Frequently Asked Questions

Here's a list of Frequently Asked Questions we think you might have regarding the website. We are always looking for new information to add to this page, so feel free to !

Registration Problems

I never received my confirmation email upon Registration. What should I do?

First, check your spam folder. We've had issues in the past with Penn State's spam filter blocking our site. If that doesn't work, just in case it never went through, have your confirmation email re-sent. If you are still unable to receive the confirmation, send an email explaining the problem from your registered address to and we will get your account activated as soon as possible.

What should I use as a use as an alias?

When choosing an alias, pick something that you think identifies yourself as a person. Don't pick your Penn State Username or your actual name, but rather something you find fun, being sure to keep it appropriate. Remember, many times the club will come to identify you as your alias in real life as well as with the website. Make sure to pick something you like or else you might wind up regretting it.

Account Problems

I forgot my password, what do I do?

In order to retrieve your password please visit the Forgot Password page and enter your Alias and Penn State email address. You should receive an email with a temporary password and a link to activate that password (if not, check your spam folder). Click the link, login with the temporary password, and be sure to change your password on the Account Settings page. If you do not remember your alias, send an email to from the email address which you registered with and we will attempt to solve your problem immediately.

How do I edit my profile?

In order to edit your profile, visit the Edit Profile page and fill in any information you may find. If your name is incorrect, make a post in the Website Support and Feedback section of the Forums and someone will correct it as soon as possible.

How can I change my alias?

We do not currently permit users to change their own aliases due to technical limitations. We may, however, let you change your alias on a limited basis. We will never allow you to change your alias while actively participating in a long-term game such as Assassins or HvZ. In order to apply for an alias change, visit the Website Support and Feedback section of the Forums and write your request in the "Alias Change Request" thread. Please provide valid reasoning for the change.

How do I upload an ID Photo?

In order to participate in some UGC events that require an ID, you must upload a personal photo. To do this, visit the ID Photo page. Under "Upload a New One," browse for the specific picture on your hard drive. Once the picture is uploaded, you will be able to crop the profile picture to just your face with JavaScript. If you do not have JavaScript enabled, upload a pre-cropped picture, enable JavaScript, or send an email with the photo to and an admin will upload your picture for you.

Game Registration Problems

How do I register for a game?

In order to register for a game, please visit the Event Registration page. If the event you wish to register for is not on there, be sure to check the Calendar. Events that have registration periods will typically have registration periods of up to 2 weeks prior to the event or orientation. If it's too late to register on the website, try to contact the specific game director listed on the Rules Council page. They may be able to force you into the event or have you attend an orientation. Sometimes registration is simply used to gauge how many users are attending, so be sure to contact the director so they may plan properly.

How do I know if I'm registered for a game?

In order to make sure you are registered for a game, visit the Event Registration page and look under the section that says "Events You Are Registered For." If the event appears under there then your registration is confirmed for that event.

I can no longer attend an event. How do I unregister?

If you find that you are unable to play a game that you registered for, visit the Event Registration page and unregister for that specific event. If you are no longer able to unregister for the event, contact the specific game director by using the Rules Council page and let them know you will no longer be participating. This will help the game director out in terms of planning.

Forum Problems

How do I edit/delete my post on the forums?

We do not allow users to delete their own posts on the forums. It is our strict belief that what you said was said and deleting posts can leave holes in threads. However, we do let you edit them to a reasonable point, just try not to edit out whole posts. At times, we may limit post editing to a certain number of minutes after the initial post, however this may change as some games are known to have threads requiring regular edits.

How do I do ______ on the forums?

Our forums use the phpBB Forum System, and in general, their FAQ covers a lot of the basics that we don't have time to cover here.

Website Information

What software does this Website use?

The Urban Gaming Club website is built on Open Source Software and Frameworks. Our server runs Ubuntu 8.04LTS as its operating system and uses nginx to serve our website. We run phpBB for Forums and have built a site around its user system. We have implemented a very lightweight PHP framework known as CodeIgniter, to further organize our code effectively. In CodeIgniter, we have created a navigation system that allows us to deploy static content pages alongside dynamic application pages. Through this system, our site can manage games and other functions based around its user base. Here's a list of all the things we use on our site:

Who hosts the server for this Website?

The Urban Gaming Club server is hosted by Linode, a web hosting company based in Abescon, New Jersey. It is hosted on a Virtual Private Server, which is essentially a slice of a real server scaled down appropriately so that it acts as a real server. Linode is graciously providing us with hosting for the coming year, so we highly suggest you check them out for any high-level web hosting needs you have.

Is there anyway I can use the code from this site to run my own games?

Yes! We'd be happy to furnish you with a copy of our code. All of our work is based on open-source software, so we decided to license our own code via open source, so others can benefit from it. Every bit of code is covered by the GNU General Public License and all graphics and images are covered by Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0, a Free Software Foundation–approved license.

In order to get a copy of our code, please send an email to and we will send a copy your way. We do ask that you credit us on your site, although it is not required. Please note that we do not provide active support in any way for the code we provide you, and it is not perfectly formatted to be reused easily. At minimum, advanced knowledge of PHP and phpBB are required to get everything running. However, we may be able to provide some support on a limited basis if we have the time.