'Halo 3' gamers destroy aliens night after night in nationwide college fad

By Jackson Olsen

December 11, 2007 | As the aroma of freshly delivered pizza filled the room, Tron Arnold, Brett Bodily and Lucy Ward (a.k.a. Slut, V and Wonder Woman) prepared themselves mentally and physically for what would no doubt be an evening of high spirits, competition and entertainment.

Bodily, a senior majoring in accounting, hosted the event in his parents' living room, as is customary. A newly opened bag of Cinnamon Bears purchased by Arnold for a dollar at the Six Star Outlet Store was passed around the room, followed shortly by Twizzler Cherry Bites. Meanwhile Bodily readied the Xbox and controllers. All of the elements of an enjoyable digital bloodbath were coming together.

"Being in Logan, it's kind of boring sometimes, so you have to make your own fun. Movies and TV get old if you do it every night. Halo is just another way to mix things up a bit," said Arnold, a sophomore majoring in creative writing.

For the next several hours, the trio exchanged fire, insults and explosives while playing one of today's hottest video games. While some would be appalled at the casual violence and electronic gore emitting from their television screen, for these three, it was business as usual.

For Arnold and Bodily, this has been a tradition several years old -- almost as old as the game itself. Halo: Combat Evolved first hit the market in 2001, selling more than 5 million copies worldwide, according to Bungie Studios, the game's creator. Since then it has been established as one of the premiere first-person shooter video games, third only to its sequels Halo 2, and Halo 3, all of which tell the story of the human race's struggle with alien invaders in the distant future. Collectively, the Halo games have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, raking in more than $800 million.

The Halo phenomenon has spread to college campuses across the country, and is no longer limited to the confines of living rooms and basements. Many college clubs and groups sponsor tournaments and weekend retreats where literally hundreds of students gather in friendly competition. Arnold and Bodily and their "crew" usually travel to Ogden Canyon, where a friend loans them their timeshare for an evening.

"It's a party. We usually have a barbecue, and then we just play Halo from about 7 p.m. till 7 a.m. We'll have multiple TVs going and link a bunch of Xboxes together. That way more of us can play at once," Arnold said.

Traditionally, these gatherings are a dizzying combination of video game violence, junk food and testosterone, but they aren't always fun and games. It's not uncommon to see someone lose their cool in the heat of the competition.

"I've seen people hit themselves repeatedly because they kept getting killed," Bodily said. "People get emotionally involved."

Ward, who cuts meat at Sam's Club when she's not spending time with her friends, is relatively new to the game, and said she only started playing because her "guy friends" needed an extra player. The rookie female denounced the idea that Halo was a "man's game." She said she enjoys playing the game just as much as the next person. Her favorite part is the comical interaction between the participants, albeit sometimes ugly.

"I hear a lot of funny name calling, and a lot of people hitting each other or throwing their controllers at each other in frustration," Ward said.

When asked whether playing Halo interfered with school, both Arnold and Bodily were quick to disown the notion. Ward, who doesn't attend school, said the same in regard to her work. However, all three agreed on the game's addicting nature and said it's potentially hazardous to someone trying to study or do homework.

A study done by Elizabeth A. Vandewater, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan, concluded that 36 percent of students play video games on a regular basis. The same study found that the students who played video games were less likely to complete homework assignments than those who didn't. On average the students would play video games anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour on weekdays, and almost double that on weekends.

Ward is not blind to the issue, and said she sometimes feels guilty for playing the game.

"I know there are other things that I could do that would be more beneficial to me, but I just like playing it," Ward said while trying desperately to stay alive. She ended the evening in last place.

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