I see it from two perspectives: 1. People who want to build cool shit with friends 2. People who want to stat pad and build cool shit with friends Honestly, coming into a hackathon ready to the change the world is a rare mindset. However, as you pointed out, it should be a chance to showcase yourself. Build cool shit, but at the same time something that is hard af. A good saying is that doing what you’ve always done will get you what you’ve always gotten. Unfortunately, many students might not like the path least taken. Hence, the garbage that usually wins these events.