LETTER: Mistakes found in club story

Dear Editor,

While I enjoyed Monday’s article about the Shinseng-Gumi gaming/anime club, there were several inaccuracies in the brief allusions to the Fantasy Literature and Gaming Guild (FLAGG). As president of FLAGG, I feel obligated to address these points.

First, FLAGG members do run games on nights other than Friday. I myself run a popular gaming session on Wednesday nights. We hold our official meetings on Friday to avoid damaging the academic standing of our members – gaming sessions can run late, so we choose to meet on a night that guarantees nobody will be tempted to skip an early class or church meeting the next day.

Second, I found it interesting an officer of a club with a “goal of overcoming the gamer’s stereotype” would say something like, “No one wants to sit at home with a bunch of fat, hairy guys on Friday night.” Anyone interested in learning that gamers are normal people can come to one of our meetings and meet the men and women in our guild. You’ll find our members to be well-groomed, sociable individuals who would rather hang out at a weekly party with friends enjoying common interests and lively conversation than stay home or suffer hearing loss from overly-loud dances.

Finally, I’d like to point out that FLAGG encompasses much more than gaming. Our purpose is to “promote literacy and creativity,” and gaming is only one way of doing so. We also discuss literature, encourage members to write their own fiction and attend movies as a group. We might not serve as a study group, but who wants to study on a Friday night?

I would like to personally invite anyone interested in fantasy (regardless of your major) to come to one of our meetings or sign up for our e-mail list. FLAGG meetings are Friday nights at 7 p.m. in the Taggart Student Center, Room 336. Those interested in the mailing list or wishing to ask further questions may contact me via e-mail at sln6n@cc.usu.edu.

Nathan Baker

USU Fantasy Literature and Gaming Guild president