Correction 4/19/19: This story originally said “last night” with regards to when the tournament took place. It has been changed to April 11.

Laughter and groans were heard late at night in the Student Union and Recreation Center (SURC).

On April 11 at 6:00 p.m., a FIFA 19 tournament took place in SURC 202. More than 20 people gathered to compete against each other and to watch others play.

Although some played for fun, for others, it was a battle for first place. The winner won an Intramurals Champ T-shirt and a copy of the FIFA 19 game.

There were three Xbox consoles connected to two projector screens and a TV, each on one side of the room. Competitors played simultaneously to help speed the process and limit the downtime between the rounds.

The competition started out with pool play where each player played three games. Then it proceeded into a single elimination bracket, and the top two players were chosen to compete against each other in the final round.

Trevor Schuler is a program assistant at CWU Recreation who oversaw the event. Schuler said this is the third time the tournament is being hosted on campus.

“It’s a great way to meet new people after sitting in the library all day,” Schuler said. “And it allows students who don’t own an Xbox to come and play.”

According to Schuler, the last FIFA tournament was held in the SURC Theatre and used the large screen to connect an Xbox.

“People were too spread apart and the atmosphere was different,” he said.

Kiarie Gitome is a sophomore in computer science and is one of the competitors. He said his favorite players are Kylian Mbappé and Paul Pogba. He likes to pass the ball around quickly.

Gitome said he just started playing the game at the beginning of September and watched the last FIFA tournament that was held in the fall.

“This is the first time I’m competing in it,” Gitome said.  

Badou Ngum, a sophomore studying biology and the champion from the last tournament returned to participate again. After winning a match 6-0, he sat down to watch other players compete.

Ngum said he preferred to play for fun than to win. He said the event brings people together and gives him an opportunity to meet new people.

On April 18, a Rocket League tournament was held at the same time, in the same room.