Video Game Arcade Night set for June 16
An upcoming Arcade Night isn’t just about being PWNED! Instead, organizer Steve DelZotto said social activities like this help build relationships, friendships, partnerships and ultimately better video games.
DelZotto is a student in the Video Game Design and Development program at Toronto Film School and the Vice President of the Campus Council. He has organized gaming tournaments in the past and when the game Mario Kart 8 was released at the end of May, he decided to put together an arcade night featuring the new game.
“This game has been really well received and gaining in popularity,” DelZotto said. “It is a really fun game.”
He said Mario Kart 8 presented the perfect opportunity for community building because of the nature of the video game.
“It is a kart racing game, but it isn’t like your traditional racing game,” DelZotto said. “It is a couch game, a game you play with friends.”
To that end, on June 16 there will be an Arcade Night in the Student Common at Toronto Film School’s Steeles Campus at 2000 Steeles Ave. W.
“It is kind of like Monopoly where after the game you’ll either have new friends or ruin a friend ship,” he said with a laugh. “It encourages social interaction and getting together. It is a lot of fun, chaotic.”
Events like this arcade night, DelZotto said, augments the learning experience for Video Game Design and Development as well as Video Game Design and Animation students at Toronto Film School.
“Any sort of extra curricular activities helps you bond and get closer to your fellow classmates,” he said. “Everything in game design is working in a team and those teamwork skills are vital.”
The better the relationship with your teammates, in this case your fellow students, the better the results.
“You don’t make games on your own, you make them with teams of sometimes as many as 300 (people),” DelZotto said. “You need to have good communication skills.”
DelZotto explained that the Arcade Night runs from 4 to 9 p.m. on Monday, June 16. There will be consuls and projectors set up in the Student Commons accommodating six teams of four players.
Participation is not limited to students of the video game programs, but instead, DelZotto said students in other programs at Toronto Film School are encouraged to attend and everyone is welcome to bring friends.
It is a non-elimination Arcade Night where everyone will have the opportunity to stay and play for as long as they like.
“I am trying to stay away from elimination because I wanted to bring in a larger audience,” DelZotto said. “This event isn’t about winning, it is about getting as many people as possible together, playing and having fun.”
Admission is free and attendees are encouraged to bring their Nintendo 3DS portable gaming device if they have one.
