Leaders of the University of Utah gaming organizations report that drops in ASUU funding have limited their ability to host events and support some of the campus’s largest student communities.
The U’s two gaming clubs, GameCraft and Crimson Gaming, said reduced ASUU funding has made it difficult to maintain their clubs. Design officer of GameCraft, Andrew Decker, said that “funding has dropped to unprecedented levels. The club doesn’t have what it needs to function the way it used to.”
Funding drops
GameCraft, a Registered Student Organization (RSO) on game development, hosts game jams multiple times a year with over 30 teams competing. Crimson Gaming is a Sponsored Student Organization (SSO) that oversees several esports teams. RSOs are student-led groups that are recognized by the U and receive minimal supervision. SSOs are student-led but receive direct supervision and guidance from a sponsoring University department. Both can receive funding from ASUU.
Both clubs reported drops in their funding. Nick Brault, a second-year games major and current leader of Crimson Gaming, said the club’s funding dropped from $6,000 in fall 2023 to $500 in fall 2025. According to Brault, Crimson Gaming is one of the biggest SSOs, with 3000-4000 members on Campus Connect and event attendance ranging from 20 to 30 students. Despite this, Brault said Crimson Gaming received no funds for spring 2026 because the club didn’t know when or where to apply.
Decker said that the club’s funding dropped from $2,000 in the 2024-2025 academic year to only $500 in fall 2025 and another $500 in spring 2026. Thomas Driggs, president of the GameCraft Club, said “fall semester was awful,” adding that funding openings for the spring semester were poorly communicated. “The system was not communicated to me.”
ASUU provides base funding for RSOs and SSOs, which provides $20 per 25 members up to $500. After that $500, clubs have the opportunity to apply for impact funding, which includes writing essays to apply for more money.
GameCraft did not apply for any impact funding, Driggs reported, because they did not know it was an option. Brault said that they had applied for impact funding, but received nothing. “We wrote all the essays and got nothing back,” he said. “It’s a pretty big hindrance.”
Club issues
Brault said that “this funding is not sustainable for [Crimson Gaming’s] needs. We end up spending money on limited-use things like pizza, instead of equipment or jerseys.” He added that there were changes to the character of the club, too. “There was disappointment among the officers [of the club],” Brault said. According to Brault, Crimson Gaming can no longer hold events that previously drew in members due to insufficient funds.
Decker described that the lack of funding has made leadership harder to sustain. “It’s harder to maintain a role when you don’t have the resources to actually run the club,” he said. Decker added that it was especially hard because the “funding drops were unprecedented.”
GameCraft also reported that they have turned to individual donations and fundraising. Decker said they need funding for their cash-prize game jam at the end of the year, which is one of the biggest events for the club. According to Decker, GameCraft is an opportunity for Game majors to use their disciplines in practice, because they don’t have many opportunities to do so in their classes.
Funding frustrations
Driggs expressed frustration with ASUU. “ASUU is supposed to be our support,” Driggs said. “It’s frustrating when that support isn’t there.”
Leaders of both clubs said their organizations deserve more funding. “Some clubs arguably need more funding than others,” Driggs said. Brault added that while it is necessary to allocate funds to clubs proportionally, he described the current ASUU funding process as “fair but not equitable.”
Both clubs also believe that they deserve more funding because of the U’s position with the Games program. “The University of Utah is a pioneer in game development,” Decker said. “GameCraft is why people come here.”
Brault said non-athletic organizations struggle to receive adequate funding. “If it’s not under the athletic department, it’s not getting funded,” he said.
Despite the challenges, leaders said they remain committed to keeping their communities active and inclusive. “At the end of the day,” Driggs said, “these clubs exist to help people connect and have fun. We’re just trying to keep that alive.”
ASUU response
The Chronicle sent a request for comment to ASUU in response to the claims of the student gaming clubs. For the spring semester, the ASUU Assembly “utilized the same decision-making process as Fall to allocate funds and implemented some changes based on feedback [they] received,” Merrin Maughan, ASUU assembly chair, said in an email. The Assembly extended the application window from Nov. 17 to Jan. 2.
ASUU published the rubric used to evaluate essay applications for impact funding, according to Maughan. The Assembly also decided that they would have all representatives grade Impact Funding applications, not just the Rules Committee. Every application was graded by a random set of 4-5 representatives. “Impact Funding is not guaranteed like Base Funding,” Maughan said.
According to Maughan, the Assembly received over $459,000 in requests this spring. This past fall, they allocated just under $200,000. “Students reach out to their potential [and current] student leaders to provide their feedback and comments,” Maughan said.
“All funding opportunities are communicated through email, occasionally social media, tabling, and through programming,” Maughan said. She recommends RSO leaders to utilize Campus Connect often and check their email for updates. Because funding is supplemental, the Assembly “strongly” encourages student leaders and RSOs to fundraise and collaborate.
