Whether it’s going out in costumes with your friends or trick-or-treating with your younger siblings, there is always so much to do on Halloween. In the Campus Center Event Room, one of the activities available for Halloween was the E-Sports’ annual Monster Smash. The Monster Smash offered free food, including tacos from Stockton Entertainment Team’s Taco Tuesdays, and plenty of games such as Super Smash Bros, Just Dance, and Jackbox Games packs, among others. The most popular Jackbox game was Trivia Murder Party, hosted by charismatic and funny members of the E-Sports club who commented throughout the rounds.

Almost everyone showed up in creative and fun costumes representing characters from various shows, movies, or famous horror films, as well as some original variations. Towards the end of the party, the hosts set up their annual Costume Contest, where guests could sign up and go onstage to show off their outfits. Once the panel of judges voted for the top 5, the audience would cheer for each contestant. The one who received the loudest and most enthusiastic cheers won.

Demetrius Roubos, the E-Sports Program Manager, was joined by his colleague Dr. Jennifer Aarons, an Assistant Professor in the Hospitality, Tourism, and Event Management program and the E-Sports Management Program, who was happy to help in planning the event with Roubos and many other students in the recently-launched BS in E-Sports Management program. Monster Smash was part of their academic curriculum, giving them experience in planning a major E-Sports event and working in the program. “It’s a great opportunity for, not only people interested in E-Sports, but people who want to work in E-Sports in the future,” Aarons stated. “It’s an opportunity to get everyone in one space and have a good time.”

Roubos added, “From an Experiential Learning perspective, the students gained valuable experience setting up the events and then managing them. We had almost 30 student volunteers, some from the E-Sports Management Program, some from adjacent programs, some student workers, and some volunteers or interns.” The program’s Student Leadership team was responsible for the design and execution of the Monster Smash event which gave them many opportunities to grow and develop their leadership and management skills in their majors.

The E-Sports program also partnered with the Computer Society, Stockton Entertainment Team, and the brand-new Fighting Game Club, who brought four fighting game titles to the party.

Stockton Esports’ next event is Retro Night on Tuesday, November 21 at 6:00 p.m., streaming online at twitch.tv/stocktonesports. Follow @stocktonesports on Instagram for more information!