As the icy presence of finals looms around the corner and stress levels reach an all-time high, three of NIU’s video game organizations gave NIU gamers the chance to participate in the ultimate gaming experience with some coziness on the side.
Organized by NIU Esports, Huskie Gaming and Gaming For All, the Ultimate Huskie Gaming Night event saw gamers attend to play board and video games all while expanding their community.
Held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Esports Arena of Altgeld Hall, around 50 attendees gathered to take part in both older and newer video and board games.
Video games such as “Fortnite,” “Valorant,” “League of Legends,” “Helldivers 2,” “Overwatch 2,” “Among Us,” “Call of Duty,” “Mario Kart 8” and “Roblox” were common choices for entertainment on PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC and Xbox Series X. “Among Us” in particular had a group of gamers periodically joining matches with up to 10 people playing at once and engaging in intense back and forth discussions.
On the other hand, traditional board games such as Candy Land, Chess, Uno, The Game of Life and Codenames weren’t left to collect dust as groups of players engaged in friendly matches against each other..
Kimberly Shotick, advisor of Gaming for All, held the previous Cozy Gaming Night late last year and was excited to see how it has evolved.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Shotick said. “When we held the first one last year, I wasn’t sure if it would be interesting for the community but we still got some people. This year, it’s grown way more. Gaming spaces can be competitive, but this is clearly a space where everyone can feel comfortable.”
As the night went on, more attendees poured into the Esports Arena, nearly filling up the room.
Some attendees even brought in their own consoles and games, one of which included a Nintendo 64 with “Super Smash Bros.”
Mikayla Ahern, a junior marketing major and member of NIU Esports, reflected on the purpose of the Ultimate Cozy Gaming Night and hoped it would help ease the stress of looming finals.
“It’s cool, we have people playing chess all the way to ‘Smash Bros.,’” Ahern said. “I think this event is a good way for students to unwind before finals and help people find their community.”
Of course, the gamers weren’t left to enjoy the evening with empty stomachs and parched lips. Servings of sugar cookies, which could be decorated with an assortment of frosting flavors, along with Swiss Miss Milk Hot Chocolate were provided and ran out within the first hour of the event.
Meanwhile, the arena echoed with various video game sound effects, yells of triumph, groans of defeat and the classic, friendly banter between players.
Emily Trinh, secretary of Huskie Gaming, was shocked to see a bigger turnout than expected and said she was happy to see people enjoying the festivities.
“It was very surprising,” Trinh said. “I didn’t think there would be so many people who would show up, but it’s great to see all of them come and play.”