In the fall of 2019, senior Union student Donny Turner decided to do something unique for his final project in his Arts in Western Civilizations class. He wanted to take his love for Super Smash Bros. and get credit for creating a club on campus. His final project was successful, and Union’s Smash Club was born.
The club became an official on-campus organization and still lives on even though Turner has graduated. Every Friday at 6:30 p.m., people who love Smash Bros. gather in Bowld 221 to play for a few hours.
A Nintendo Switch gets plugged into the projector and multiple people bring their TVs and switches to set them up around the room. Many games happen at once, but it depends on the week whether a tournament between members is organized or if it is open for anyone to play at any time.
Union’s club isn’t at a professional level or super competitive. It’s all about playing the game with others who love it. They compete for a good time, not money. The vibe is informal and relaxed, and it has about 10 members.
Turner was the original president because he created the club, but when he was about to graduate last spring, he decided to hold informal elections over a GroupMe poll for the next president and vice president. Jacob Roessler, a junior double math and economics major, came in second for the most votes, so he is now vice president of the Smash Club.
During our interview, Roessler was wearing a white Super Nintendo sweatshirt. His knowledge about Super Smash Bros. was evident as he told me why he plays it.
“Growing up I didn’t have a lot of friends,” said Roessler. “So something that became a comfort for me was video games.”
He had a Wii when he was young and started playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He enjoyed it so much that he played through the story mode about 20 times.
“I was horrible at the game,” Roessler said. “I was really bad.”
Roessler picked a character that looked cool instead of picking one that would help him play well. He has a different strategy now and has improved greatly since he first started playing.
When Roessler grew older, he got back into the game when the Wii U version came out. By the time the Nintendo Switch version, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, was announced, Roessler was fully invested in the Smash Bros. world.
“I watched as it first got revealed. I watched when they announced the new characters,” Roessler said. “It’s actually the reason I bought my Switch.”
The appeal of Smash Bros. Ultimate is that every character who has ever been in a version of the game is part of this one. There are about 85 characters to choose from, and they have are introducing many characters from other video games, such as Steve from Minecraft or Mario and Luigi.
There is a sense of nostalgia that comes along with all these familiar characters from various games, even from games that aren’t on Nintendo systems and are owned by Sony and Microsoft.
“It’s seen as the greatest crossover in gaming, which it is,” said Roessler.
When a new character is added to the game, the members of the Smash Club have a specialty tournament where everyone plays against each other as that new character.
“There are a bunch of people in the organization that I probably wouldn’t hang out with if I didn’t hang out with them in the Smash Club,” said Roessler. “At the Super Smash Bros. Club, at least I know I share one common interest with these people, and that is Smash Bros.”
The game Roessler started playing because he didn’t have people to hang out with is now a common interest that brings people together on campus.
“I think clubs like Union Smash are important to the school as they provide an outlet for those who may not have a group of people to enjoy their hobbies with,” said Max Poore, a junior economics major and president of the Smash Club. “Things like video games typically do not receive the same kind of recognition as sport or academic related clubs. I believe that there should be a place for students of all hobbies to meet and have a good time.”
