gamin' it up since 2000

[jazzfish]

uilos may have a different recollection of this, but here's how I remember it:

A little over ten years ago we were lying around talking about various things, and the conversation turned to the lack of easily-accessible gaming. Since moving out of Stadium Apartments, we hadn't had people Right There to play boardgames with, and the VTSFFC Game Days were both infrequent and sparsely attended. At some point she said "I wish there were a club on campus for boardgaming. Then we'd have a room in Squires."

"You know," I said, "you could start one."

"You know," she said, "I could."

And she did, and sometime in April 2000 she, mrstickman, and desfido (with faculty advisor jsciv) signed their names to a piece of paper declaring them the officers of the new official university organization Spiel: Games At Virginia Tech. (EVERYONE: "That's a stupid name." ME: "Okay, you come up with a better one." EVERYONE: "...")

Congratulations to Spiel, and to uilos, and to all the later officers: presidents nixve, vt_andros, nevalkarion, and all those who've taken up the mantle after my time, plus everyone who filled in the Treasurer and Other Officer slots as well. You done good, all of you.

(and thanks to mrstickman for noting this momentous occasion on the Spiel mailing list.)

Comments

[jsciv.livejournal.com]

I was the one manning those VTSFFC game days most of the time (which involved me showing up with some games and playing solo video games for anywhere between one and four hours until people showed up then having enough people for a game or two in the afternoon/evening), and I don't remember who said what where, but I remember us all getting together in the lobby of GBJ above the Burger King and talking through getting a club up and running.

I do remember that I was the one who suggested the name Spiel (I had, after all been on what has become more than just a "German game kick"), so I had no problems with it. :)

[jazzfish]

Yep, the big glass room. My recollection is that we signed the papers and then celebrated with a game of Settlers. Mostly I remember poking uilos about the idea, and she poked other people, and eventually something got done. [I would have done it myself, but a) I wasn't a student at the time, and b) I'm more of an idea rat.]

[vond.livejournal.com]

That's funny, I thought that I was the one who suggested the name. Maybe I suggested another one that didn't get picked.

[jsciv.livejournal.com]

I had been thinking how cool it was that it was both a noun and a verb and that it'd be cool to have a group named that. It's completely possible that we both suggested it to different people at the same time, but who knows. :)

[jameshroberts.livejournal.com]

I remember that I tried to make an acronym out of it, but had little success. The best I came up with was the recursiee "Spiel Played In English Language"

[platypusgirl.livejournal.com]

I was there in the beginning...
Wish there was something like that around here.

[vt-andros.livejournal.com]

Yay for Spiel turning 10!