Take over Drexel, one building at a time

By: Caitlin Gray

Posted: 11/9/07

Campus domination could only be a click away.

Drexel students will soon have the chance to play an online game similar to "Risk," in which players strategize for world domination, using the University's campus as the controllable territories.

"Take a world domination game, spread it over an entire school, add online social interactivity and set the whole thing on a map of your own campus," Matthew O. Brimer, a junior at Yale University from GoCrossCampus, explained. "You control your own legion of armies, coordinate the game plan, and play as a team with the rest of your team to take over territories and edge out your rivals."

Students will be able to register with their Drexel email accounts at www.gocrosscampus.com, and there is no cost to register or play.

Jeff Gardosh, president of the Undergraduate Student Government Association, who worked with the game's creators to bring it to Drexel, created the map for the game.

Some of the territories include the quad, Mario the Dragon, Greek Row, Powelton Village, and all of the academic buildings. The map is set to represent what the University will look like next year, so it includes the Multi-Purpose Facility at the DAC, the new 34th Street dormitory and Powelton Green, currently under construction.

"It's fun because it's a place you know," Gardosh said.

Gardosh has created five teams based on student housing: Towers/Calhoun, Myers/Race, Kelly/VanR, North/Caneris, and Commuters. He said students are welcome to join any team. If a student wants to join Myers Hall because he or she lived there freshman year, he or she can do so as a "Myers Alum." Teams will only compete against other Drexel teams.

Each day will consist of one turn in the game so it lasts several weeks. Each team must strategize and work together to win and take over territories.

The idea for the game began when Yale students created Old Campus Risk, an online "Risk" inspired game that was wildly successful on their campus. After gaining popularity at Harvard as well, the game's organizers wanted to make it more widespread.

Some of the creators founded GoCrossCampus, an organization that modified the game to be used at other campuses. They then contacted student governments to pitch the idea of bringing it to other campuses.

According to a press release from GoCrossCampus, the game now has more of a social dimension.

"You can talk strategy via a built-in chat interface, get real-time stats on how the game is progressing, and even get elected the commander of your school," Sean Mehra, a senior at Yale University of GoCrossCampus, said in the release.

Fall games were scheduled to begin Nov. 5 at eight schools including Drexel, but due to an overloaded server, the games have been postponed. Gardosh said GoCrossCampus promised the server will be back up by January.

In the meantime, Gardosh said students should visit the Facebook group "Conquer Drexel!" to post their thoughts about when they want the first game to begin upon the server's restoration.

"Let's do a quick game around Thanksgiving so that a core group of people can get a handle on the game," Paul DeGrandis, a software engineering student, posted Nov. 5. "Then when we spread the word, there will be a plethora of people that can offer help and guidance."

Gardosh said the game would provide entertainment and networking, and it would be a way to learn more about Drexel. In the future, it may be possible to have a pop-up on the map of information about the buildings and various other locations on campus.

Gardosh also emphasized that the game will encourage teamwork, camaraderie and show changes that are happening at the University.

The game has solely been USGA and Gardosh's endeavor; the University has not sponsored or been involved at all.

According to GoCrossCampus, other schools that will participate on their respective campuses are Rensselaer Polytechnic, Boston College, Rice, Worcester Polytechnic, Washington University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and all schools in the Ivy League, including University of Pennsylvania.