Naomi Girson | opinions editor

The Duquesne Fighting Game Club began in the fall semester of 2023, when Nate Wise, a sophomore at the time, was unsatisfied with the clubs on campus. He knew fighting games were a niche subject to classify as a club, but that’s what he wanted.

Every week, Wise commutes from South Side Slopes with his duffel bag full of equipment: A tangle of wires, his PlayStation 5, his PlayStation 4 and his Nintendo Switch to offer a plethora of options to all of the members that attend.

Their official roster includes 25 to 30 students according to Wise, but in reality only seven or eight members attend the meetings. Wise doesn’t mind, as long as someone comes to play against him.

Jade Orlofske, a senior studying computer science and philosophy, has been a member of the fighting game club since its beginning and has had an affinity for fighting games since his senior year of high school.

“I just had an interest in fighting games for a long time and didn’t really have an outlet to play them with,” Orlofske said. “There’s something very personal about fighting games that you can’t get from other video games.”

He also appreciates the club because fighting games can be harder to learn, which makes them more satisfying. He likes to learn from others and be able to hone his skills in the genre.

Lavina Sripathy, a founding member of the club, is also an active member of the Video Game Club, a separate organization on campus. She finds merit in both for different reasons.

“We usually play party games [in video game club], it’s pretty similar,” Sripathy said.

Though Sripathy routinely attends meetings at Fighting Game Club, she tends to play Legend of Zelda instead of a traditional fighting game. But, she enjoys the group atmosphere regardless.

Wise’s passion is fighting games, but he doesn’t make other members shy away from their favorite competitions.

“The idea was to play fighting games and get better at them; that was the core idea of the club,” Wise said.

“I wanted to have people to play with and get better [with].”

Though it’s a popular fighting game, Wise said they aren’t fans of Mortal Kombat.

Instead they play games like Street Fighter 6 and Guilty Gear -Strive-. They prefer the more complex game style and find more enjoyment out of the games.

“[Mortal Kombat games] aren’t as technical. They’re much more casual, at least, I think so. They’re also ugly,” Wise said.

They have also hosted tournaments in previous semesters, but they never see a huge turnout. Their first one was the largest with a total of six competitors. He prefers the club to be a more laid-back place for people to see each other and play the games they enjoy.

“I give the chance for people who don’t like fighting games to feel comfortable, that they can do anything they want,” Wise said. “We don’t have any attendance requirements. We don’t have any dues at all. People kind of show up and leave whenever they can come by.”

The Duquesne Fighting Game Club meets in Fisher Hall room 724, every Wednesday from 4 – 7 p.m. and are always looking for new members interested in fighting games.

Naomi Girson can be reached at girsonn@duq.edu