Sean Shanks
Student Andrew Hovsepian, right, is locked into an Unreal Tournament match. He has been playing and collecting vintage video games since a high school teacher first introduced him to emulators.
As students gear up for finals, the Computer Graphics Club and the Computer Animation and Game Development invite students to relax and kick back with their favorite video games and tabletop games during Good Ol’ Game Night, which takes place Thursday in O’Connell Center 133 at 4 p.m.
Along with board games and modern video games, there will be free food, drinks and a prize counter that functions much like Chuck E. Cheese.
Vinna Chan, an admin support faculty in CAGD, explained that last semester’s gaming event was easily the most popular of the fall. While similar spring events did well, the question has still remained – when is Tech Toss, the supplier of many of the retro systems and games, coming back?
Tech Toss, an e-waste recycling non-profit founded by Chico local Dakota Rose, will be providing 15 computers for the event “loaded with arcade classics.” However, students are encouraged to bring their own.
Rose grew up in Chico and got his associate of science degree in both radio, TV and film and multimedia studies. He went on to attend University of California Berkeley and work as the finishing editor of theatrical trailers for Disney, Pixar and LucasFilm. Tech Toss has previously let other organizations use some of their tech like 1078 Gallery during their 8-Bit August gallery.
Along with the computers, Tech Toss will also be providing machines running the games as follows:
Diablo I
Warcraft II
Atari classics
Capcom classics
Contra
MAME arcade emulators
MAME emulators recreate the hardwire of old games to be played on modern systems
Blizzard Entertainment arcade classics
Tech Toss has previously collaborated with CAGD during last semester’s gaming night. Chan explained that Rose has been instrumental in keeping students excited about their events.
“Dakota is one of the friendliest and most optimistic people I’ve met in the non-profit space,” Chan said.
Nadia Hill can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com