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| Evan Oberman and Yazeed Sobaih are organizing Saturday's Frag for Cancer. (Danny Abriel Photo) |
What鈥檚 鈥渇rag鈥�? The dictionary says it鈥檚 a noun or verb 鈥� 鈥渇rom Vietnam-era U.S. military slang via the games Doom and Quake鈥� 1. To kill another player's avatar in a multiuser game.鈥�
What鈥檚 鈥淔rag For Cancer鈥�? Well, it doesn鈥檛 have much to do with killing other player鈥檚 avatars. In fact, Frag For Cancer鈥攔un by Yazeed Sobaih, Evan Oberman and Andrew Ehler鈥攔aises money for the Canadian Cancer Society. It鈥檚 really more about saving lives.
Yazeed Sobaih, a third-year commerce student at Dalhousie, founded Frag For Cancer.
鈥淢y first year at Dal, in the summer of 2005, my dad was getting ill.鈥� On Yazeed鈥檚 18th birthday, his father was diagnosed with lung cancer. The next summer, Mr. Sobaih passed away and Yazeed began volunteering at the Canadian Cancer society.
He started out canvassing door to door and then proposed a video game tournament as a fundraiser and got the green light. His idea grew into Dalhousie鈥檚 鈥淔rag For Cancer.鈥� The third annual Frag For Cancer video game tournament is set for Saturday, October 11 in the McInnes Room in the Dal SUB.
Eighteen-year-old Evan Oberman, who is studying business management at Dal, likens the event to a combined concert and sports game. 鈥淚 used to play sports鈥� (but) there鈥檚 nothing like the rush of a good game of Counter Strike,鈥� says the former competitive gamer. He鈥檚 an ideal organizer and a technical wiz who built his first computer at 13. 鈥淚 met Yazeed at (a previous) Frag for Cancer. We鈥檙e both into gaming鈥� we decided we鈥檇 both work together on Frag for Cancer 3.鈥�
There鈥檚 a lot to work on. The tournament will feature multiple games鈥擠efence of the Ancients, Halo 3, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and the smash hit Rock Band鈥攁nd prizes donated by the likes of Alienware and EB Games.
It鈥檚 a spectator event as well. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to do Rock Band on stage, on a projector. Rock Band is one of those games that鈥檚 not only fun to play, but fun to watch.鈥�
This year鈥檚 event is much more ambitious than its predecessors. Yazeed hopes to raise about $3,000 this year, up from last year鈥檚 total of $545. 鈥淭his is a huge jump,鈥� says Yazeed. 鈥淏ut that gives us the sky鈥檚-the-limit challenge that we鈥檙e going for.鈥�
So what鈥檚 the best thing about Frag For Cancer? 鈥淭he whole aspect of planning an event for months, and then seeing it happen in front of me, you know what I mean?鈥� says Yazeed. 鈥淓verything you imagined, it clicks all together. That鈥檚 pretty good satisfaction, there.鈥�
Evan is adamant that the event will be satisfying for participants too. 鈥淢ost charity events, I find, are just 鈥極K, come, donate, and leave,鈥欌�� he says. 鈥淏ut aside from being a charity event, (Frag For Cancer) is a fun event people are going to take something out of. Aside from the prizes 鈥� 鈥渁nd there are plenty 鈥� 鈥淚 met a lot of people last year鈥� it鈥檚 a great way to meet other gamers, and we get involved supporting a good cause.鈥�