Students were preparing to attack, dodge, and dash in an attempt to be crowned winner at the virtual gaming tournament however, Seawolves were disappointed to find out the event had been canceled.
The event scheduled was a part of the virtual events Associated Student Productions (ASP) has been hosting this semester. ASP Event Director, Tim Wilbur, chose this event due to its popularity on campus.
Wilbur said, “This event is a virtual video game tournament with Super Smash Bros Ultimate being the game! The tournament is organized through Discord and streamed live on Twitch with a commentator.”
The popular gaming event normally is held with ecstatic students patiently waiting to see who’d take the glory in Ballroom D at the Student Center however, this semester ASP attempted to make the transition to the online platform Twitch. Seawolves were encouraged to play in the tournament or simply spectate on a streaming device. The tournament was supposed to be held Sept. 4 but has been postponed without a set date. Wilbur wanted to give all students a chance to participate in this event, but because of wifi issues at Sonoma State, students who lived on campus weren’t able to access the stream, forcing the event to be put on pause.
Wilbur said there were, “…issues with wifi on campus and we want all students able to play so we have decided to postpone the tournament for now.”
With no information of when internet issues would be resolved a rescheduled date has not been set. ASP was using this event to start a series of video game tournaments that would be held the first Friday of every month for the remainder of the fall semester. When asked about his hopes for these events, Wilbur said, “My hopes for this event is to give SSU students a break from classes and have some fun! My other hope is to connect students and create a community for any of the video game enthusiasts on campus.”
Seawolves were anticipating the event because of the fun spirited competition and familiarity it brought. The postponement of the event definitely impacted some Seawolves. Nicole Taketa, a junior at SSU said she, “…always enjoyed video games like Smash so I was excited to see that ASP was putting on this event!” and “was really looking forward to the event because I think it’s another good way to bring students together and share common interests.”
Ricardo Sevilla, a student who planned to play in the event, expressed his disappointment when interviewed by saying he “…wanted to participate in the event because I wanted to interact with other people within the Super Smash Bros. community.” and show off his Super Smash Bros. skills through the competitive nature of the game.
Even though the tournament’s postponement has no set date, Tim Wilbur still plans to have this event for students at SSU so they can connect, compete, and take a break from school work. Updates for these events can be found on Seawolf Living under virtual events and through ASP’s instagram @ssu_as. Some events that Seawolves can look forward to include “Spillin’ the Tea with Sakaki” on Sept. 9 where Sonoma State’s President, Judy Sakaki will be answering student’s questions and having conversations. SSU’s Movies on the Green have also moved online and students are invited to watch Netflix movies and connect with other movie buffs.
