Cardiff Uni’s Nerd Varsity is back and here’s what that means

Cardiff’s Nerd Varsity has just begun, which means three weeks of all the nerdiest battles you could think of.

The Nerd Varsity has kicked off its 2023 round of competitions, from the 20th February to 12th March. The tournament includes a range of geeky competitions, ranging from lightsaber battles to board games.

Nerd Varsity is made up of seven of the nerdiest societies who, each day, can win a number of points for their team. At the end of these gruelling three weeks, the points will be totalled, and the “Ultimate Champions” will be revealed. The societies taking part include the Anime Society, Film Society, Gaming Society, Sci-Fi Society, CRITS, MUN Society, and the Harry Potter Society.

Nerd Varsity is for all self-proclaimed geeks, so if you think you have what it takes to test yourself against Cardiff’s nerdiest societies, then join in as a challenger team to take them on.

The games kicked off with the dubbing competition, followed by the film competition which both run over the course of the tournament. Tomorrow’s next competition, miniature painting, involves choosing from a range of fantasy or sci-fi miniatures and painting your chosen one. There will be multiple awards including best painted overall, best non-metallic metal use, best rookie painter and most unique style.

There’s an array of more exciting upcoming events including the Smash Bros Ultimate Tournament on the 24th from 5:30-11pm, a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Tournament on the 3rd March from 3-11pm and don’t forget about the Potion making Competition on the 6th from 5-11pm.

The Cardiff Tab spoke to the Anime Society, who have been reigning champions for two years running, after securing wins in 2021 and 2022. They said: “We are really looking forward to participating, having fun and going for the threepeat”. This year they’re holding the dubbing competition, where participants voice over clips of anime.

Currently in the lead are the Sci-fi Society with 16 points, followed closely by the Gaming Society with 14 points and in third is CRITS with 12 points.

Tickets are available to purchase on the Cardiff Students’ Union website alongside information about event timings and a scoreboard. Tickets are priced at £5, or £4.20 for members.

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