Game night just got a Marshall makeover thanks to a collaboration with Codenames to create a Herd-themed set, one marketing leader said.  

Dave Traube, the chief marketing and communications officer at Marshall, said the game was born with the intention of uniting its players. 

“Codenames, since its creation, has been one of the most popular party games in the sense more than four people can play,” Traube said. “Thinking through what it represents, which is a game that builds community, we thought this could be perfect for what we want to do.”

The Marshall University game will be the first officially licensed collaboration — in terms of a higher education institution — Czech Games Edition, the company behind Codenames, has ever done. 

While CGE has released a variety of officially licensed games in the past, this year, the company will produce just two special editions, including a Harry Potter set and Marshall’s very own version, he said.

As for who can get their hands on the game, Traube said via a collaboration with the Office of Student Affairs the games will be distributed to students from 11-2 Tuesday, Sept. 2, and Wednesday, Sept. 3, at the Memorial Student Center. 

“The folks from CGE will be there passing some out as well,” he said. “We do have a limited number, but RAs, the dorms, student organizations and high traffic places will have them, so a lot of people could have the opportunity to play it.”

In terms of the Marshall theme, the game will include bits of classic university branding as well as 20 unique cards featuring Marshall and Huntington. 

The iconic nature of the game’s content for those who frequent campus will foster a natural bond between players, Traube said. 

“It’s the little moments that happen when you’re at college that are really special, and we hope that this leads to some of those,” he said. “These relationships have to start somewhere, so to us, it’s just a potential launchpad for people to come together and share some time.”

In addition to the community aspect, Traube said the game will be limited edition, boosting its appeal. 

“It will be a fun thing to have because there’s not millions of them,” he said. “It’s going to be a limited run, so it’s almost a collector’s item.” 

Above all, Traube said the minds behind the game appreciate the balance between playfulness and purpose. 

“It’s really cool when something’s fun, but then it has a deeper meaning to it,” he said. “The deeper meaning here is that we really do care about each other and the relationships we build here, which makes it a cool endeavor to me.”

With the game in hand, students can create their own Marshall moments, one move at a time. 

Kaitlyn Fleming can be contacted at [email protected].