Many people see Nerf Wars as excitement and competition, but for the student organizing the game, it’s much more than that. Even though the event is nothing new to Buffalo, there is plenty of planning, organizing, and responsibility that goes into making sure everything runs smoothly. What looks like a simple event is a commitment that takes time, stress, and focus.
Behind all of the hard work of this year’s Nerf War, is Simon Blighton ‘26, who is holding everything together.
The responsibility of running the Nerf Wars starts days before the event starts.
“I took the rules from last year, and then posted them again to start,” said Blighton. “My girlfriend then made the spreadsheet with all the teams. Besides that, the biggest preparation was mentally with the amount of people who DM (direct message) me on Instagram with problems.” Even before the game started, Blighton was dealing with constant questions and issues, showing that the Nerf Wars are just as much about handling people as it is about organizing the event.
Alongside the constant preparation, there was a new level of pressure that most people didn’t see. One of his biggest concerns didn’t involve the event itself, but the worry of what could go wrong because of it.
“My biggest worry was that I’d get in trouble because someone else did something stupid,” said Blighton. Due to there being no official contracts, he felt responsible for situations that could happen out of his control. This added another layer of stress on top of organizing the event.
Despite all of the stress, responsibility, and pressure going on behind the scenes, the Nerf War still brings excitement to the school. While most students focus on the competition, Blighton sees everything that it takes to keep it running. Even now, as the game goes on, it shows how much work goes into something that may be seen as simple.
