The University of North Carolina at Asheville’s Campus Life Department held a Mario Kart competition Thursday, Oct. 8, to help students unwind as they head into midterm season.
Campus Life partnered with the university’s Esports center to set up the event, as the Center provided a Nintendo Switch with controllers. A projector in Highsmith Student Union’s Grotto provided a view of the game, with students racing each other via a four-way split screen.
Nadia Kessel, spirit and tradition coordinator for Campus Life, said that this is the first time an event like this has happened on campus. She mentioned that this was a new “Fri-Yay” event, which happen on campus and usually include karaoke, bingo and open mic.
“I didn’t expect many people to show up because people are tired, some are doing midterms and people don’t want to go out to that many events,” Kessel said. “But the turnout was way more than I expected. Based on visuals, I think we got about 20 people when I wasn’t expecting even 10.”
Kessel said she believes that events like this can help students with morale, as students can meet other students and also use these spaces to convene with friend groups on campus.
“I think students need a place where they can relax but without needing to go off campus,” Kessel said. “If you don’t have a place where all your friends can convene in, whether they live off or on campus, it’s hard to get together and do things. I feel like our events allow that.”
UNC Asheville students Kenton Lee and Riley Postell said they had fun at the event. Lee mentioned how he had a good time hanging out with his friends and competing.
“I thought it was a lot of fun, especially playing with people I know on the big stage,” Postell said. “Winning feels really good, especially when it’s against people you know.”
Both students said that events like the Mario Kart Showdown can help with stress, especially with midterms ongoing and the overall stresses of the later parts of the school semester.
“They definitely help you put off a lot of stress. Just going out somewhere and being social with people really helps you recollect your brain,” Postell said. “I feel like inviting friends or just meeting new people is always fun. It makes you happy after a stressful workload.”
“It helps ease the stress,” Lee said. “You can turn your brain off for a couple of hours and chill with your friends.”
Fellow student Aniket Balaji said he shares the same sentiment, although he mentioned he wasn’t as apt at Mario Kart as Lee and Postell were.
“It was fun to try to learn how to navigate the controls, asking people around me how to play and making sure I’m not in last place,” Balaji said. “It was a really good outlet of stress. I had a lot of fun with my friends.”
Overall, Kessel said she hopes students know more about events on campus like the Mario Kart Showdown as well as the benefits it can provide socially and mentally.
“I hope that people know there’s always a place for students to convene and have fun,” Kessel said. “There was one student that was sitting alone that joined a group. It’s a great opportunity to meet people.”
