I’m the opposite of your typical gamer. I have extensive history with "Just Dance," and my “Crazy in Love” performances would make even Beyoncé weep.
I’ve played a few rounds of "Angry Birds," but I’ve never liked video games. As a kid, I never won a round of "Mario Kart" against my little brother, nor did I understand the appeal of sitting and playing a virtual game. I was just never in my element.
So, when I was told I would be attending the USC Gaming Club for a night, I was a bit wary and, honestly, not thrilled. When I walked into the Swearingen room where the gaming club meets, I was actually nervous. Normally, I do fairly well in social situations where I don’t know anyone, but because everyone was playing games or engrossed in conversations regarding games, I knew my usual small talk and banter couldn’t help me break the ice. I would just have to dive right in.
For a few minutes I wandered around aimlessly and took everything in. There were a few different consoles set up around the room, but I headed straight for the big projector at the front where several people were playing some kind of fighting game simultaneously. I soon found out that the name of this game was “Super Smash Bros." and got a quick run down of how to play.
A very nice guy explained to me what all the buttons on the controller do, but I forgot as soon as he explained them.
As far as my game strategy, I mostly pressed as many random buttons as quickly as I could until I died. At one point I discovered how to make my character walk, so I moved myself to a corner of the screen and tried to just hang there, hoping that everyone would forget me. It probably came to no surprise I was the first one eliminated from every round.
Probably the lowest point of the game was when a giant pink gorilla pummeled me over and over until I fell off the little island I was standing on. It was strangely depressing, possibly because it felt like foreshadowing for how midterms were going to kill me that week. Yes, I got to the point where I was drawing metaphors between the video game and life. This was the point that I gave up altogether and handed off my rights to play.
Overall, my experience with the USC Gaming Club reaffirmed the fact that I am terrible at video games. The club did leave me with a great impression of the diversity of our campus though, and everyone was extremely nice and welcoming.
It proved to me that whatever your hobby is on campus, there’s a community here for you. Whether it’s playing "Dungeons & Dragons," or obsessing over the latest fashion collection from Dolce & Gabbana, there’s a group of people here that share your interests. And while I probably fit more into the latter category, it was nice to see what other people are passionate about and to share that experience for awhile, even if it meant dying at the hands of a giant pink gorilla.
