Do you consider yourself a “geek”? Are you at all familiar with tabletop games? Does Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A make any sense to you? If the answer to any or all of those questions is yes, then you might just be interested in checking out the second annual Geek Week being held in the Student Union all this week. If the answer is no, Student Union Administration says you’re welcome anyway.
That’s right, an entire week dedicated to FAU students’ inner nerds. A week of video game tournaments, tabletop games, trivia, and prizes. All throughout the Student Union this week, there are events to fit many tastes, some friendly, some competitive.
So grab your card deck, pick up your controller, and brush up on your nerd knowledge of pop-culture; there’s fun, fame, and fortune — relatively speaking — to be had. Or at least bragging rights for a Facebook post or Instagram picture. Here’s a look at what to expect this week:
Events by day:
Tuesday, March 26: Geek Bowl
4:00 p.m. in the Live Oak Pavillion (Rooms C and D)
For those who have spent far too much time not just watching or playing games, but dissecting and studying them — or those who just love showing off. This is a trivia contest to test your knowledge of nerdom. “Geek Bowl will consist of teams of four. They can come with a team or join a team that evening,” explains Lauren Adamo, the Geek Week organizer. “There will be 30 questions in categories such as comics, video games, movies, TV shows, etc.” Unlike most bowl games, there’s no trophy for the winners, but there will be gift cards.
Wednesday, March 27: Madden Tournament
8:00 p.m. in the Student Union Lobby
Sports fans, gamers, athletes, fantasy gamers — even fantasy athletes — everyone’s welcome to this video game tournament being held in the Student Union Lobby. It’s the newest edition of the game series, played on multiple TVs to accommodate simultaneous games. Just because the Owls’ football season was 3-9 doesn’t mean yours has to be! Anyone can enter the tournament, and the winner receives a cash prize of $100 (in Flex bucks) after all is said and done.
Thursday, March 28: Dance Central Tournament
4:00 p.m. in the Student Union Lobby
For any would-be dancer, pop-star in training, or subject who’s ready and willing to make a fool of themselves in front of a crowd, this tournament is being co-sponsored by the College Gaming League, who are providing the consoles for the tournament. The competition could be steep, so you might want to start listening to that dubstep playlist on your iPod and get to training.
Friday, March 29: Magic: The Gathering – Free Play
3:00 p.m. in the Palmetto Palm Room
The roll of the dice, the play of a card, the formation of a strategy — it’s all familiar to the players of this well-known tabletop Collectible Card Game. And if you’re up for it, you can try your hand at it, too. This event is open to all who are interested. A word of warning, though: while this event isn’t BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Deck), the majority of the cards available to newcomers will be samples, so it’s best to come prepared. Your interest piqued? Check out this QR code with your smartphone to brush up on the rules of Magic.
