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Making connections: WAHS eSports Club ‘Smash’ing barriers

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Trevor Cline (left) and Owen Gunther laugh during their match-up in the WAHS eSports Club’s Super Smash Brothers tournament Friday night.

On Friday, 18 students got together at Warren Area High School for a tournament.

Members of the WAHS eSports Club took part in the first Super Smash Brothers Ultimate Tournament of the year in a second-floor, large-group-instruction room.

It was a competitive environment, but it was a friendly event with lots of laughter.

“It’s a good time,” Advisor Joe English said. “It’s a Friday night. They can socialize a little.”

English set up an 18-person double-elimination bracket. The event started at 4 p.m. and he expected it to wrap up before 7.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Colin Ely (left) and Nick Ditz go head-to-head at the Warren Area High School eSports Club’s Super Smash Brothers tournament Friday night.

Smash Brothers — a two-dimensional, third-person point-of-view, animated combat game — was the easy way to go.

“Smash was the easiest tech,” English said. “It’s very simple to connect.”

Club members brought in gaming consoles that were then connected to SmartBoards. The combatants chose controllers, pulled up chairs, and played.

Computers are needed for some games. And, those games require some significant equipment to deliver a worthy product. So, the club is in fund-raising mode at the moment. There was a $5 entry fee for the tournament to get that kicked off.

Because the club is brand new, there were no prizes for this tournament. “I definitely want some prizes moving forward,” English said.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Chris Gardiner (left) and Alex Colvin compete in the Warren Area High School eSports Club’s Super Smash Brothers tournament Friday night.

So, Owen Peterson, crowned tournament champion shortly after 7 p.m., did not win anything but prestige for his victory.

The fledgling club participated in an eSports tournament at Iroquois High School last year. Smash Brothers was one of the two games there.

The club hopes to compete in a similar tournament to be held in Bradford in the spring.

The members look forward to the possibility of squaring off against gamers from other parts of the county, too.

“I would personally love it,” Nick Ditz said. “It would be a great way to meet new people and have a great experience.”

“It would be a great way to meet people from different schools,” Colin Ely said. “Normally, we don’t get that.”

English said he would like to open up future tournaments to any county student.

The hope is to eventually join the national eSports League.

There is a seasonal registration fee for that and English hopes the clubs revenues will be able to defray that cost.

Some students are in eSports during their advisory period in school. But, the after-school event was a special occasion.

“It’s really cool to have something like this in a school environment,” Ely said.

“You’ll see all these different sports clubs and arts clubs,” Ditz said. “It’s really cool that there are so many places where people can fit in and belong.”

The traditional clubs are not for everyone.

“People who enjoy playing video games have a place that they can come to relax, hang out, and compete,” Ditz said.

“It’s really nice to have a place for everyone to meet up. Not everyone can always hang out together in one place,” Ely said. “It’s also nice to have that sense of competition, but it’s a very friendly competition.”

English said he discourages any kind of trash talking.

“We don’t want to start any fights — get any bad blood going,” Ditz said.

“This group… we’re all really friendly,” Ely said. “I don’t think we’d get any bad blood.”

No matter what the players play on their own time, the club avoids certain games, just for the stigma attached to them.

“We’re staying away from anything that’s rated over ‘teen’,” Ditz said.

“At the end of the day, all of this is just fun,” he said. “Video games are often held in a bad light, with people saying it can cause violence and trauma. I think it’s especially important to have something like this to show it’s just another hobby people can enjoy.”

“It’s all about connecting people that usually don’t have any other clubs,” Club President Jason O’Neil said. “Normally, we all wouldn’t be hanging out. We have different hobbies, but this is one we can all connect with.”

The club welcomes new members.

“We’re looking to get more people,” O’Neil said. “It’s an open door. If they want to come, they can come. We try to make people feel as comfortable as they can be.”

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