WKU freshman brings ‘side quests’ to campus through social media

Izzy Lanuza, News reporter

WKU freshman Cash Turner wants to give students a quest – if they choose to accept it.

Turner runs the WKU Side Quests Instagram page, posting random “side quests” – small tasks that can be done around campus – for followers to complete in return for points.

“I thought it’d be a cool thing to do for people to kind of relax at college […] I’m just a freshman, but I’m already getting stressed,” Turner said.

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Some examples of quests already given are taking a selfie at the campus Chick-fil-A, finding a cool leaf and writing fanfiction about Big Red. Graduating college is the main quest, but Turner said the small challenges can lighten up the college experience. 

Followers of the account have been split up into teams of five, competing to collect as many points as possible before the end of the semester. The quests are multi-leveled – the harder the quest, the more points one can gain. A “Common” is worth 25 points and a “Big Red” is worth 500 points. 

At the end of the semester, the team with the most points will be crowned the winner and receive a prize.

“I’m going to make five shirts that have like, ‘WKU Side Quest, winner of season one,’” Turner said. 

Turner said 25 people are already competing.

“I hope that it expands and that more people want to be involved,” Turner said. “My goal is to get it bigger, to make it where people are telling me ideas for quests.”

These challenges are meant to help students out of their comfort zones and better familiarize them with the WKU campus. The quests are designed to be a casual experience.

“It’s nothing that you have to commit to [too] crazy, unless you’re trying to definitely win,” Turner said. “People that can casually play are going to be able to win just as easily as anybody else.” 

If students are interested in joining, they can fill out the Google form in the account’s bio.

News reporter Izzy Lanuza can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @izzylanuza.