Museum ends off with the theme Game On!
The Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art hosted its final Third Thursday event of the school year on April 18 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. The theme was “Game On” and gave students the opportunity to play videogames with on-campus student organizations. The Game Development and Arts Club, Aggie Gaming, Davis Melee Club and Davis Anime Club were all involved. With Game Truck Sacramento, Shah’s Halal and a photoshop experience, the museum’s final Third Thursday was a fun goodbye.
Since the Manetti Shrem is relatively new, its has only hosted about 10 Third Thursday events. Each Third Thursday is meant to connect the current exhibit to students, but this event was unfortunately pushed back on the calendar. “Game On!” was scheduled to premiere in November as a birthday party for Shrem. After shutting down the museum due to the Butte County Fire, however, the event was pushed back to April.
“So I decided we’ll take the same theme, bring it back in April and kind of use it as our closing event for Third Thursdays,” said Liz Quezada, coordinator for student engagement at the Manetti Shrem. “This is the last Third Thursday of the school year. So I thought, let’s go out with a bang.”
The themes for the Third Thursday events are decided by a student coalition. General meetings are held every other Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Shrem. Open positions are listed on the Shrem’s website.
“It’s really great to look at aspects of [Third Thursdays] and say and think to myself that’s happening because the student coalition is here and the students are wanting to be here and they’re wanting to engage with the museum,” Quezada said.
Even if students are not in the organization and they have an idea for a Third Thursday event, Quezada is always open to suggestions.
“One of the main parts of the museum mission statement is that we’re here to be available for students, to have experiences here at the museum,” Quezada said. “So I’m trying to have that student involvement in several different ways.”
While the event’s theme was “Game On,” it was by no means exclusive to those that are video game experts. Student organizations were tabling outside in the courtyard while the movie “The Game Changers: Dreams of Blizzcon” played in the collections classroom.
“I totally didn’t think of video games as a profession,” Quezada said. “And [when] I first saw [“The Game Changers”], I was like, ‘Wow, that is a huge community.’ And I thought it would pair really well with the video game theme and you know, kind of eye opening in a sense as well. Because what if you’re a student who’s studying and really enjoys gaming and doesn’t know that that can be an opportunity for you?”
Some organizations brought their own video games to the event so students could have a chance to not only get a look at what their organization does, but to take a little time off on their Thursday night to enjoy a few rounds of games.
“So many people think games are just coding,” said Sam Lee, a fourth-year computer science and engineering major and the President of the Game Development and Arts club. “It’s the exact opposite stigma. Because it’s a creative thing, it’s how people can express themselves. [People] think games are only Pong or Pac Man or Assassin’s Creed. But they don’t realize there are all sorts like these tiny expressive games.”
With four clubs tabling outside and board games in the center, it may seem intimidating for shy students to reach out to these communities. But Jack Concordia, a third-year communication major and the president of Aggie Gaming, assures students that there is more to lose out on by not attending these events.
“Lots of us are introverted, I think that’s a pretty fair statement to say,” Concordia said. “And as much as I can be outgoing, or as much as anyone else can be outgoing, we still have those moments of ‘Should I actually come up to talk to them? What if I look dumb?’ Everyone gets that. And it’s okay to feel that way. The way that I always look at those situations, though, is what do I lose out?”
Osamu Yasui, a fourth-year biomedical engineering major, says that the only thing lacking with Third Thursdays is student involvement.
“I would like to see more students out here,” Yasui said.
The museum will once again host their Third Thursday events beginning in October.
“I didn’t realize at first that the Shrem Museum had offered such cool events,” Concordia said. “And I felt pretty happy that they reached out to us for a game event, because you know, we’re a gaming club. I thought was pretty cool. And I’m excited to see whatever else the Shrem Museum has to offer.”
Written By: Itzelth Gamboa — arts@theaggie.org
