10 year anniversary event in April/May and we have some other mini events in store. Everyone is welcome (even if you are not from UCL). Keep an eye out on our discord for news on what we are up to :) (discord.gg/uclgaming). Hope to see you all there!
We'd like to offer a huge congratulations to University College London Gaming Society and big thank you to Liv 'Bean', It sounds like they've got some truly incredible events lined up and can't wait to see how they turned out!
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