EDGE Club to host gaming tournament

Editor's note: The EDGE club has changed the date of Fragocity from Feb. 24 to March 23, 2012.

The EDGE Club met in the Digital Media Center on Feb. 7 to discuss plans for its upcoming fundraiser event, Fragocity 9.5.

Fragocity is an all-night gaming LAN party that's been held every semester for nearly 10 years, with all the revenue going directly to funding the EDGE Club.

Jesse Anderson, the president of EDGE, said that while the appeal of Fragocity may be their gaming tournaments, attendees are under no obligation to participate in the competitions.

"You guys are free to bring whatever you want and play it," Anderson said to club members. "You can just come and play games."

Anderson guaranteed that many tournament staples would be returning, including "Mario Kart 64," "Super Smash Bros. Brawl," "Team Fortress 2," "League of Legends" and "Halo: Reach."

Anderson then took requests for new games to compete in at this year's event.

There was a debate on whether to feature "Marvel vs. Capcom 3" again this semester or to switch to a more traditional fighting game like "Street Fighter" or "Mortal Kombat." The consensus was to upgrade to the newer "Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3," which balanced the gameplay a great deal and added new characters.

The club also debated whether there should be a tournament for one or both of the pre-eminent modern first-person shooters, "Call of Duty" and "Battlefield 3."

"We always have a "Call of Duty" game, since that brings in a lot of people," Anderson said.

The EDGE Club then had a brief discussion on what their promotional theme for Fragocity should be this year, following up on last year's "8-bit" advertising.

James Mills, EDGE treasurer, suggested the club base its promotion around Internet memes, drawing groans and chuckles from the other members.

"The Internet belongs on the Internet," Anderson said.

Vice President Jordan Taylor said that attendees should bring their own equipment, but that EDGE could provide network cables for Internet access and monitors.

Taylor also told people to bring their own headsets to guarantee that they have sound.

"Our speakers have been breaking constantly," he said.

Members asked how safe their equipment might be at Fragocity.

Taylor explained that all attendees must sign a waiver absolving EDGE from all responsibility should anything be stolen or broken, but that problems like those had never happened.

"Just keep an eye on your stuff, and we'll make sure no one takes a baseball bat to everything," Anderson said.

Anderson and Taylor said volunteers will be needed to help with setting up the event, which takes approximately two hours.

They're also needed to help manage the tournaments.

"If you're running a tournament, obviously, you can't play in it," Taylor said.

Fragocity 9.5 will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday in the Digital Media Center. The door charge will be $12, which covers all tournaments. Volunteers can participate for $6.

"I'm hoping to draw in a broader group of players than we've ever had, from casual gamers to tournament veterans," Anderson said. "I want this to be a celebration of gaming."