nick couryBy Nick Coury
From the hardcore to the mediocre gamers, all gathered to put their thumbs to work at “Gamer’s Ball,” a two-day event hosted by mtvU that presented new and unreleased games for Xbox consoles and PCs.
MtvU is a popular culture media organization that is free for all colleges and universities. It broadcasts to 740 campuses across the country, including inside The Avenue at Cal Poly. San Luis Obispo was the last stop of 10 visits on the mtvU tour for the “Gamer’s Ball.”
“We’re on our trek to stop at some schools and give stress relief with tournaments and competitions,” said BJ Lange, the host of GameRiot and coordinator of ‘Gamer’s Ball.'”
The “Gamer’s Ball” previewed popular upcoming titles for the newest gaming systems. Participants were given free game demos, such as the computer first-person shooter F.E.A.R, and had chances to win prizes during Xbox competitions. One of the main events Wednesday was the “Halo 2” tournament, where the winner took away what is considered the best gaming system to date – Xbox 360.
The event was co-sponsored by Associated Students Incorporated, (ASI) to appeal to all different types of students.
“We took this event because we like to give opportunities to the variety of interests that Cal Poly has,” said Nicole Stivers, student supervisor of public relations for ASI.
Throughout both days, students stopped by between classes to check out hot new Xbox releases such as Peter Jackson’s “King Kong,” the official game for the upcoming movie, “Madden Football 2006” and “Marvel Comic’s Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects.” With the rise of popularity in Poker, Daniel Negreanu’s “STACKED” game for PC is suspected to do well in the gaming world.
“I had a break between class and decided to checked it out,” said Cindy Yaw, a computer science junior. “I was expecting more people, but as usual at gaming events, there aren’t many girls.”