Game Players To Game Changers

We often find ourselves fondly recollecting disjointed and fragmented memories of our childhood. We rerun anecdotes and life lessons, from what seems to be an eternity ago, for our acquaintances to hear. We rewind time through pictures and videos and cry, laugh, and get thoroughly absorbed by nostalgia. The memories closest to our hearts don’t include classroom lectures or the grades we had scored, but the times we had bunked school to play in the game room. Hours of strategizing over which chessman to move to ensure a definite “checkmate” against the best friend who herself was engrossed in making devious plans, were some of the best times I had spent in school. Before we could understand the rules of chess, all of us tried our luck in escaping long snakes and finding longer ladders. Who can forget playing ludo with cousins in every family gathering? We had all considered becoming businessmen/women when we won Monopoly for the first time. All these memories formed the better part of our childhoods and we certainly felt a pang of sadness when we realized we would not find time to waste in play once we decided to join a management institute.

But to our surprise, when we joined XUB, we were encouraged to participate in competitions that required agile planning and acute strategizing. Our brains were put to test in every step with business simulations and real-life case studies. We felt reconnected to our childhood through fierce competitions where the stakes were high. Through these competitions, we’ve been exposed to managerial problems from around the country and the excitement is always higher in comparison to any board game we ever played or any competition we had ever faced. We started competing with the best minds in the country, hailing from top managerial institutes. We spent sleepless nights every day after a business simulation or case study is released.

After a long, tiring day of endless presentations, assignments, and committee work, there is no place for mental exhaustion or sleep. Instead, people team up at libraries or common halls to find that one feasible, ideal solution to crack a prestigious competition. Caffeine and noodles sell like hot cakes as people pull all-nighters to make the perfect two-slider. Seniors and juniors alike face mental pressure coupled with an adrenaline rush as pieces fall into place and the case studies that once seemed foreign finally begin to make sense. Excitement soars high when teams from our campus proceed to the next round.

The beginning of Xamboree, the biggest annual cultural-management fest of Eastern India, is marked with our very own gaming events that the students create, working night and day. The gaming committees of Xamboree – Chakravyuh, Gladiator, and Skill City offer various opportunities to test one’s analytical and strategizing skills.

Chakravyuh is an accurate business simulation that provides participants a platform to resolve various problems through case studies. Gladiator measures the participants’ managerial abilities.  Skill City puts to test an individual’s ability to create business plans and solve marketing issues. It does not come to an end with this, as the business events now come into actions. Case-In-Point (by XIMAHR - The HR Association of XAHR) is a competition where budding managers compete with each other on presentation skills, analytics, comprehension, and research. In Urbrainiac (by HabituX - The Student Association of XAHS), one presents a business model that brings an economically viable idea for the investors to solve problems in a city. Proact (by XIMAHR and HabituX) presents a strategic case competition filled with puzzles and quizzes. Spardha (by RMAX - Rural Managers’ Association of XSRM) is a social business plan competition where one makes plans beneficial for the community. Ascend (by InfinX - Association of Masters of Business Finance) is a research-based competition wherein participants are expected to identify the most suitable asset, subject to the constraints provided. Business Buzz (by ConXerv - Committee for Sustainability of XSOS) tests the decision-making acumen of future managers in providing innovative solutions to problems plaguing modern society.

These events are a treasure trove of learning and experience that offer a platform for students to test their abilities and compete with each other to better themselves.