MUSA Wars 2026, a yearly spectacle where all collective departments within the student body unite for competitive camaraderie, and amidst the heat, rise victors who claim discounted feasts via Grab rewards. This year was no different than the previous years, as excitement buzzed in the room where participants gathered. The constant chatter provides a true sense of the MUSA community like bees in a beehive, and if this is only ~80 of us , I was left wondering what kind of community we can all foster for the end of the year.
The energy surged right from the start with ‘Sell Your Item,’ a hilarious improvisational challenge. Chosen by the MCs, three participants had to ‘sell’ an unknown object to the crowd by fielding random questions from the floor. To solve the mystery, they were given three chances to interrogate the audience for clues, culminating in a tense multiple-choice reveal to see if their salesmanship matched reality.
The momentum continued with ‘Know or Go,’ a segment designed to ensure no department stayed in their comfort zone for long. Participants drifted through the crowd until the music cut out, at which point the emcees would shout out a specific ‘recipe’ for a group—mixing ages, genders, and majors in a frantic social scramble. It was the perfect catalyst for genuine connection, offering all the adrenaline of a certain K-drama but with 100% fewer armed pink guards and far more laughter.
After this, the event was expanded beyond the room, there are now multiple station games for players to go in each one of them. ’Know or Go’ conveniently served as a randomiser for group formations, with the last prompt given to solidify groups. There were 4 station games, namely Relay Cup Stack, Heart Attack, Memory Curtain and Chaos Sequence. Each of these games tests contestants’ memory and physical abilities.
In each one of these, the victor will earn coins according to the games they win, but wait, there’s something else! While they’re all playing their station games, each team has a specific side quest they had to do to earn extra points. I witnessed a whole team searching for a sticky note in a classroom when it was hilariously clinging off a wall, followed by two people fighting over a broom outside the room.
The events now then took a rowdy turn, as a huge slot machine was unveiled, powered by cardboard and three people with a bag of fruits, this was everyone’s opportunity to go all in with their points! The stakes were at an all time high as teams decided to put their competitive edge or the vibes on the line, and the slot machine did not disappoint with frequent jackpots. Emotions ran high and the atmosphere grew volatile with every spin, as one group’s triumph frequently became the catalyst for another’s resentment, bringing the energy from Genting to Monash.
After a quick dinner, where pizza was provided to the contestants, we are now at the last leg of the games: a mix of trivia questions and guessing which masked person is the actual person. The winner of each question got to throw bullets at a target face and earn points. It was everyone’s one last chance to fight for the top.
As the final cheers faded and the champions were crowned, it was clear that MUSA Wars 2026 had achieved more than just a leaderboard; it had transformed eighty individual participants into a single, rowdy, and resilient collective, setting a vibrant tone for everything the community will build together in the months to come.
Photos by Kristine C., Xuning Y.
musamonga.com 