By Ashley Jackson

Although UK bans firearms on campus, students will be using virtual ones today in the “Call of Duty 4” tournament at the Cats Den in the Student Center.

The tournament will be held at 7 p.m., but Carlos Zavala, Cats Den special events coordinator, said students should show up around 6:30 p.m. to register. Admission is free and prizes will be given to the winning player.

“Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare,” a video game released in November of 2007, has become extremely popular because of its real-life cinematic graphics and story plot, Zavala said.

“It has a lot of action, so it’s kind of like watching a movie like ‘Black Hawk Down,’ ” Zavala said.

Zavala said the game was chosen for the tournament because it is “fresh and new,” and because a lot of people on campus have been requesting a “Call of Duty 4” tournament.

Biosystems and agricultural engineering freshman Eric Schmidt plays the game quite often.

“It’s really addicting because of the level system,” Schmidt said. “The more you play, the harder it is to stop because with each level, you get more weapons.”

The game is different from other video games, Zavala said, because gamers are given a chance to defeat each other with “modernized fire power.”

He said the game is also more strategic than others, and features newer techniques and better graphics.

Even students who do not play video games would still have a good time at the tournament because “it’s even fun to just watch,” Zavala said.

Psychology freshman Kerry Benson plans to bring his A-game to the tournament.

“Nobody has a chance against me,” Benson said.

Zavala said even inexperienced gamers should come out to play.

“A lot of people are discouraged to come out because they don’t think they’re good enough, but what I tell them is that you have to get better somehow,” Zavala said. “The only way to get better is to play the best.”