It seems unimaginable that Kirby, Mario and Ganondorf, all characters who stretch across the Nintendo game universe, meet in a land of virtual combat. This seemingly unreal scenario is the very real world of the Nintendo video game, Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros., a video game that incorporates characters from across the Nintendo gaming universe, is a favorite among gamers. The game revolves around individual players battling it out against each other on a wide range of game consoles. Players can play both locally or online, and often compete against other players in tournaments.
With the game being so popular, it garnered enough support in the creation of its own club early last year. The club is headed by President Joseph Davies, a senior, as well as Vice President Ryan Kim, a sophomore. The club boasts around 15 members nearly double last year, and welcomes any gamers interested in joining to come and play. “Anyone can come in whenever they want,” Davies said.
The club meets after school in room 273 every Tuesday, and lasts from 2:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m..
During their weekly meetings, the members compete with one another as well as teach the newcomers the numerous aspects of the game. “We teach our club members new techniques in the game to sharpen their skills,” Davies said.
Aside from teaching newcomers, the club aims to encourage the competitive side of the game. At the start of every meeting, a bracket style tournament is set up, with each player using a name of their choice. A bracket style tournament is a form of double elimination, with a losers and winners side where players compete against one another. The players in these brackets are knocked into the loser side of the tournament if they are defeated.
If a player loses on that side, they are eliminated from the tournament. However, if the player manages to win their way out of the loser side, they continue to the “grand finals” stage of the tournament. In this level, the winners from both sides come and compete against one another. If the player from the losers side wins the first set, generally a best three out of five, then they do something called “resetting the bracket,” which means that the player from the winners side is brought down to the losers. And if the person wins again, they win grand finals.
Tournaments are a favorite among the members of the club in more ways than one. Club member Esteban Ortiz-Morales said he enjoys “seeing how far you get and watching other experienced players.”
Though the competitive aspect of Super Smash Bros. is one of the major focuses of the club, it also allows players to play in both tournaments and friendly matches.
It emphasizes creating an environment that allows its members to sharpen their skills and get more involved in the game.
“The club is all about teaching people how to play Super Smash Brothers Melee,” Kim said.
The game has a worldwide following that is leaking through the walls of the school to gain a huge following here. The Tuesday meetings, which are heavily attended by like-minded people, are blatant evidence of that.

Michael Kobayashi
staff writer