It almost feels like time-traveling. A millennial Super Smash Bros. community gathers within the same physical space each week to battle against players sitting next to them, just as older generations did inside game centers before the internet’s arrival decades ago.
Students and community players gather from 8 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. to compete, using old-school equipment such as CRT, or cathode ray tube, televisions, which date back as early as the 1950s.
The Game Room hosted a Super Smash Bros. Competition as part of a 10-week tournament that started this semester.
Even though the game has been on the market for 20 years, its fans keep playing it with the same passion. Nintendo released Super Smash Bros. for the first time in 1999 for its famous console, the Nintendo 64.
The game features some of the most famous Nintendo characters of all time and allows them to fight against each other in some of Nintendo’s most popular settings, such as Hyrule Castle, made popular by The Legend of Zelda.
Because the game is so old and requires the utmost accuracy, players need a CRT TV to play the game properly. According to Luis Puesan, Sociology major and the event organizer, the equipment is fundamental for the event.
“The old TVs let the game play a little bit faster, compared to the HD TVs,” Puesan explained.
Puesan also works in the Advertising department at Student Government. He proposed the idea of holding a Super Smash competition for the first time on campus.
Due to the special technology that Super Smash Bros. needs, a community developed in front of the gamers eyes.
Joseph Espejo, Public Health major, said his favorite part about this game is playing around people.
“My favorite part about this game is how it brings people together,” said Espejo. “You can’t really play this game online.”
Another Public Health student agreed with Espejo’s perspective. Alex is a freshman and he has been playing and hanging out in the game room ever since he started at UNF.
“There’s so many people getting to know each other, playing together, laughing together and having fun together,” Alex added.
The final competition will happen during the last week of class, Wednesday April 26, from 8-11:00 pm, inside the student union, building 58 E.
The organizers will give out trophies and prizes to the champions during the ceremony.
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