The UIS Christian Student Fellowship (CSF) hosted a video game tournament on January 23, in the Student Union Ballroom. The event included free food and drinks and used five projector screens to run five different games at once, Smash Bros Ultimate, Mario Kart, Wii Tennis, FIFA, and Beat Saber.

The games were arranged in a tournament style where students could compete against each other in a series of rounds for a chance to win a certificate declaring their victory.

Brock Kennell, UIS Master’s student and member of CSF, said that the certificates gave winners the chance to prove their skill and to be officially recognized as having bragging rights as the champion of their respective games.

This approach to contest prizes highlighted the ultimate goal of this event, which was to bring people together for an evening of games and fun.

“I love being able to hang out with my friends and host amazing events like this,” Kennell said.

The casual atmosphere did not prevent participants from giving it their all in hopes of claiming the title of “best.” There were four champions of the night, as one student received a certificate for two different games.

Andrew Korpalski came out on top in Smash Bros, a game involving an all-out fight between different players in an arena. Samuel Nassiff scored victory in FIFA and Mario Kart, games revolving around soccer and car racing, respectively. Finn Coombe proved his skill in Beat Saber, where players attack each other with laser swords. And Brock Kennell himself took the crown in Wii Tennis.

CSF is a Christian faith-based organization that hosts weekly prayer meetings and other faith-based events on a regular basis designed to bring together like minded students and connect over shared religious convictions.

“We love to just encounter Jesus together and love to hang out with friends,” Kennell said.

More information about future CSF events can be found on their UIS Connections page.