/E Wave at Cornell Roblox Club!

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This past week, I joined Cornell Roblox Club in their Halloween Horror Game Night at the Mann Computer Lab. I had too much on my to-do list, so I decided to do something else. When their event came up on my Instagram feed, I was practically emoting at the opportunity to return to my gaming roots. I didn’t realize Roblox was just as excited to have me back.

Some of my fondest memories of childhood took place on an iPad mini in <a href="https://www.roblox.com/games/185655149/Welcome-to-Bloxburg” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Bloxburg, Murder Mystery 2 or Restaurant Tycoon competing against my brother to see who built the better faux establishment. The digital community of silly blocky people lit up my life as an equally silly child. I can hardly express my appreciation for the friends I made and even the lessons I learned at the ripe age of 10.

For example, TypicalType’s Epic Minigames created one of my greatest life goals: to become epic. Once I reached level 40 after over 1,000 wins, I was awarded the title of “Epic,” which floated above my head in-game like a king’s crown. With that same patience and determination today, I suppose I apply to as many jobs as possible to gain the title of “Employed.”

One after the other, curious gamers filed into the computer lab. Soon enough, we outnumbered the desktops in the room, and new arrivals had to find creative ways to squeeze in next to their friends. Even the executive board members at the front seemed delightfully surprised by the turnout. They welcomed us inside with candy, bubble guns and a GroupMe code among a bustling crowd. Laughter erupted quickly at the scene, followed by shouts of gratitude toward strangers who lended their skills to more inexperienced players. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but Robloxian families are formed in a matter of minutes.

The event opened with a “Dress Like Your Avatar” competition, where people tried to curate an outfit that best resembled their avatar in hopes of winning five Robux. Robux, the game’s currency, can be used to purchase clothes and accessories for your character as well as special in-game perks. During the competition, the E-Board screen shared every contestant’s avatar against a Dress to Impress template, to which everyone who came up received warm applause. A crafty guy arrived in a full suit and tie with a custom smiley face paper bag over his head. One girl even had butterfly clips in her hair to pair with her all-pink outfit.

First, we played Doors, the chilling first-person survival horror game developed by the user LSPLASH. As a veteran player of Doors, I would not categorize it as nearly as horrific as The Mimic, for instance, which haunted me at night with its jarring sound effects and disturbingly realistic graphics of ghosts and all their supernatural cousins. Some horror games I have had the displeasure of experiencing do not belong on a children’s platform. To be transparent, I am jump scared by my own reflection in the mirror at night sometimes, so perhaps my threshold for horror is unusually low.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to escape many rooms until the server gave way under the weight of over 50 players. Even the elevator waiting room was glitching. Halfway through, we migrated to Squid Game X, in which I remember only being able to pass the “Red Light, Green Light” level (the first of six). As the levels increased, so did the intensity to match the real escalation of the famous South Korean series. Or I suppose as real as it can get with a bunch of figures made of blocks. 

Overall, my first Cornell Roblox Club experience did not disappoint, with the most cozy and exciting atmosphere of all the clubs here, earning the honor of the first extracurricular event that didn’t give me heart palpitations of impostor syndrome as I entered. The E-Board even concluded with a fun TikTok feature of various students, myself included, saying their favorite game on Roblox. 

“There’s a piece of my heart in Roblox, just like there is in your hometown, like a comfort food or guilty pleasure,” said first-timer Cole Luberti ’30. Roblox certainly powers imagination, along with a serious brain break from all of Cornell’s seriousness.

Whether you are a noob or a seasoned player who needs to dust off their WASD keys, everyone is welcome to come immerse themselves in the world of cheezburgers and obbies at Cornell’s very own Roblox club!

Oof. Time to log back onto Canvas.

Selina Chen is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Art and Sciences. She is a staff writer for the Lifestyle department and can be reached at sc3543@cornell.edu.

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