Teter's Thursday Fun (beside porn)

This semester, Thursday nights are known for more than just professional wrestling and Must See TV. Thanks to a free EA Sports promotion, students have been flocking to the Teter Informal Lounge to take part in video game tournaments. Contestants compete not only for prizes, which include free games, T-shirts and ultimately, a Playstation 2, but also bragging rights. \n"This is the group EA is hoping to market to," says Brent Coyle, IU's EA Sports representative. "They're all college students, most of them own Playstations already and they have the money to spend on games like this."\nWhile the event is primarily an advertisement for EA's line of sports games, which include football, hockey and baseball, among others, the participants don't seem to mind. The tournament has allowed gamers to compete against a variety of contestants. Donald Eldridge, a freshman, has attended the tournament every week since it began earlier this semester.\n"It's the competition that brings me out here," Eldridge says. "Sometimes you're up against someone who is great, other times not so great, but it's all about EA Sports. No one else can bring it like this."\nContestants play "NBA Live 2003" for the Playstation 2, a franchise that has been around since the days of the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. But with the dawn of super-powered video game systems, this new game looks much more like real life than its 16-bit forefathers. Now, gamers can participate in (almost) true-to-life NBA action.\nLast Thursday was the culmination of all the previous tournaments which was in its sixth week. First, gamers compete for the final wild-card spot in the tournament, while winners from the previous five weeks watch and scout out the competition. At the end of the night, Remus Woods, a junior, rose above the competition and emerged as the best of the best.\nWoods has been playing video games since he was 13 years old, but the first day of the tournament was his first time playing "NBA Live 2003" on the Playstation 2. Woods had played the game on the Nintendo Gamecube, and he says all it took was learning the different buttons. Woods' prize was a copy of "NBA Live 2003" and a Playstation 2, but since he already owned the system, he traded it in for six games. \n"The championship game was real hyped," Woods says.\nWoods says the game came down to the wire, and he won because of a technical foul late in the game. While some matches during the tournament were as competitive as the final, Woods says some gamers were blown away. Overall, he says the tournaments were a good opportunity for students to get together and have fun.\n"It was a time to bond and to get to know people around campus," Woods says.\nThese tournaments are open to anyone, but novices don't stand a chance against the experienced gamer, who practices on a regular basis. \n"I play these games all the time," says Eldridge. "On my floor, we all do. That's what's great about this tournament. We're all showing up to compete, but the game's the best part."\nOne-on-one play, or even four-on-four depending on the game, has become a staple for modern video games. Tournaments such as this give gamers the chance to flex their electronic-muscle, rather than simply face computer artificial intelligence. \nThis semester Nick's English Hut has also played host to video game tournaments. On Wednesday night, Coyle says the tournaments bring in Nick's business with 20 to 30 people playing "Madden NFL 2003." Coyle says the laid-back atmosphere in Nick's makes it a great place to host a tournament.\nWith the advent of broadband Internet, this interaction has expanded beyond the confines of one video-game unit. Now, gamers can participate in online tournaments or compete against opponents from all over the world, without even having to leave their room.\n"The online play is excellent," says Coyle. "You get the quality and style of play that you'd see playing against your friends or against the AI, but you could be playing against someone cross-country or around the world, which is a cool thing."\nFor those who want to get their feet wet in tournament-style gaming, or those who enjoyed the tournament this semester, Coyle says he's planning a game and a venue for another tournament next semester. He says it will likely be at Teter again.\nSo while only one player is going to bring home that brand new Playstation 2, video game tournaments give everyone the opportunity to compete and have fun playing.\n"This is all just one more part of the real college experience," Coyle says. "It's fun, it's free, and anyone can play. What's better than that?"\nJason Gaddis contributed to this story.