“The best kind of chaotic, we all love the games we play and get insanely hyped,” is how Morgan Whitelaw from the Super Smash Club describes the Smash tournaments. Lobofest along with the Smash Brothers Club will host a Smash tournament online this Friday, Feb. 5. All students are welcome and encouraged to register to play against each other online allowing students to engage with each other in a time where playing together in person is not possible. 

The tournament is set to take place Feb 5, from 5p.m. to 6p.m. Registration is free and open to all Sonoma State University students and those who wish to join will be able to register as late as 4 p.m. on the day of the tournament. The tournament will be played on the Nintendo Switch platform and the link to register can be found on the SSU Esports Twitter and Instagram pages and in the Seawolf Calendar. This will be the first of many Smash tournaments with more to come throughout the semester. 

These events are made by students for students. According to Sonoma State esports member Paris Osuch, “This is purely student run by the Sonoma State Super Smash Club, along with sponsorship from Director of Student Involvement Mo Philips to fund the prizes.” This club of competitive gamers are intensely passionate about the games they play and want to share that with other students by creating fun events with a nice enticement of prize money.  

Prizes for this event will be awarded to the top three players with first place award being $250 Wolfbucks, second place award is $100 Wolfbucks and third place award is $50 Wolfbucks. Prizes are sponsored through Student Involvement, “the Wolfbucks can be used this semester, mostly through the bookstore, or when in person campus resumes, they can use the Wolfbucks at the box office, for trips, concerts, bookstore and food venues.” Stated by Director of Student Involvement Mo Philips.

With the current Covid-19 restrictions and classes being online it has been hard for students to connect and create community with one another. The Super Smash Club and Sonoma State esports have been trying to garner more participants to create the same type of community they once had in person. 

In the past, esports tournaments that were held on campus had a larger turnout for entries since most players would see advertisements around campus, since moving to remote learning students aren’t getting as much of an opportunity to learn about these types of events. “We don’t have lobovision, screens in the student center, banners, posters, signs in the ground, flyering the plaza etc. anymore to promote events.” Stated Philips. 

While the event is no longer in person, previously held in the university’s Student Center, the online format encourages SSU students to connect and meet other students who love the games they play in a tournament style competition. Many of the e-sport teams play at the collegiate level against other colleges. Tournaments like these helps bring gaming students together, “These tournaments showed us there was a huge demand for a gaming centered community on campus,” stated by Morgan Whitelaw.

Sonoma State E-sports has an Instagram and Twitter account where you can find links to the registration site for the tournament, upcoming events and a Discord for student gamers to connect with each other. Students and perspective participants can register at https://smash.gg/tournament/glitched-ssu-super-smash-bros-ultimate-tournament/register.