When the Porter Public Library announces a new Super Smash Bros. tournament a few months in advance, it provides hype and anticipation for everyone hoping to participate in it. Players train, the library waits, and everybody prepares for the day the much-respected Smash Bros. tournament takes place. The Smash Bros. tournaments have an interesting history, clever organizers, and tips from top players that would make you want to train every day and gain glory as the ultimate smasher.

History of the tournaments

Video game tournaments at the Porter Public Library started with the library working with famous video game retailer GameStop to host Mario Kart Wii tournaments. These would always take place annually. However, in the summer of 2014, the library decided to host a Super Smash Bros. for Wii U tournament due to the game’s rising popularity.

It happened in July, in close proximity to the summer Mario Kart Wii tournament, which happened in June. As fate settled in, the Smash Bros. tournaments became so popular that the library started to host them not only during the summer, but also during school months such as November and March.

Unfortunately, the Mario Kart Wii tournaments gradually decreased in popularity to the point the library stopped hosting them altogether. Consequently, Super Smash Bros for Wii U became the library’s killer app.

Additionally, not only did the library change video games for tournaments, but also the company that would provide the help the library host the tournaments. Samantha Kretschmer, the Young Adult Librarian, provides more details on the switch from electronics-retailer GameStop to Cleveland-based entertainment company Games Done Legit.

      –Games Done Legit logo

The library switched service providers in early 2016 due to reasons relating to how many extra activities are provided during the tournaments. When Kretschmer is asked about more specific reasons for why the library made the switch, she states, “Well, GameStop just didn’t really provide that much stuff for the tournaments. Games Done Legit was just more plentiful and reliable than them, and I really think GameStop wouldn’t have done anything more than just provide the things needed for a Smash Bros. tournament.”

As shown by the tournaments organized by Games Done Legit, players can play on a Xbox One, a PlayStation 4, and a Nintendo Switch while waiting for their turn to play, with the company providing a music remix machine you sync with a special app as well. If the library stuck with GameStop, it’s very likely they wouldn’t have most, if not all of the entertainment items provided by Games Done Legit.  

Day of the tournament

Despite the poster at the top of the page saying the tournament on November 6th is a Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament, the tournaments, as mentioned earlier, use Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as the game players compete with. As the tournaments starts, there is usually around 10 to 30 kids waiting for the doors of the Porter Room to open, with some of them playing Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3Ds to train as they’re waiting.

–Attendees would go north and down the meeting hallway to the Porter Room (2,200 square feet), the final and largest room in the hallway.

-The Porter Room, showing kids and students partaking in one of the library’s many teen lounges (grades 7-12) every Monday.

When attendees reach the table the controllers are on, everyone scrambles to have the best controllers and the ones they want. These include Wiimotes, GameCube controllers, Wii Classic Controllers, Wii Nunchucks, and others as well, with the Wii U GamePad being the only banned controller (which also happens to be the controller I trained with before the last Smash Bros. tournament).

The tournaments are currently still being organized by Games Done Legit, with pizza, chips, soda, and other snacks/beverages being provided by the library staff. The tournaments typically last two and a half hours and keeps attendees very busy, with kids playing video games ranging from Donkey Kong on the Nintendo Switch to Mortal Kombat X on the PlayStation 4 while waiting for their turn to play on the Wii U.

In the background, music remixes such as a dark melodic remix of “Shut Up and Dance” and a dubstep-techno version of “Beethoven’s Fifth” are keeping the ears of attendees satisfied. The songs on the music remix machine can also be adjusted by attendees to whatever sounds their ears dream of.

Everyone who attends the tournament receives fair chances to play. A representative from Games Done Legit uses the whiteboard on the side of the TV screen to number the players and write down their names as well. Even though the number of players usually starts around 30, the number of people playing Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is always narrowed down to only eight players. A few matches later, there are three winners who receive gift bags cock full of gift cards, candy, and other goodies.

There’s a sense of good sportsmanship in the air as fellow players congratulate the winners on their virtual conquests. Everybody has a good time and the library closes up shop with Games Done Legit, marking the end of a period of socializing, gaming, and flourishing fun.

Tips and tricks for training

Moe Rahman, winner of two Smash Bros. tournaments and holder of 4th place in the most recent one in summer 2018, provides tips and tricks for players anticipating the tournament. When asked about the modes people should train in, he says, “You should usually train in 8-player smash since there’s so many people at the tournaments, and how it’s the mode the entire tournament is set on for most of the time.”

“Also, if you don’t have friends to play with, you should play against level 5 CPU if you’re a beginner and gradually raise in to level 9, the highest level, as you gain progress.” When asked whether players should train in online mode or not, Rahman responds by saying, “Occasionally, you should train in online mode too because of the good practice you gain from it, and also because of how there’s some really good people playing online sometimes.”

–Selection screen for what type of online mode you want to pursue, with the online settings being set so that you can play with anyone on the servers.

Final Smash

The Smash Bros. tournaments at the Porter Public Library are probably not going to die off for a while. When asked if there’s going to be tournaments for the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Kretschmer says, “Yes, we already have one planned for December.”

–The posters promoting the upcoming Smash tournaments on the window outside of the school library (left one says “Who will become the newest champion?” in the top right corner and right one says “Who will become champion in the newest Super Smash?” in its top right corner).     

With the Smash Bros. tournaments thriving, especially with Westlake’s large number of video game lovers and fanatics, it looks like that the library’s Smash Bros. tournaments aren’t going to get knocked off screen anytime soon.