High school and college students can test their video-gaming skills on Nov. 14 and 15 in the Cotillion Ballroom of the Bollinger Memorial Student Union at Game Day 2008. The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science created the new two-day event, which is sponsored by Dell Computers, Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Garage Games and Apress. Three-player teams will compete for prizes by playing some of today’s most popular video games on Windows-based computers, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. Winners will receive awards, such as video games and books, donated by the sponsors.

Each participant will play games recommended by students. Players on computers will play Call of Duty. Microsoft Xbox gamers will play Madden NFL 08 and a game from the Halo trilogy. Wii competitors will play Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

Teams will compete until one winning team is chosen. The winning team members will face off to find one Game Day 2008 champion.

“The event is to help publicize the computer science department,” Kent White, Game Day coordinator and associate professor of computer science, said. “We are starting to move more towards computer gaming and this is a way to get students involved.”

The Nov. 14 contest, which will take place from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., is exclusively open to Nicholls students. The registration fee is $15 per player. Students who have not registered can do so at the door, starting at 2 p.m.

The Nov. 15 tournament, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., is open to anyone ages 13 to 18. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and costs $25 per player, including lunch. Both days’ registration fees include a T-shirt.

Students who wish to register ahead of time can do so online at www.math.nicholls.edu/cmps/gameday.ast. Forty students have already signed up to participate each day.

“I think it would just be a good opportunity,” White said. “It’s a chance for area high school and college students to come have fun and learn more about the computer science program.