The University of Idaho Dean of Students, Blaine Eckles, remained the undefeated Mario Kart champion Saturday at the Vandal Overnight Games (VOG).
UI President Chuck Staben, UI Vice President for Infrastructure, Dan Ewart, UI Vice President for Finance, Brian Foisy and Eckles competed in the annual Leadership Invitational. Displayed in front of all attendees on a large screen, the four competitors raced the Grand Prix in Mario Kart about halfway through the event, before moving on to the virtual reality rooms and other games to honor their support for student involvement.
VOG, the largest community gaming event on the Palouse, was free to both university attendees and members of the community. Held from 1 p.m. to 12 a.m. in the Idaho Commons, the UI Information Technology Services (ITS) hosted its eighth annual event Saturday.
Darren Kearney, UI ITS manager and VOG co-founder, said the event is a platform to showcase exactly what the university has to offer. Every year there are different groups invited in because everyone is passionate about different things, he said.
“A lot of times people get really involved with one specific game and group of friends, but this event allows everyone to interact in a fun way to expand their horizons,” Kearney said. “We try to keep the cost free because the goal is to maintain participation and just make sure that everyone has fun.”
The Dean of Students Office, Safari Pearl Comics, ITS, general volunteers and more collaborate every year to put on the event, Kearney said. The Palouse isn’t very big, so this event is a great way for the community to spend time together, especially because there is something for everyone, he said.
Many gaming opportunities were offered, including a “League of Legends” tournament, “Dance Dance Revolution” free play, virtual reality demos, karaoke and murder mystery scenarios and more.
Gavin Green | Argonaut
Warhammer 40k figurines ready for action at the Vandal Overnight Games Saturday in the Idaho Commons.
Attendees were able to help themselves to a free food bar, prizes and participation giveaways such as a $1,000 scholarship for signing up for the drawing. Some also brought their own gaming systems, games and other devices, overtaking the entire seating area of the commons and a few classrooms in the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC). Everything from desktop computers to mobile devices, and laptops to consoles occupied visitors throughout the evening.
Dan Bechtel, a technical support specialist for the Vandal Card Office, displayed his drones and promoted the creation of a drone club on campus.
Bechtel said he met with a variety of organizations and authority figures on campus, including Staben, who are in full support of the club. The next step is finding enough student interest to really get the club going, he said.
“I would love to balance education and recreation with this club because drones are versatile and can do a lot at low price points and specific programming,” Bechtel said. “There is already drone education at the junior high and high school level, so why not allow college students to use them as well?”
Bechtel said he believes drones would specifically aid STEM education in a fun and innovative way, and has already done research for tips, tricks and guidelines for drone workshops, and what he would do as a club advisor.
Many drones today are used for agricultural purposes, search and rescue and even delivering blood bags to remote locations around the world, he said.
“I’m passionate and feel encouraged by the university, which is a great start,” Bechtel said. “I mean, who doesn’t like to fly?”
Allison Spain can be reached at [email protected]