Last Friday evening, students mobbed the Hall of Presidents (HOP) during The Game’s Afoot’s most recent event, “The Game,” an event in which stu­dents came together to play games. In partnership with Late Gate, “The Game” drew an un­precedented crowd due to its wide variety of entertainment options including a Nerf War, Super Smash Brothers, Pokémon tournaments and various other video and board games. Over 150 students attended the festiv­ities, making it the club’s largest event in club history.

Planning for “The Game” began well before the New Year, dating to the tail end of the fall semester. After the Sony PlaySta­tion College Tour sponsored by The Game’s Afoot in November, the club was approached by Late Gate to hold a large event in the spring semester.

“I can’t tell you exactly how much money they gave us, but I can tell you that it was over three times our club’s annual budget,” sophomore and The Game’s Afoot officer Ian Dwyre said.

The assistance from Late Gate allowed The Game’s Afoot to launch a highly effective advertis­ing campaign which began im­mediately when students returned from break.

 

 

The funding for the event was not only spent on publicity. The Hall of Presidents was transformed into a Hall of Nerf, as black and strobe lights created an exciting atmosphere for the competitors.

Club-branded t-shirts were handed out to early attendees as a door prize, and The Royal India Grill and Oliveri’s Pizzeria provided over 15 trays of Indian food and 12 pizzas, respectively.

However, arguably the biggest at­traction for the night was the Super Smash Brothers Brawl tournament.

“I like the way we’re having tournaments,” first-year officer Michelle Cohen said. “We usually don’t do that as part of the nor­mal Game’s Afoot…but I like that we’re having them because, you know, people are competitive!”

Over 36 people competed in the Super Smash Brothers tourna­ment, and prizes were awarded to the top four finishers. A Pokémon tournament was also held after­ward, with prizes being awarded to the top three.

The significance of The Game’s turnout was lost on no one, as ev­eryone, both officers and attend­ees, expressed their surprise over the attendance.

“I think it’s really a good turn­out,” junior Katie Avery said. “It’s a lot of fun… I was looking forward to it all week.”

Even co-President Adam Ash­well was very excited about the turnout and the group’s prospects for the future.

“It’s amazing,” Ashwell said. “We had taken into account that it could be this much, but it’s far more than we have ever had before at an event…it’s just great.”

The Game’s Afoot crew sees ‘The Game’ not only as a re­sounding success, but an indica­tion of a newfound partnership with Late Gate.

“This event really cemented our relationship with Late Gate,” Dwyre said. “It cements us as one of the principle institutions on campus.”

Contact Matthew Knowles at [email protected].