Video game tournament brings game to sick children, fun to Emerson

12/10/07

Approximately 50 students gathered in the Little Building Friday night for the "Reset for Kids" Video Game tournament, organized by the Emerson College Game Developers Association and Digital Culture. Some of them played for prizes. Others just played for fun. All of them, however, gathered for a good cause: to help sick children.

The event was organized to help collect money for Child's Play, a charity that provides toys and games to children in hospital care. The entrance fee for the tournament was a $5 donation.

John Richardson, an Emerson junior new media major and president of the Emerson College Game Developers Association, said the annual charity drive is currently in its third year. "This came out of the idea of games bringing people together," said Richardson, "and the Child's Play charity was the ideal thing to sponsor, because it is a charity based around the gaming community and this industry." Richardson said the event collected around $300 for Child's Play.

The event featured two different tournaments. Ian Martin, an Emerson sophomore, won in a test of skills at the fighting game Super Smash Bros. Melee, while Trevor Scanlon, an Emerson sophomore, bested others at the first person shooter Call of Duty 4. The winner of each tournament received his choice of one of four popular video games, as well as a free one-year subscription to Microsoft's Xbox Live online service. Games such as Super Smash Bros. and Wii Sports were available to those who did not want to compete, but still wished to play games.

David Coman-Hidi, an Emerson sophomore political communications major, waited his turn to compete in the Smash Bros. tournament. He hoped to pull out a victory, but admitted his odds weren't too great. "I don't know how realistic it is," Coman-Hidi said, "but I just want to get some game time in,"

Stephanie Hodge, an Emerson senior new media major, was in no mood to compete, choosing instead to play Wii Sports with her friends. As she set up a drive in a game of golf, she said, "I'm here to make friends. and to play, y'know, video games."

Child's Play was founded by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, creators of the popular webcomic Penny Arcade. The charity was created in 2003 in response to an article about violence in video games. Krahulik was sick of news stories that portrayed gamers as violent and antisocial, and decided to create a charity that could help others while also helping to paint gamers in a more positive light.

Child's Play has partnerships with hospitals throughout the US, as well as hospitals in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The charity has a connection to Boston Children's Hospital. Those who visit the Child's Play website can visit an Amazon.com Wish List set up by child patients at the hospital, and buy items for donation.

Richardson said that the Emerson Game Developers Association is currently planning on holding a similar event in the spring, he said. "The idea just came up tonight," Richardson said, "so we haven't really planned anything out yet.