Gaucho Gaming is the primary recreational and competitive video game club at UC Santa Barbara. Founded in 2015, the club hosts game nights, events, giveaways and opportunities to form community through social media platforms like Discord and Instagram.

Members of Gaucho Gaming playing Teamfight Tactics. Courtesy of Gaucho Gaming

This registered campus club hosts weekly and biweekly virtual game nights using their Discord server with over 2,000 active members, as well as in-person events like tournaments, Game-A-Thons, watch parties for League of Legends esports tournaments and field trips to game studios. 

Gaucho Gaming began as a League of Legends club, but branched out and evolved into a general gaming club in 2017, with its founder UCSB alum William Wang at the helm. The change was implemented because the leaders wanted the club to encompass more games than League of Legends and to appeal to more potential members.

They also partner with other UCSB organizations like UCSB Esports to manage competitive teams and compete in gaming tournaments hosted by the University of California Esports Initiative, a UC-wide organization founded in September 2020 that is dedicated to bolstering esports and hosting invitational tournaments.

Although Gaucho Gaming primarily focuses on gaming, they also have a plethora of other objectives, such as building a strong, loyal community that welcomes new members regardless of their background, levels of interest or the types of games they enjoy, according to fourth-year zoology major and Gaucho Gaming head of visual media Andrea Zeng-Pedersen.

“If you need to play games after a final or midterm, you can go into our Discord server and ping people to play with and meet new people. We are gaming-focused, but we’re also focused on building a community, meeting friends, and providing chances for people to do stuff gaming-related that maybe they wouldn’t do before,” Zeng-Pedersen said.

Caren Chua, fourth-year communication major and president of Gaucho Gaming, said she prioritizes continuing the club’s growth by electing new officers and leaders for next year. 

“I have seen the club grow in such a great way, but since this is my last year, my main goal for the club is to hand it off in a way that is sustainable and making sure they’re equipped with all the knowledge they need to keep growing as a club rather than having to move backwards,” Chua said.

They are planning on hiring new officers and leaders for not only the club, but also for their streaming program. This recent addition to Gaucho Gaming allows members to assist in running a live stream by being a caster, using OBS recording software and operating live streams for tournaments. This program recruits year-round, making it a perfect opportunity for students to join campus involvement.

Alex Wu, a second-year history of public policy and law major, noted his favorite event Gaucho Gaming has hosted was a cooking and gaming night. 

“Last year, we had an Overcooked night where we made dumplings and played Overcooked, which was really fun. Interacting with the staff and all the members that were there [was] really cool,” Wu said.

Jeremy Bach, a third-year chemical engineering major, said he enjoys the community-building aspect of the organization. 

“I really like being able to connect with people who play the same games. It’s more fun to play games with other people than playing alone,” Bach said.

Zeng-Pedersen said she and many other Gaucho Gaming members have formed positive memories in the club, and views it as a safe space for its members. 

“I think it provides a really safe space for a lot of people who aren’t used to coming out of their shells. I’ve seen a lot of people have a lot of fun and really big smiles just from participating in our events and watching our tournament,” Zeng-Pedersen said.

A version of this article appeared on p.6 of the Nov. 14, 2024 edition of the Daily Nexus.