Be it love, interest or intellectual exercise, video gaming has captured the attention of the world. More specifically, whether for professional development or personal infatuation, it has captured the world of students. Enter Open Alpha, a game development club on campus composed of approximately 50 students that create an entirely new game every semester.

For those confused on gaming lingo, “open alpha” is a term that characterizes a game in an early stage where people can play it.

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“The idea is like an alpha release of a game open to everyone,” said Chineme Ekeh, the vice president of outreach and a junior studying cinema and media studies.

Games they’ve released in the past include “Yokaimaki,” “Boo’s There?” and “Sorcerer Smackdown.” Each game is released on Steam and itch.io, where anyone and everyone is welcome to download and play.

At the beginning of the semester, the club is split into five teams — art, design, sound, programming and production — each tasked with their own specific assignment. During the first weeks of school, a game idea is pitched and voted on, and tasks on development and production are divided among the student teams for the rest of the semester.

Violet Rose Wang, president of OA and a sophomore studying computer science games, finds communication a key ingredient to how the club functions in their semester together.

“Communication is also the most stressful part, just trying to make sure everyone is giving every piece of information to everybody,” Wang said.

OA offers an experience very similar to the real-world gaming industry, offering a taste of what professional game design will be like. OA is especially relevant in the present and leading into the future, as the gaming industry generates more profit than film. Some students even discover a passion for game design at OA.

“At first I was only doing this as a brain-off activity, but learning about it and talking about the opportunities they’ve been a part of has definitely made me more interested in it,” said Ramsey Hauanio, a sophomore studying computer science business administration and the vice president of finance.

“I was always interested in games and it would be cool to have it as a career,” Ekeh said. “But as I went through college, I never thought of it as something serious. But, being at USC and in Open Alpha and being in that space has made me want to pursue it as a possible career — like genuinely give it a shot.”

Beyond game design, OA helps students train their most creative skills and dedicated work ethics. OA offers an opportunity for students to walk away from their college years with an original, tangible project with their name on it.

Like any pre-professional club worth their collaborative salt, OA also has a community of tight-knit friends. Beyond good rapport being essential for workplace teamwork, OA makes it a priority to make just as much fun as work.

“As the new president, the thing I want to do most is make sure that members know each other, care about each other and care about the club,” said Wang.

Club leaders emphasized that OA has no major or experience requirements for membership acceptance.

“OA really just wants everybody to enjoy it as much as possible and not stress about putting out the most perfect game,” Hauanio said. “Our biggest thing is just commitment. We really just want you to show up.”

Techniques and methods can be taught, memorized and are drilled on assignment, but what is most important for this club is the passion behind it. 

“[OA’s unifying value is] just the love of creativity at the end of the day.” Ekeh said. “Not even just games, but the love of making something and the earnest passion for it.”