USC ESPORTS WRAP UP #3 - SMASH GENERAL MEETING

By: Nikita Selene Xue

This Friday was USC Esports’ second general meeting, and this time around, it was hosted by the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team. Every general meeting is typically held by a different game, consisting of laid-back playtime so everyone can get to know each other, make new friends, and also try out new games they may not have played before. They’re free to attend and a great way to wind down after a day of classes. 

We congregated in the basement of Leavey Library. Tristan “iliketomeep” Lim, AKA “meep”, was the organizer of this event, setting up an intramural tournament with a bracket system format so everyone could have a chance to play each other. This culminated in a finals with a $20 payout, but even after players were eliminated, everyone hung back to freeplay. 

I had personally only played Smash once, but the energy in the room was very laid-back, with both people who were experienced in the game and beginners there. You didn’t even have to participate in the tournament—even if you didn’t have your own controller, you could still step in and borrow someone else’s for a freeplay match, and there were people more than willing to explain how to move, jump, and fight. 

The tournament ended in a final between Tristan and Smash team member Tyler “CRUSADER” Huang. Ultimately, Tristan went home with the win. 

The Smash team hosts events weekly, and freeplays every other week. To keep updated on when you can come over and play, make sure to join the Smash Discord for announcements: for casual fans, the freeplays are a perfect idea to get better at the game. Make sure to keep an eye out for other USC Esports general meetings, too, where opportunities to try out other games will surely arrive.