Summer Holidays Gaming Meeting Minutes (Revised)

Planning gaming committee seats, FNG operations, Term 1 LAN, collaborations, and alumni events.

Minutes by Odin

Attendance

• Tom S
• Tom F
• Odin
• Maddie

1. Committee composition and co-option

Raven is no longer a gaming exec, so the vacant seat will need to be filled.

The meeting discussed filling vacant Gaming seats by co-option. The understanding was that up to two additional seats may be added, giving a maximum of three Gaming seats, subject to an Exec vote. Maddie supported using the maximum number of seats, noting that the workload can otherwise fall on one person, including during late-night pack-downs.

An email from Mafi, accompanied by a presentation, was discussed. The current approach is as follows:

• exec vote on increasing the number of seats via co-opt;
• co-opt Mafi and Rob, subject to their willingness to join; and then
• fill the seats permanently through an EGM in Term 1.

Tom S is working on getting the exec vote for additional seats up on UWCS vote.

Tom F strongly preferred not to combine a by-election with a large number of additional motions, given the length of the previous EGM. A proposal was also raised to split the AGM business across several events held over multiple weeks.

2. FNG cut-off and coordinator welfare

The meeting discussed the balance between keeping the venue usable after events and giving Gaming coordinators flexibility. Members noted that the room is sometimes left in poor condition, with typically one remaining exec to complete the clean-up.

The proposed arrangement was:

• official FNG activity runs until 01:00;
• coordinators may stay later where they choose to do so; and
• if they stay later, they take sole responsibility for cleaning up and should not hold the exec who leaves at curfew responsible.

The committee will also explore whether DCS’s automatic logout can be delayed, potentially until 04:00, where this is practical.

3. Term 1 LAN

The feasibility of running a Term 1 LAN was discussed. Maddie and Tom F had no objection to cancelling it if the required planning and staffing could not be secured. Tom F also noted that the event was already creating significant stress, and the low number of Exec members present reinforced the resourcing concerns.

Potential co-optees may be able to assist with organising the LAN. The following alternatives were also discussed:

• running the LAN across a weekend with breaks between events rather than continuously;
• preparing a calendar showing typical LAN events taking place across the FNGs

No final decision on whether to run the LAN was made.

4. Esports Society collaboration

The Esports Society is planning a freshers’ treasure hunt in which students collect stamps by attending different society events. The committee agreed that FNG should participate by providing one of the stamping points.

The committee noted that UWCS already offers Nintendo and tabletop events, and supported the collaboration.

5. Snack runs

The committee discussed coordinating snack runs using members with access to a car. Tom S will look into arranging the relevant permit/access, as they hold the Costco card.

A Discord role has been created so that members with cars can be contacted quickly if Tom S is unable to drive.

6. Raven addendum

Raven was unable to attend the meeting but provided the following updates and advice afterwards.

FNG infrastructure

Raven has carried out major improvements to the FNG account, including performance and security work. Tests using mini-FNGs were successful, login times have been significantly reduced, and DCS’s concerns appear to have been alleviated. Further quality-of-life improvements are being discussed, including broader controller support through additional udev rules.

Raven’s next priorities are investigating lock screens within the container and support for removable storage. Raven intends to maintain the FNG account for the foreseeable future and asked members to report any issues or requests.

Raven also noted that the gaming cupboard lock is increasingly unreliable and that re-keying should be discussed with DCS.

FNG logout and late stays

Raven clarified that there is currently no automatic logout. The proposed 04:00 automatic logout is a safeguard and does not mean that DCS requires everyone to leave by that time. A 01:00 curfew for normal activity, with a 04:00 automatic logout, was considered sensible and was supported by the relevant officers. People staying later remain responsible for logging themselves out, and may need to log back in if the session ends.

Raven advised that coordinators should pack away equipment that is no longer being used when leaving, so that the final person is not left with the entire pack-down. Term 1 is likely to involve people staying late, so coordinators should ask for help when closing consoles or asking people to leave.

Alumni LAN

Raven and Alex Dixon have prepared an alumni LAN running from Thursday to Monday over the bank-holiday weekend at the end of the month. They are considering organising an activity, likely a GeoGuessr tournament, on the Saturday for current students who remain on campus. An announcement was being drafted pending Dixon’s review.

Term 1 LAN and onboarding

Raven advised against running a Term 1 LAN without new Gaming coordinators and broader involvement from others. Raven plans to add operational knowledge about organising a LAN to the handover document and cautioned that the workload should not be underestimated.