In the final rounds of a tight match, freshmen Berlin Cura and Alec Arroyo maneuver past a fiery blaze, narrowly dodge an electric shock and fly over a powerful incoming punch. With quick coordination, they assume their positions on the stage before unleashing a devastating combination attack, launching both of their opponents off the map and concluding their Tuesday lunch in Room 219.
This is the smash-hit fighting game “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,” released in late 2018 for the Nintendo Switch, in which players pick from a playable roster of dozens of recognizable faces from the gaming world before battling it out until one player remains. This year, over seven years after the game’s launch, the company Lollipop Labs is collaborating with science teacher Kelly Lewis to organize a school tournament. Competitors and spectators meet in Lewis’ classroom every Tuesday and Wednesday to test their skills against their friends and play official matches in the hopes of winning prizes and advancing to championship matches against other South Bay high schools. According to Arroyo, the game’s simplistic nature makes it ideal for a competitive and casual setting alike.
“[Other] games have different classes of strength, speed, anything like that,” Arroyo said. “[Here,] it’s very broad. A lot of combinations are able to be at play, which makes it a more enjoyable experience.”
Lewis believes that a factor contributing to “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” being such a widely used game for competition is the quick, action-packed gameplay, forcing players to react fast and think quickly if they want to win each game.
“[There’s lots of] communication. You can try to isolate a person, or you set them up for a smash attack, or something like that,” Lewis said. “[The game is] very fast-paced, which is what I like about it.”
In addition to official games, the classroom is also the site of a host of unofficial friendly matches, creating an inclusive environment allowing students of all skill levels to have fun between tough classes.
“You’ve got all kinds of kids coming in here who play video games a lot on their own, or some kids that maybe don’t play too many video games, but they see people having fun and want to get into it,” Lewis said. “We’ve had students watching [the matches] who didn’t play video games before, [but] when the tournament game ends, they jump on and get to learn how to play as well.”
According to Arroyo, the tournament also creates a strong sense of connection between players and can help them find others who are also passionate about their interests.
“There’s many communities at Redondo, and this is just one great example of how as long as a community is strong enough, they can come together and enjoy something that’s beloved by [them all],” Arroyo said.
The tournament follows a two-on-two, best-out-of-three format, with three rounds per match. According to Arroyo and Cura, the tournament is far more organized than past tournaments held throughout middle school.
“[The tournament is] very informative on what you’re supposed to do. There’s never a day where you’re missing instruction,” Cura said.
After the winning team at Redondo is decided, they will go on to face three other high schools in a series of championship games to win the coveted title of the best high school players in the South Bay.
“We’re going to take our champions, and they’re playing in a tournament against El Segundo, Da Vinci, and Bishop Montgomery, to see who has the best team,” Lewis said. “The winner of that [tournament] can go on and continue playing additional tournaments as well. We’ll be raffling off different prizes, so everyone is encouraged to come and cheer us on.”
In the end, win or lose, Cura assures that meeting others in the dedicated gaming community is more than worth it.
“It kind of supports the cliche that no matter what you do, if you enjoy it, it won’t be a loss,” Cura said. “You’re just going to take away a greater [sense of] perseverance.”
