By KARLEIGH YANCY/Magazine Editor, PORTER STAGGERS/Staff Contributor, BARBARA MARTIN MORO/Staff Contributor
Dungeons. Dragons. And dorks. On February 26th, students from across the UT Tyler campus gathered in the University Center Ballroom to enjoy the very first “Nerd Night.”
This effort was put on by Patriot Productions, UT Tyler E-sports, and the Rolling patriots guild, a club that’s focused on bringing together lovers of tabletop games, and from the hours of 6:00 to 10:00 pm, students could stop by and geek out with their peers.
While the event started as an annual video-game tournament, the clubs involved wanted to expand the event. Patriot Productions President, Elzie McCalister had this to say: “Nerd Night was originally inspired by our video game tournament we do every semester. We decided to expand it a little more to be more inclusive…and this is the first time we’re expanding it to be more diverse in topics.”
The event was a lively one, where students could win giveaways, play in a smash brothers tournament, and listen to music from their favorite anime.
Eliza Mercado says, “pretty much it’s just a celebration of anything nerdy, geeky.”
And a celebration, it was. The event turned out to be a wonderful way for a community to connect, with students of all backgrounds having fun, hanging out, and letting that nerd flag fly.
