Reporter: Venera Nikolaeva
Laughter, cheers and positive vibes filled the university center building on Friday evening (November 2, 2018) during a game night hosted by the Malaysian Student Society at MUN. The idea for holding such an event was born in 2015, the brainchild of the then-president of the Society, who wanted to get her peers acquainted with Malaysian culture and traditions in a fun and interactive way, take a break from the study routine and recharge their batteries.
The outcome of brainstorming and thoughtful discussions was a festive, “carnival-like” type of event that aimed at showcasing the variety and uniqueness inherent in the Malaysian way of life. Even though Malaysian society is composed of people from different backgrounds (Malay, Chinese, Indian), the population as a whole places superior value on society. Being raised in extended families, children are often surrounded by lots of siblings – making playing games an amazing and cherished experience. Games also help bridge cultural differences and bring different ethnic groups into contact with each other.
The game night featured seven favorite for Malaysians games with relatively simple rules and absolutely addictive to play. Adding a new game to their skills arsenal was just part of the deal, players were also able to collect points and redeem them for prices at the specially designed gift exchange station. One thing that became clear during the event was the “rock-paper-scissors” hand game is loved by people around the globe – it was a major element in all the games played on Friday.
The games that were selected by the organizers tested different abilities – from physical resilience to agility, memory, coordination and strategic thinking. The SPS Extreme game involved a lot of stretching as players had to extend their front feet to match the position of the opposite standing person (following rounds of rock-paper-scissors). A game,called Bombom Cha also seemed to attract significant amount of interest on the part of the attending students.Players had to remember a set of repeating movements and perform them in an accelerating rhythm- a fascinating thing to watch, yet also very challenging to execute.
The Stick Game and the Batu Seremban both involved a certain level of coordination and strategizing. The former required participants to pick up sticks randomly placed on the table in such a way as to not displace other sticks (with different colors earning them different number of points) -a true test of one’s spatial thinking ability and control over movements. Batu Seremban, on the other hand added an agility component to the fun – players were asked to throw mini bean bags in the air and catching the ones remaining on the table at the same time.
To make it even more interactive and educational, the members of the Malaysian Student Society used one of the breaks to showcase some traditional rituals, clothing and food and to share interesting facts about Malaysia. Another highlight of the game night was the bamboo dance, a combination of skill, precision and agility that was certainly worth-watching. It involved hopping in and out of three sets of clapping bamboo poles and got everyone enthused and eager to take part in the dance.
With over 120 people attending the event, organizers hope to continue the tradition of annually hosting an event of that magnitude, offering their fellow students an opportunity to make new friends, relax in a friendly environment and foster cross-cultural connections.
