If there was one thing that I would change from my early college experience would, by far, be my willingness to attend extraordinary events.
Notre Dame, in all its foretold glory, has infinite possibilities where one can grow as a student, an academic, a professional or even as a human. As great as all these opportunities are, I would always find a certain dullness to their alleged vanguardist edge. They lacked some essential vitality, something lost in the corporate atmosphere emerging from their organization. Good intentions aplenty, there remained an unnatural tension. Many proved to be too staged, too rehearsed — somewhat forced.
That was until I discovered certain club events.
When people are not unnaturally constrained by given expectations; when their passions and genuine attitudes take hold, something changes. When tradition need not smother creativity and when external pressures cease to be, something new is born. When people allow themselves to be, at last, people, the lacking livelihood turns unrestrained.
Therefore, I have one single proposal, both for you and my past self alike.
This Sunday, March 30, from 2 to 8 p.m., make your way to Dahnke Ballroom in Duncan Student Center to take part in THE VIDEO GAME OLYMPICS 2025.
Open to the tri-campus community, The Video Game Olympics will be a one of a kind tournament that will bring together three person teams for a double elimination showdown across a gauntlet of games. That is, to truly discover the greatest of all, the tournament has one key characteristic: different round, different game. Pushing teams to adapt, strategize and display their versatility, every match will feature a new video game in which to duel — each belonging to a distinct genre spanning across varying consoles: a faithful celebration of the artform of gaming.
The tournament will open with a surprise secret game, from which the team placements will be created. Afterwards, players will be prepared for the headliner: Minecraft! In one of the most recognizable and popular games of all time, players shall fight tooth-and-nail on the game’s beloved and chaotic Bed Wars game mode.
Those that survive will then switch gears into the speedrunning genre in the high stakes Chained Together, a cooperative platformer where they must climb as high as possible without falling within a given timeframe. The third game will bring another change of pace, the strategic autobattler Super Auto Pets, testing the intellect of the team members. After which point, the semifinals will be a head-to-head battle in the year’s biggest fast-paced team shooter, Marvel Rivals. For the ultimate finale, the last standing teams will duel in the fighting icon — Super Smash Bros. A unique tournament for the ages, a never-before attempted event, open for all to witness.
A grandiose tournament must, rightly, offer grandiose prizes. The lengths at which players will exert themselves shall be rewarded with something better than an ND beanie or a $10 Starbucks gift card. The prize pool has real prizes, amongst which lay the newest generation of AirPods, TVs, gaming consoles, computer accessories, blankets (somehow due to popular demand), an air fryer and more!
Importantly, these prizes are not just restricted to participants, but to any and all spectators that attend through giveaways and side-events. Even better, players and spectators alike can indulge in the complimentary Cane’s available throughout the duration of the event.
The most ambitious event ever attempted by The Video Game Club of Notre Dame, a bold reimagining of what interactive club events can truly be, ought to be a celebration of the entire community.
Therefore, the club has partnered with a host of organizations to provide activities as the tournament rages on. Emblematic special interest clubs — the Board Game Club and Role Playing Games Club — will welcome spectators and contestants to tabletop and storytelling experiences. Emerging 2025 clubs such as the Computer Club and Animation Club will be present to share their work and introduce themselves to the community. Branches of The Video Game Club, the Video Game Development Club and E-Sports Club, will give unique opportunities to attendees to discover the creative and competitive sides of gaming. To top it all off, The Warehouse, a local business, will be on site to present their comics, cards and games, bringing the broader gaming culture to campus.
The event is completely free of cost and applications are open, with limited space swiftly being exhausted. You may sign up as a full team, or as either a duo or an individual to later be assigned into a full team. No prior experience in any of the games is required nor expected, though if you would like to test them prior to the event, stop by the Gaming Lab in ITC 121 in the evenings this week! Reach out to me with any questions.
If you are interested in becoming part of history, if you are prepared to exit the monotony and dullness and live up to the dreams of university life or if you’re simply looking for a fun, crazy time, REGISTER NOW!
If not convinced in your gaming prowess, by all means, you should come by and witness those of others, participate in some giveaways, play some games, eat some free Cane’s, and make your University life what you once thought it would be. Open to all, even to faculty and beyond — I repeat — that shall be this Sunday March 30, from 2 to 8 p.m. in the Dahnke Ballroom in Duncan Student Center.
Make a favor to your future self, be part of The Video Game Olympics 2025.
Carlos A. Basurto is a junior at Notre Dame studying philosophy, computer science and German. He's president of the video game club and will convince you to join, regardless of your degree of interest. When not busy, you can find him consuming yet another 3-hour-long video analysis of media he has not consumed while masochistically completing every achievement from a variety of video games. Now, with the power to channel his least insane ideas, feel free to talk about them further at cbasurto@nd.edu.
