by Man Ho Lee | Staff Writer
Fights broke out over campus on Saturday, but nobody got hurt because those students fought with foam swords and competed in Whitworth’s annual Gaming Convention.
Whitworth Gaming Club put on the Whitworth Gaming Con last weekend. The club set up a series of LARP games, board games and room games.
LARPstands for live action role-playing. Students fought with foam weapons and shields on the grass field outside Weyerhaeuser. The goal of the game is to “kill” other players by hitting their neck or chest withthe sword. If player’s arms or legs are hit, the limbscan no longer be used in battle. If player gets two legs hit, he or she drops to their knees.
In the Saturday LARP game, freshman Nathaniel Graham competed and won his match.
“I feel like re-living part of my childhood,” Graham said. “I was playing lightsaber with lot of friends on the playground.”
The swords are made from PVC pipe and have several layers of foam on them, Graham said.
“It was a lot of fun to fight [his opponent], because he fought really hard,” Graham said.
He said he would like more similar activities on campus, “and it also helps to have them better publicized. I even didn’t know about this until [my friend] told me.”
Participants also played a game called “Two Rooms and a Boom.” Each player either belongs to one of the two teams or is independent. Only the player knows his or her own role and team.
Players are randomly separated into two rooms then send one hostage to the other room each round. Each team wins if a there is a specific combination of people in the room after three rounds.
“It’s a strategic game,” junior Samuel Wynsma said.
Junior Kim Cook said she likes the game because players need to gain trust from others, cooperate, but cheat sometimes.
“People there are really friendly,” Cook said. “It’s a group of friends, we like to hang out and play different games. You can basically play any kind of games you like.”
To join the Whitworth Gaming Club contact Laura Delaney at ldelaney17@my.whitworth.edu.
Contact Man Ho Lee at mlee17@my.whitworth.edu