By Matthew Houston
The Student Commons building was filled with the sound of automatic machine guns, Lady Gaga and exploding Pikachus on Sept. 30 for the We Got Game event held by the Algonquin Student’s Association.
Gamers gathered around televisions to watch others compete and to flex their own digital muscles against their pixelated competitors.
The We Got Game event has been held at Algonquin for the past three years, and has always had a good reception.
“Students love to play videogames and we love students to have a good time and enjoy events, so this seemed like a natural fit, it’s always packed,” said Bill Kitchen, events programmer at the Algonquin Student’s Association.
The consoles and games were provided by We Got Game, which hosts pop-up gaming for a variety of events.
The activities also involved music and dance games, which use motion sensors to track the movements of the players. Groups of students attempted to mimic the dance routines shown on the screen, usually resulting in an uncoordinated but fun mess.
While most students came to have fun, others came to win.
“I’m the best out of my friends so I want to see if anyone here has skills,” said Jason MacFarlane, a visiting student from the University of Ottawa. MacFarlane of the tournament players playing the hockey game NHL 15. MacFarlane ended up losing, but said he was only beaten because of a questionable penalty call by the digital referee.
The Smash Bros. table was especially popular. Reminiscent of childhood parties, students sat on the floor around the TV, staring up at the screens and yelling as their characters exploded.
No controller hogs had to be escorted off the premises.
For some, the event was a much needed stress relief, but for others it may be helping them to procrastinate a little more.
“I’m supposed to be studying, but I’m so hyped for Smash Bros.,” said Julian Denaire, a first year business administration student.