SAMU: Welcome to the Student Group Spotlight. To get started, tell me a little about yourselves, your roles and your positions in this group!

Ryan Bernal: Hi, my name is Ryan Bernal (he/him) and I am the president of the MacEwan Game Dev Club. My responsibilities include ensuring the executive team knows what they’re doing such as organizing tasks and events as well as managing executives and members so that everyone is harmonious in working together.

Dominic Evans: My name is Dominic Evans (he/him) and I am the vice president. My role is similar to Ryan’s, although I am there to assist him and take over when he is unable to do some tasks

Nathan Sequeira: My name is Nathan Sequeira (he/him) and I am the secretary. My role is to make sure the Presidents know to do their tasks, give internal support such as responding to emails, as well as organize documents and help the other executives when they are too busy.

SAMU: What makes your Student Group stand out?

Nathan: Our Student Group is currently 1 year and 2 months old, and within that short time, we currently have about 80 members registered in our Student Groups Connect, more than 300 on our discord server. We also have events such as weekly social meetings, monthly workshops, bi-monthly competitions, and lastly our annual competitions. We have connections with the gaming developer’s community in Edmonton such as other universities like NAIT and UofA, and as well as professional groups such as Edmonton Screen Industries Office (ESIO) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

SAMU: I understand that the MacEwan Game Jam is around the corner, tell me about that.

Dominic: The MacEwan Game Jam is our annual event, and we are currently in the 2nd year running this event. We usually try to hold it during the Winter term. We gather students as random teams or as solos, and they are given the challenge to create a game within 48-72 hours based around a theme we give them. It is a competition and winners of the best prototype get prizes! It’s a great way for students who like to make games to get together and make new friends.

SAMU: What is your favorite memory of your group?

Ryan: One of our favorite memories usually involves when we are all together, such as during our Game Jam event. We’re seeing a great turnout rate, a diverse assortment of people who participate such as students in other universities, professionals in the industry, sponsorship organizations and even professors. I love being in this collaborative space to bring different people from around Edmonton, and all of it just to celebrate the passion and love we have for game development. It is incredible to see everything happening and I’m excited in how it will turn out.

SAMU: How does your group support students in learning and using game development skills for possible future career opportunities?

Ryan: Game development utilizes a lot of disciplines and skill sets. Game development is not just one core component. Programmers, musicians, artists, designers and writers, testers are some of those included in making games and they all use different skill sets and their own software/resources. Even if they do not go into game development specifically, those skills can be applied in their future career path.

Nathan: Gaming is currently interdisciplinary. We are trying to create a community with students from Com Sci, Design, Writing, Music, and Business. Our monthly workshops also help students develop these skills and give feedback on their projects to help them grow in game development!

SAMU: How has involvement in this Student Group impacted your university
experience?

Dominic: I have been doing game development as a hobby since 2011/2012, and this student group has given me a way to share my experience and knowledge with others, and I still learn things to this day. I’m able to meet incredible people and have a lot of fun.

Nathan: For me, it’s made me way busier. I’m struggling sometimes to keep up with everything, but on a more positive note, it has helped me grow with talking and networking, as well as gain more skills, gain connections with people within and outside of the industry.

Ryan: Being in my final semester now, I was in this club when it was first created in December 2024 from their very first event. I didn’t do much in university, only going to classes and going straight home after. Then being in the club and seeing students passionate about game development, it created this desire for me to be able to partake in. I have always wanted to do something with my life, and my experiences with helping students make their day even in a short time has given me a purpose that I want to continue doing for the rest of my life

SAMU: What would you say to someone considering joining a student group?

Dominic: Go for it! It’s a great way to connect with your community, fellow students who have both similarities and differences to you, to find and expand what you are interested in.

Nathan: Joining as a member is a great way to connect and create relationships with people, build new relationships and gain knowledge. Joining as an executive is also great way to improve your resume and portfolio.

Ryan: To a student thinking of joining a Student Group, do it! I’m glad that I did so I can 100% say you’ll be glad you did.