Riverside Media teacher, Mike Schoenhals has recently purchased a PlayStation 5 for the Gaming Club, which meets every Friday at lunch.
For people who have turned gaming into their hobby, Riverside Secondary has the gaming club. The club participants meet every Friday at lunch in Schoenhals’ room to play games such as, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Mario Kart Wii, Street Fighter V, Gran Turismo 7, Minecraft, and much more. The club has been hosted by Schoenhals for many years now.
Schoenhals was compelled to start the club because of his own interest in video games. “I’ve always been into games – I had the original first edition of Pong at home. I continue to enjoy making and playing games today, so it was just a natural thing to start up a Gamer’s club at school and share that enthusiasm with like-minded students,” said Schoenhals.
Recently, Schoenhals received funding to get the club the new gaming console. After the club voted on which console to get, they settled for a PS5. Getting the console was not an easy feat according to Schoenhals. “It was a discussion with many members of the Gamer’s Club. I almost gave up on purchasing one – they are so hard to find! I managed to get help from a previous grad who had inside access to Walmart inventory,” said Schoenhals.
Currently the club has Street Fighter V and Gran Turismo 7 for the PlayStation 5; however, the club plans to purchase more games for the PS5 in the future. For some of the games, the club plays in tournaments against the gaming clubs of other schools in District 43. The schools the club has played competitive matches against include Pinetree and Terry Fox, playing games such as Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, League of Legends, and Overwatch.
“We’ve won many games, but, we have only won one tourney – Super Smash Bros!!!! We are in the hunt for our second title,” said Schoenhals. This year the club has over 100 people signed up and students are enjoying playing against one another. The club also has a Teams and Discord server to keep its members updated on upcoming events. On top of that, game nights are held on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays. After attaining their PS5, the club has continued to enjoy their weekly meetings to their fullest and encourage others to come join if they desire.
Students that participate in the club are very enthusiastic and passionate about what they do. If your passion is gaming, why not check out the club on Fridays at lunch?
