On a typical Saturday night, many Binghamton University students can be found partying Downtown. However, this past Saturday belonged to the gaming nerd when Maximum Overkill Gaming Convention took place on campus.

CoRE (Computer Robotics and Engineering) hosted the convention, which had students glued to computer screens at the lively LAN (Local Area Network) party.

Deep in the depths of the Student Wing, hundreds of people, equipped with their custom-built computers and Ethernet cables, gathered to play computer games against each other. A majority of the gamers were Binghamton students, however, a number of people came from Syracuse, Oneonta and even New York City.

The most popular games at the convention were ‘Team Fortress,’ ‘Counter-Strike 1.6’ and ‘Warhammer 40K.’ Meanwhile, in other rooms of the building, gamers engaged in smaller ‘ yet equally intense ‘ ‘Guitar Hero’ and ‘Super Smash Bros.’ tournaments.

Nate Fenson, a member of CoRE and a senior computer engineering major who was in charge of the event, said that Maximum Overkill was the largest gaming convention within 100 miles of Binghamton and that gaming conventions are a way to bring game players together.

‘The standard geek never talks to people,’ he said. ‘[Here] they are talking with each other.’

Many of the gamers stayed up all night ‘ the event didn’t officially end until 10 a.m. Sunday.

‘People fall asleep on tables,’ Fenson said.

David Glanville, also a senior computer science major, had been at the event since 9:30 a.m. and planned to stay until almost 3 a.m. the next day, playing ‘Dawn of War.’ He said he kept himself going by ‘eating a lot of food and drinking BAWLS.’

BAWLS, a company that produces highly caffeinated drinks, was one of the major sponsors of the gaming event.

Fenson said that the drink is most commonly consumed by gamers at LAN parties. The drink is made with guarana, a berry that contains more than twice the amount of caffeine found in coffee. There are small bumps all around the surface of the blue bottle, which Fenson explained is specifically designed to stay in the hands of video game players.

Complimentary pizza, T-shirts and bouncing blue ‘BAWLS’ were also part of the completely free event.

Students crowded the Old University Union where Late Nite, another sponsor of the event, hosted several different tournaments. Late Nite provided ‘Wii Bowling,’ ‘Dance Dance Revolution,’ ‘Halo III’ and even the popular card game Magic: The Gathering.

Despite the great array of activities to choose from, many students appeared impatient and restless because technical difficulties delayed game play.

A majority of the students were not willing to discuss the event, or they kept their words brief. Interruptions were unappreciated, whether they were playing ‘Halo,’ observing the skills and tactics of a fellow competitor or pacing the floor strategizing for their next game.

Fenson said that Maximum Overkill 2007 was just a ‘test run’ to prove to potential sponsors that the event is popular and support is needed.

CoRE said they have plans to host a bigger and better convention in the spring, for which they are anticipating sponsorship from computer hardware companies and an even greater turnout of gamers.