Side Quest’s Video Game Gala brings students together for a night of costumes, music and food – Photo Gallery
On Tuesday night, students streamed into Shamblin Theatre for video game-themed student organization Side Quest’s first Video Game Gala. The event attracted over 200 participants. It featured live music from student musicians, as well as a baking contest, a costume contest and crafting stations. Costumes ranged from Cal Kestis (Jedi: Fallen Order) to Mario (Super Mario World) to even a test subject from Portal 2.
The baking contest was won by the “Shrimp Family” team, made up of Kay Peterson, Jade Leaser, Phoebe Darnell, Katelyn Graham, Claire Houser, and Grant King. The team’s submission, titled “The Bake,” was a strawberry brownie treat.
The prize for best costume went to Emma Caudill, who dressed as Squirrel Girl from Marvel Rivals.
Dawson Cravens, a senior video game design major from Owensboro, Kentucky, serves as the president of Side Quest. He wanted the event to embody the club’s inclusive nature.
“[The club is] a side quest from your actual college life to have fun, meet new people, and also just play video games,” Cravens said. “I kind of want this to be a tradition, the video game gala. … I was like, why don’t we make sure everyone knows [the club is] for everybody and host a gala? … I love the music here on campus; I love Wednesday Nights We Eat. And I thought, why not involve that with my club and make it a whole big event with everyone from all different types of ages in the CEA?”
The gala attracted a variety of students. Most attendees were members of Side Quest, but some, like Isom Crutchfield, participated out of curiosity to see what the club’s environment was like.
“Honestly, the streamers looked really cool,” said Crutchfield, a sophomore business major from Nashville. “I was like, ‘I gotta go see what’s going on in this joint.’ And it seemed like an epic party. … I just love video games.”
Still others saw the event as an opportunity to build community and camaraderie among students who share mutual interests. Sam Beasley, a freshman business and marketing major from Nolensville, said that he appreciated how the event brought together students from various backgrounds with shared interests.
“My high school didn’t ever think to do anything remotely like this, let alone Side Quest,” said Beasley. “Just to come here and see all these people dressed as things that I recognize? This makes me feel like I found a place that is just an experience and community that wasn’t really offered to me in the past.”
The gala’s musical entertainment was provided by KALUV and Meadowglade. KALUV energized the evening with DJ remixes of popular songs. Meadowglade treated attendees to a rock concert featuring covers and original songs.
Luke Cooper, a junior songwriting major from Franklin and frontman of Meadowglade, said that he valued the gala as a chance to experience the unique convergence of multiple types of art.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to connect with a different group of people and just have a lot of fun in a different space,” said Cooper. “Art is just the greatest thing ever, and I think music and video games and all these things are just a great source of connection for people, and I’m just really happy to be a part of [the gala].”
As Side Quest celebrates its first Video Game Gala, students look forward to seeing what community-building experiences the organization has in store in the future.
Images courtesy of Colton Sanborn and Ethan Dickinson.
Noah Moran
Noah is a philosophy student at Lipscomb University, planning to attend law school after graduation and then enter corporate law. He holds an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts from Colorado Christian University, and his interests encompass theology, philosophy, politics, and cinematography. He is involved in a variety of student organizations and serves in his local church.
