Super Smash Bros players and fans in Victoria now have somewhere to gather and play each week.
That’s because the Fernwood Community Centre hosts a weekly Super Smash Bros tournament meetup on Friday nights.
“All ages and all skill levels are able to come out. We play Super Smash Bros Ultimate for Nintendo Switch and Super Smash Bros Melee for GameCube,” said organizer Brady Chan.
Meetups are held every Friday from 5:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. There is a $10 venue fee and a $5 participation fee. Participants usually bring their own setups, however, Chan said for newer players, all that is needed is a controller.
“Generally, for newer people we just ask that they bring a controller, we supply the set up — the console and the monitor,” he said.
Although people can simply just show up at the community centre, Chan said pre-registering is ideal.
“That gives us a better idea of how many people are attending and how many people need to accommodate, but we do take at-door registrations,” he said.
Weekly tournaments have been going on at the Fernwood Community Centre for over seven weeks and are expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
“We are just looking for more people to show up and grow our community,” said Chan. “All ages, all skill levels are welcome to attend and see what the Vancouver Island Smash Bros community is about.”
Chan said some weeks there will be as many as 40 to 60 people in attendance and that the ages vary from as young as 12 to people in their 30s. He also said the skill level of the participants ranges from some of the best on the Island to new players.
“We do have people that come out who are some of the best on the Island. So, it is a big mix of skill levels.”
Chan has been organizing Super Smash Bros meetups and clubs across Vancouver Island off and on for years. He said he enjoys the games and helping to grow the community.
“I’ve been doing this up and down Vancouver Island for seven years,” he said. “I just moved back to Victoria because I was on the Mainland for a bit. I ran the UVic club for a bit and I helped build the North Island club. I helped establish a club at VIU in Nanaimo. I’ve been all around, but now I am just a bit more permanent.”
According to Chan, larger cities such as Vancouver and Calgary have their own Super Smash Bros weekly events and felt the time was right for Victoria to have its own.
“It’s something that is pretty standard in most bigger urban areas. It might be a bit underground and not everyone might be aware of it but it is definitely there. Victoria definitely needed something,” he said.
Occasionally, Chan organizers larger events such as May Mayhem, a two-day Super Smash Bros tournament and expo at Archie Browning Sports Centre that takes place on May 7-8.
“We will have other games on top of Smash Bros. We are going to run Mario Kart and a fighting game called Guilty Gear,” he said. “It’s going to be a fun two-day event, so we are hoping to get lots of people.”
Weekly meetups are held at the Fernwood Community Centre, 1240 Gladstone Ave., each Friday starting at 5:30 p.m. For registration and general information and click here.
I just registered for The Stitch Face #7 Victorias Ultimate & Melee Weekly https://t.co/3NSf9DJ2lw via @smashgg
— Chang🇫🇯 (@BradyJChan) April 5, 2022
I just registered for The Stitch Face #8 Victorias Ultimate & Melee Weekly (This also means you should reg to)https://t.co/YLkfZ0AWI3 via @smashgg
— VanIsleImpact (@VanIsleImpact) April 19, 2022
Nicholas Pescod
