Video game audio and sound effects echoed through the Esports Lounge on the lower floor of the Titan Student Union, where Cal State Fullerton students gathered for a night of gaming.
Associated Students hosted the three-hour event “Pass the Controller,” which was organized by Roby Ho, a third-year business major and Esports student assistant. The event allowed students to compete in friendly video game matches against fellow Titans.
“I play video games my whole life, and it brings me great joy, and I just want to bring that to other people. And games are always more fun with people,” Ho said. “So I always try to involve community. I always try to make a space where people can play, can hang out and talk, have fun, laugh.”
After signing into the event, an ASI employee would hand the students a flashcard indicating which station to start at. There were four stations in total, each with games for students to play, including “Mortal Kombat,” “Mario Party,” “Street Fighter,” “Gang Beasts” and more.
Ho’s vision for the event was to include a cycling mechanism, with students alternating stations every 15-30 minutes. Attendees swapped controllers or moved over to the PCs, with different groups on the card advising them where to go next. Ho said this was done in an effort to get students to interact with each other as much as possible.
Some of the games chosen by ASI for the event involved an environment where students could use teamwork on the Nintendo Switch systems. For a more competitive crowd, they also offered 1v1 games for those who enjoy showing off their gaming skills and playing against different opponents.
This event had students come out of their comfort zone and try new games with their peers. Many of the students who came to the event had followed the flyers posted around the lounge or on Discord and Instagram.
“I was excited to try out ‘Street Fighter,’ because I’ve never played it before,” said McKayla Downing, a fourth-year studio arts major. “I got to play with some people from different studios or majors, and it’s cool that we all like the same games. I just met somebody who liked the same stuff that I play.”
Many student interactions filled the atmosphere with laughter and competitiveness amongst one another. Even though the event was about gaming, the lounge also drew students who just transferred, looking to meet their fellow Titans.
“I saw the event last week, ‘Pass the Controller,’ and the way that they described it, I thought it may be an opportunity to genuinely meet new people and hopefully form genuine connections,” said Alan Bell, a second-year transfer student and studio art major.
The event became the first time ASI has incorporated a game rotation for students to enjoy. At the beginning of the event, Ho faced a challenge: fellow students weren’t coming into the lounge and couldn’t start the rotation time.
But not long after, students began coming in one by one as classes ended at around 4 p.m. and the event started to run smoothly.
ASI provides the Esports Lounge for students to pass the time between classes, game with friends and enjoy a friendly, competitive environment. Students have the option to play on consoles such as PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and PCs.
Events like these allow students to build new connections, as games can be played with multiple people, whether they are average gamers or not.
This style of team and competitive play gives people the opportunity to enjoy an interactive setting and allows them to step outside their comfort zone while conversing with others.
“Honestly, it’s just people talking to each other. I’m loving the space right now. Everybody’s laughing, everybody’s talking and it’s great,” Ho said.