It All Started With a Shirt
Text: Colin Ng
Jolene Lai said, in between laughs, that she initially signed up as the team manager of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Inter-Faculty Games reversi team in 2012 because she wanted to get a green FASS jersey.
Participants of the annual Inter-Faculty Games, commonly known as IFG by NUS students, have traditionally received an IFG jersey as a token of their participation.
While she initially thought reversi was a relaxing game, she soon developed a keen interest in the game.
In fact, the fourth-year sociology undergraduate eventually chose to return for a second consecutive term as team manager for the reversi team this year.
Lai said the team’s potential, after their third place finish in 2012, was what influenced her decision to sign up once again.
“And it was not because I wanted another jersey,” Lai said with a grin.
Lai even considered joining the school’s Intellectual Games club after her experience at the 2012 tournament. She said, “The atmosphere was so intense and I can still remember the adrenaline I felt."
The two-player game, which is also known as Othello, involves players taking turns to place black and white reversible discs onto a 8x8 board. The player who manages to turn all of their opponent’s pieces to the same colour as theirs wins the game.
The way the players seemed to be concentrating made Lai realise that it was not just fun and games. “They were all so serious and the whole room was full of smart people creating this intense mental aura,” she said.
Despite having rubbed shoulders with the faculty’s best, Lai knows her skills are far from adequate to make the competition squad. She said, “Casual players think it is so simple, but there are so many skills and strategies involved.”
In fact, Lai said that her lack of interest meant she did not even know reversi was an IFG sport in her freshman year. “If I was not the team manager, I probably would not care about reversi at all,” she said.
Psychology undergraduate Teo Munching, who spent six months with Lai on exchange in Poland, was one who noticed Lai’s increased interest in the game . “Not only did she download reversi on her phone, she also read guides and played online matches,” Teo said.
Nevertheless, Lai said she knows her interest is not shared by members of the faculty, despite the team’s recent success. “Reversi will always struggle to command the same prestige as traditional sports, such as football,” she said.
Citing image as the main problem, she said that she believes the game and its participants will always be seen as nerdy or uncool. “There is this stereotype, where if you’re not sporty, you would aim for these mind games,” she said.
Such views were also echoed by her peers, with many describing reversi as a past time or hobby rather than a sport.
Former FASS IFG frisbee player Vincent Wang is one such individual. “How can you call it a sport when all you do is move your fingers?” Wang asked.
Despite the criticism, Lai thinks reversi is one of the IFG’s most popular sports because many sign up thinking it’s the easiest way to obtain the highly coveted IFG shirt.
“Even then, the prestige evaporates when others hear you are a reversi player,” Lai said, alluding to the image of the game.
Former FASS IFG reversi players, such as communications and new media major Sua Wanxin, have also said that the lure of the IFG shirt heavily influenced their decision to sign up.
“I admit that I joined reversi partly to get the shirt,” Sua said.
Nevertheless, despite her efforts to promote reversi to her friends, Lai admitted it will never be her favourite board game.
“I just wished they offered checkers at IFG level,” she said. “I would pick checkers over reversi any day.”
Tags: profile
Jolene Lai said, in between laughs, that she initially signed up as the team manager of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Inter-Faculty Games reversi team in 2012 because she wanted to get a green FASS jersey.
Participants of the annual Inter-Faculty Games, commonly known as IFG by NUS students, have traditionally received an IFG jersey as a token of their participation.
While she initially thought reversi was a relaxing game, she soon developed a keen interest in the game.
In fact, the fourth-year sociology undergraduate eventually chose to return for a second consecutive term as team manager for the reversi team this year.
Lai said the team’s potential, after their third place finish in 2012, was what influenced her decision to sign up once again.
“And it was not because I wanted another jersey,” Lai said with a grin.
Lai even considered joining the school’s Intellectual Games club after her experience at the 2012 tournament. She said, “The atmosphere was so intense and I can still remember the adrenaline I felt."
The two-player game, which is also known as Othello, involves players taking turns to place black and white reversible discs onto a 8x8 board. The player who manages to turn all of their opponent’s pieces to the same colour as theirs wins the game.
The way the players seemed to be concentrating made Lai realise that it was not just fun and games. “They were all so serious and the whole room was full of smart people creating this intense mental aura,” she said.
Despite having rubbed shoulders with the faculty’s best, Lai knows her skills are far from adequate to make the competition squad. She said, “Casual players think it is so simple, but there are so many skills and strategies involved.”
In fact, Lai said that her lack of interest meant she did not even know reversi was an IFG sport in her freshman year. “If I was not the team manager, I probably would not care about reversi at all,” she said.
Psychology undergraduate Teo Munching, who spent six months with Lai on exchange in Poland, was one who noticed Lai’s increased interest in the game . “Not only did she download reversi on her phone, she also read guides and played online matches,” Teo said.
Nevertheless, Lai said she knows her interest is not shared by members of the faculty, despite the team’s recent success. “Reversi will always struggle to command the same prestige as traditional sports, such as football,” she said.
Citing image as the main problem, she said that she believes the game and its participants will always be seen as nerdy or uncool. “There is this stereotype, where if you’re not sporty, you would aim for these mind games,” she said.
Such views were also echoed by her peers, with many describing reversi as a past time or hobby rather than a sport.
Former FASS IFG frisbee player Vincent Wang is one such individual. “How can you call it a sport when all you do is move your fingers?” Wang asked.
Despite the criticism, Lai thinks reversi is one of the IFG’s most popular sports because many sign up thinking it’s the easiest way to obtain the highly coveted IFG shirt.
“Even then, the prestige evaporates when others hear you are a reversi player,” Lai said, alluding to the image of the game.
Former FASS IFG reversi players, such as communications and new media major Sua Wanxin, have also said that the lure of the IFG shirt heavily influenced their decision to sign up.
“I admit that I joined reversi partly to get the shirt,” Sua said.
Nevertheless, despite her efforts to promote reversi to her friends, Lai admitted it will never be her favourite board game.
“I just wished they offered checkers at IFG level,” she said. “I would pick checkers over reversi any day.”
Tags: profile