They refer to themselves as "the dark web version" of a game club and typically spend their time playing League of Legends or various board games deep inside of Zimmerman Library randomly throughout the week.
The informal club started as a group study time for these STEM students but evolved into a combination of studying and battling one another for fun. It began last semester with people joining in as time went along, according to one member.
This member, who preferred to remain anonymous, said he’s been playing League of Legends for nine years and started this trend with another friend. Most of the group requested anonymity because they said they didn't want this story to affect their standing as science, technology, engineering and math students.
Noor Kaahalah, the only member willing to divulge his name, talked about what the gaming group means to him.
"It's a nice way to take a break away from studying and a great way to build camaraderie," Kaahalah said.
The group's nine members met through classes, with many pursuing biochemistry and other STEM degrees. They eventually became friends and bonded through the playing time. One reason why they play together is not so much about the games, but rather their friendship.
"It's not really about playing the game anymore. Playing the game is fun I guess, but only with friends," an anonymous member said. "That's pretty much the only reason why we play."
Although they spend a lot of time engaging in this recreation, they do spend some of their time studying.
"When you take a bunch of classes, you gain certain confidence about taking tests and stuff. We know when to study," one member said.
Nearly all of them are seniors taking 400 level classes within their degree and said their classes have gotten progressively simpler as the semester flows by.
"We were supposed to be studying hard, but somehow our majors got really easy," another anonymous member said.
From time to time they have gotten requests from other students to calm down or keep the volume low since they're in a library, the group said.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"We’ve had like two people tell us to quiet down," one member said. "We try to be very respectful, I guess ... we’ve never been too much."
Some students in the library have noticed their presence, and there are other groups that play League of Legends as well. This ongoing trend of students playing games in the library with friends has become quite the current in Zimmerman.
Bianca Hoops is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @bianca_hoops
