You’ve Heard of Squid Game, Now Get Ready for Sotong Games!
After 2 years of pandemic uncertainty, anticipation and longing, INTER-HOUSE EVENT (IHE) IS BACK WITH A SENSATIONAL TWIST! On the 3rd of January 2022, NUS Pharmaceutical Society (NUSPS)’s 5th Inter-House Event, Sotong Games unfolded in the classrooms of Block S16 from 2 – 6 pm, sending waves of thrill and adrenaline towards the entire Faculty of Science. The 5 Houses of NUSPS, Fleming, Galen, Pasteur, Procter and Scheele, competed in a myriad of Squid Game-themed stations to score points for their House in hopes to emerge as the winning House. The event was planned with the aim to ignite House spirit amongst House members, foster a sense of belonging amongst Houses, and provide an avenue for unwinding and relaxation amongst NUS Pharmacy students before the new Semester starts!
With the easing of NUS safe management measures, Sotong Games marked a resurgence in physical Inter-House Events after 2 years of inevitable virtual events. We hoped that it served as a breath of fresh air to all NUS Pharmacy students who had been yearning for a physical event after countless Zoom lectures. Alluding to the ever-popular Netflix show “Squid Game”, the event featured various games that were inspired by the macabre games that placed the main characters in disquieting life-and-death situations in the show itself, including Ddakji, Red Light Green Light, Marbles, and Glass Bridge. Additionally, we set up other stations such as UNO or Draw 25 which alluded to the popular meme, and a multitude of Virtual Challenges that the House members could post on social media. Although no participants were harmed throughout the duration of the event, fortunately, we were happy to see that the games generated enough thrill for the Houses!
A/Prof Doreen Tan playing a game of ddakji with House Scheele
We were very pleased to see that our participants had thoroughly enjoyed the activities, even going as far as to fervently repeat the activities to score additional points for their House! Sotong Games definitely generated many highlights, and we could feel the palpable energy at the Ddakji station as participants channelled all of their strength into throwing down their ddakjis on the ground to flip the other player’s ddakji. The room was also filled with laughter as participants dared each other to perform tough challenges while UNO player was desperate to clear all of the cards in his hand. In another venue, participants were sneakily trying to steal each other’s marbles with a game of their choice, racking their brains to bluff and trick one another, and the same happened for Glass Bridge where participants used their given power ups to eliminate their opponents off the bridge! Finally, we could not forget the utter shock on our facilitators’ faces as House Galen managed to discover a handy trick in Red Light Green Light, which undeniably led them to scoring for their House!
House Procter in the midst of the Red Light Green Light game
Happy faces of House Galen as they got a good score in the Glass Bridge game
Sotong Games then ended on a good note with a photo-taking session as a memento for the participants, followed by a prize ceremony to announce the Top Performing Individuals of each House, as well as the much-anticipated title of the Winning House. Though the competition was fierce and at times too close to call, House Scheele emerged as the victors in a well-deserved win! Nonetheless, we would like to congratulate all of the Houses for outdoing themselves for the competition! We would also like to thank A/Prof Ho Han Kiat, Dr Leroy Koh, A/Prof Doreen Tan, Dr Chng Hui Ting and her daughter for graciously participating in our event despite their busy work schedules and break from the semester.
We hope that our Inter-House Event could serve as an irreplaceable memory for the Houses. More importantly, we hope that the sense of identity and cohesion amongst the Houses could be further rooted and cemented through our event. We would also like to thank the AY 2021/2022 House Committees and the Welfare Committee for their utmost enthusiasm and proactivity in aiding us to plan, test and execute the event smoothly. Without all of them, Sotong Games would not be as engaging as it had been, and we are sincerely indebted to all of their efforts!
Do look forward to our next Inter-House League, coming to you in Summer 2022!
Congratulations to House Scheele for emerging as the Winning House!
Article by Pearl Koswara (Class of ‘24)
Share this article:
Stay connected with NUS Pharmacy!
Receive PharmConnect Newsletter & announcements by NUS Pharmacy.