Brittany Poeppe | Assistant Arts + Life Editor

Everyone has a little geek in them. In the Anime and Gaming Society (AGS), they like to let their geek flag fly. There are a lot of components to this new organization, and they’re already becoming active in both the BVU and the Storm Lake communities. Co-Presidents Skyler Gorsett and De’Vaughn Morris have known each other since their freshman year, and they began bonding over anime and video games. They guessed that others shared that passion, so they decided to start a club.

AGS currently has 11 executive board members and a number of active members not on the board. Each position has a specific job, ranging from sending out surveys, to keeping track of the budget, to setting up which video games will be played at meetings. Currently, the club meets three times a week in the Underground: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 8-11 PM. Each day has a specific activity planned, and the club also does activities outside of its normal meeting times.

“We’ve already done a few events as a new organization. On Halloween, we attended ‘Chills and Thrills,’ where we went to downtown Storm Lake to hand candy out to the kids of the community. Many may also remember the Halloween Party we held in the Underground. This was the first big event that we as a club had ever held and it went incredibly successfully,” Gorsett comments.

As The Underground resides as the hub for the organizations events, AGS has planned to renovate the location for their Buenafication Day service.

“We wanted to do something special and different for our service project and since we use the Underground a lot, we figured it only made sense to fix it up both for ourselves and all the other clubs and organizations that like to hold events in it,” Gorsett said.

AGS will be teaming up with the Art Club on Buenafication Day to repaint the Underground. They saw the need for a more updated look; as the club says, they’d like to see something more flashy and upbeat. As of now, the club is still working on how they want it to look, but the club has said they don’t want to cover everything; they plan to keep some of the Underground’s original look.

“We see all the wear and tear that the room has taken over the years. We all know the Underground as a place for fun and activities, but to keep it fun and relevant, it needs to continue to be updated,” Gorsett said. “We are a community, and the Underground is one of the places that brings us together. Whether it be a performer, drinking cocktails, or even waiting for the bus, it’s a place where people come together.”

The club decided to renovate the Underground because it’s a chance where students can get together without having to worry about scheduling issues and classes getting in the way. As creative and enthusiastic as they are, AGS can’t do everything themselves, so they decided to pair with the Art Club for the project. They have been assisting AGS with art-related projects since the Halloween Party, so the two have a close connection. AGS also wanted another organization that would match their enthusiasm in this endeavor, and they believe the Art Club showed that.

The organization plans on doing more events in the future. Right now they are planning on being at the Block Party, and they’re also planning next year’s Halloween party. There are big things on the horizon for this new organization. AGS is open to anyone that wants to attend; there are no fees- all you have to do is show up. They also have a Facebook group you can join with all the meeting details and any updates you need to know.

“We encourage anyone to come whether you’re into anime or video games or neither, it’s a great time to hang out with friends and get to know new people. We want to share our passions with all of you, and who knows — maybe you have some geek in you that wants to be released,” Gorsett said.

Photos courtesy of AGS + Skyler Gorsett