Tech Club hosts annual video game tournament

Korrie Talley, the winner of last year’s Call of Duty Tournament, practices to keep his title. Photo by Kati Watson.
Korrie Talley, the winner of last year’s Call of Duty Tournament, practices to keep his title. Photo by Kati Watson.

The WTAMU Technology Club will be throwing its annual fall video-game tournament on Nov. 12 at noon.

The event, sponsored by Best Buy, Pizza Hut and the WT Business Department, will be held at the Classroom Center in the Innovation Room (209) or Game Room.  Entrants will pay an $8 fee for playing and for food and drinks. The tournament will consist of three separate competitions for Mortal Kombat, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Madden 12. Cash prizes will be given out to the top three players of each competition.Sophomore Computer Informatio and Decision Management major and club president Jay Schmidt said he and the rest of the club are hopeful that the tournament will attract many different students across WT.

“We want people from every major to come,” Schmidt said.

Even with a sponsorship from D2 Boost, putting together the tournament has been expensive for the club, costing them more than $700 for games and food. Senior Mathematics major and club treasurer Teddy White said that in terms of financial gains, the tournament does not bring much profit. Last year, the tournament made the club about eight cents in profits. Still, if the club breaks even for this tournament, the members are going to try for a tournament every semester. White said that making money is not the goal of the tournament.

“If we have to spend money to get some good will and interest, we are willing to do that,” White said.

This sentiment is echoed by WT professor and club advisor Dr. Jeffry Babb, who hopes that students who just have an interest in technology and video games will come to the club.

“We just want to offer a place where nerd is not a term of derision but of pride,” Dr. Babb said.

Pre-registration is open until the day of the tournament with a $2-late fee for those who enter into one of the competitions on Nov. 12. The Game Room is open now to all students from 3-5 from Monday to Friday with recent releases for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.