With work schedules, internships and vacation plans, summer breaks in college aren’t always the most restful. Still, if you find yourself bored and with some free time, it can be a great opportunity to find new hobbies or activities to participate in.
If you’ve ever enjoyed playing Super Smash Bros., Nintendo’s crossover platform fighter video game, it may be worth exploring Connecticut’s active competitive tournament scene this summer. Yes, it’s true: the game built on characters like Mario and Pikachu battling to the end has a pretty devoted community, including in Connecticut.
The game most widely competed in is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the most recent entry to the series, first released on the Nintendo Switch in late 2018. But there are regular tournaments for Super Smash Bros. Melee as well, which was released on GameCube in 2001. The older game features a much smaller roster and controls that are more difficult but rewarding to master.
Most tournaments require some kind of venue fee and a tournament entry that contributes to a prize pool. Entered players then compete in a bracket, typically in a double-elimination format with a loser’s bracket. However, smaller events may opt for round robin brackets instead, where each player gets to play against everyone else in the tournament. Most brackets are hosted on a website called start.gg, which requires making a free account before registering for events.
To minimize random mechanics in a competitive environment, most tournaments have a definitive ruleset that bans items and limits stages to a select few that’s most fit for fair competition. However, some tournaments may run additional brackets with lower stakes and more liberal rulesets.
If you do choose to enter a Super Smash Bros. tournament this summer, be prepared! You will likely be expected to bring your own controller, though some venues may have extras to borrow.
Tournaments can be a fun way to spend a few hours with friends, or you can choose to enter an event yourself and meet new people. At weekly events, there is usually time before and after the bracket to play on the setups, so your playing experience isn’t limited to the tournament competition itself.
If any of this sounds interesting to you, here’s a brief overview of the main weekly and monthly tournaments that’ll be hosted in Connecticut over the summer break.
Hall of Gaming (Wallingford)
Hall of Gaming is a video game space at 150 Center St. in Wallingford. It runs tournaments for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Mondays and for Super Smash Bros. Melee on Thursdays, with both brackets starting at 7:30 p.m. It’s the largest weekly tournament series in the state when it comes to entrants, and if you get knocked out early, you have the ability to join a “redemption bracket” to get more tournament matches in.
Hall of Gaming also runs tournaments for other fighting games on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, including games like Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8 and more. Because of this, the venue is open on Mondays to Fridays, from 6 p.m. to midnight.
You can find more information about Hall of Gaming on its website.
East Side Games (New London)
East Side Games hosts singles and doubles (where two teams of two players compete) for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments on Thursdays. Doors for the event open at 5 p.m. and brackets start at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m.
This Thursday, April 30, will mark its first tournament with its new location at Sarge’s Comics and Games in New London, located at 124 State St. The series went on a temporary hiatus after its prior venue, the Crystal Mall in New London, closed down.
More information about East Side Games can be found on its Facebook page.
Reboot (Norwalk)
Reboot hosts singles and doubles brackets for Super Smash Bros. every Thursday in Norwalk at 165 Water St. Doors for the event open at 6 p.m. and the singles bracket starts at 7 p.m.
More information about Reboot tournaments can be found on its weekly start.gg pages.
The Pink Flamingo (Brookfield)
The Pink Flamingo is a newer tournament at 499 Federal Road in Brookfield that runs weekly “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” singles and doubles tournaments on Saturdays. The event has a check-in at 6 p.m. and the tournament begins at 7 p.m.
More information about The Pink Flamingo can be found in its Discord server.
Smash & Sip (Southington)
Smash & Sip is a monthly event held by Gamer’s Guild at Factory Square in Southington, located at 168 Center St. The event is typically held toward the end of each month and features a singles bracket for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The venue opens at 1 p.m. and the bracket starts around 2:30 p.m.
More information about Smash & Sip can be found on its Facebook page.
Alongside these tournaments, there are plenty of others in New York, Massachusetts and the rest of New England that aren’t too far from certain spots in Connecticut. If you’re interested in getting more involved in the scene, a lot of communication about tournaments is done through Discord servers, which can be found online.