This past Friday, November 20th, the Chinese Language Program held their first online game night. Over forty students and TAs from the program were in attendance, playing with nine instructors…most of who had previously never played online games before! There’s no better way to help students feel closer with their teachers than to see them backstab a fellow crewmate without mercy. This year’s Chinese Fun Night: Among Us event was a huge success!
The night’s layout: instructors and students in the middle of a game.
Despite the fact that everything was virtual, Chinese instructors, TAs, and students alike all banded together to create a wonderful sense of community. Everyone present was in high spirits, whether they were one of the players or a spectator. Even the chat-box was lively, as audience members tried to help their fellow students or instructors out, and joined in on trying to guess who the impostor was. Hearing both laughter and panicked screams made all the chronic Zoom-induced fatigue of the semester seem like a distant memory.
“ I never thought I’d be playing Among Us with my professor! I had fun interacting with fellow peers, witnessing betrayals, and discovering which professors were the most bloodthirsty impostors. The CLP is a very welcoming community both in and outside of the classroom!”
Lecturer Xinxin Wu, deciding who to vote for!
| Lecturer Anyi Lee with her game setup for the night. |  |
Games were held in Chinese, English, and even Cantonese, since many heritage students are also well-versed in the language — even Chinese instructors couldn’t keep up with the rapid-fire language changes throughout the games. Even with all the excitement, learning opportunities were more than plentiful. The vocabulary word of the night was 内鬼 (nei4 gui3, literally “inner ghost”, used to refer to the impostor).
“Imagine being killed by one of your fellow TAs in the first round of the game, and knowing that you guys are going to work closely in the coming months … surely that will give you some ideas about what to expect in this working environment! It was [also] a unique opportunity to explore a different side of your professor outside of lectures.”
The event was a great way for students to get closer with their instructors and TAs, especially after a full semester of only seeing them giving lectures through Zoom. All in all, the night was full of excitement and laughter! Stay tuned for the recap video coming shortly on the Chinese Language Program’s YouTube channel! Don’t miss any hilarious moments we had at the game night!