Even with the stench finals in the air, Ventura College students were able to have fun with some digital entertainment in the midst of their exams, all while helping a good cause.
Students played and competed at the Ventura College Game Day Tournament on top gaming consoles such as the Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 this past Friday, Dec. 3. With support from the Associated Students of Ventura College, the night went smoothly.
“It’s a positive way for everyone to meet together, and to bring back campus life and to sort of vent right before finals,” said ASVC President Kathleen Leonard
Tickets ranging between $5 and $15 were sold in advance to participate in the gaming tournaments, with all of the proceeds going towards the ASVC Endowed Scholarship Program.
Jerome Washington, ASVC treasurer, gave the idea to have a gaming competition to raise money for the scholarship fund, and then he coordinated the event.
Even though raising money for the ASVC scholarship fund was the main accomplishment, the event ended up having more than one positive benefit for VC students.
“We all bond together,” said Washington. “There’s a lot of people I haven’t seen on campus and it gives me a chance to get to know who they are, they know who I am and we can maybe possibly do this again.”
The most popular game of the evening was “Call of Duty: Black Ops” on the Xbox 360.
“I was very nervous,” said Jamil Allgood, who came in the second bracket after playing a close game in “Call of Duty.“
“We decided first three kills win,” said Allgood “We were tied 200-200, and I got the last kill.”
Being that some of the tournament’s games, such as “Call of Duty,“are rated M for mature, having children as young as 12-years-old participate presented a possible parental issue.
“Personally, I have my younger son over here playing Wii,” said Leonard.
Games such as “Super Smash Brothers Brawl,” “Wii Sports”and “Mario Kart Wii”were provided on the Wii console for the younger children competing.
Leonard and Tina Miller, ASVC community relations director, both said that the children did have to provide parental consent in order to compete.
“The parents are the ones who signed them up,” said Miller. “So if the parents are okay with it, it’s up to their discretion.”
There was an ultimate prize for the number one competitor, but every placing had some sort of prize reward. The prizes were gift cards from places such as Chili’s, Game Stop, Best Buy and California Pizza Kitchen; all valued up to $25.
Miller said that the gift cards were all donated to the tournament.
Washington previously said that they had a set goal amount for the fund raiser. He expects they will have met it after the tournament.
“It’s the first time we’ve ever had a game day,” said Washington. “It will beneficial to everyone.”
