The new age of gaming

When people mention party games, it can spark the image of the iconic Italian brothers, Mario and Luigi, to the dark battle fields of Modern Warfare 3. However, there is a whole other world of gaming that is spreading quick: PC gaming.

Senior Eugene Che is an avid gamer for Team Fortress 2 (TF2). Che sums up the game as “the best war themed game there is out there in the market.”

The popular game is a first-person shooter battle between two teams. Players choose a character, each with specific strengths and weaknesses.

“Mostly the professional people play soldier and scout [classes]. They want to be the best players and compete for excitement and fun,” Che said.

Soldier and scout are two of nine classes offered in TF2; others include the pyro, demoman, engineer, heavy, medic, sniper and spy.

“Some people just want to make a lot of money off the game by collecting hats and then selling them for high profits,” Che said. “It’s like gambling basically.”

Team Fortress 2 shares a few factors with the average party games, one being both games need four players or more. However, this game requires a certain amount of skill rather than amateur luck. The players themselves don't consider the game to be a traditional party game.

“I would not consider TF2 a party game solely because it’s a PC game, and in my opinion, a party game is where you can have multiple people play in the same display screen,” Che said. “For TF2, you can’t really have multiple people in the same display screen.”

Unlike Mario Kart, in Team Fortress, “every round is different,” senior Colby Guan said. Since each round is different, the game can be replayed without becoming repetitive, unlike many other games. An added bonus is that Team Fortress is free and accessible through the Internet.

“The game's replayability is what stands out most to me,” said Guan. “I also find appealing the free-to-play model, the large, diverse and generally kind community, the abundance of new content and mods and the plentiful customization options for the player — from HUD to hats.”

Guan typically finds himself playing 2-3 times a week, depending on his workload. Each match lasts until one team captures a set number of control points or until time runs out.

Many students agree that the game is a gratifying escape from school work.

“As a senior, I have been swamped with college essays, and it’s nice to take my mind off of everything and simply immerse myself into a fun … yet … stressful … gaming experience,” Che said. “I’ve found it incredibly effective to use it as positive reinforcement.”