Sheridan’s Down Right Fight battle royale
Old CRT televisions lined the walls as contestants duked it out in Super Smash Brothers (Photo by Robert Sgotto / The Sheridan Sun)
STORY BY ROBERT SGOTTO
Sheridan’s Marquee was transformed into a battle royale Saturday when Down Right Fight (DRF) hosted its second fighting game tournament of the year.
The tournament saw 90 competitors duke it out in Ultra Street Fighter 4, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom, and the most popular title, Super Smash Bros Melee.
DRF is a start up group that hosts fighting game tournaments at Sheridan College’s Marquee.
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Old CRT televisions lined the walls, computer monitors spanned the stage, and a projector beamed the action front and center on the big screen.
Competitors were excited and ready for action.
“When you come to these kinds of tournaments, you get all the hype, everyone around you is excited and screaming,” said Ray Zhu, a first-year student at Sheridan.
Despite being highly competitive games, the atmosphere was friendly and welcoming.
“These kind of games bring out the best in people,” said DRF coordinator and Brock University student Kyle Van Grinsven. “They always encourage you to do better.”
Down Right Fight manager Taylor Hanson addresses the crowd.
But the laid back attitudes didn’t mean players weren’t serious about winning. “These games are some of the most strategically and psychological-based games that exist,” said competitor Paul Hayhurst. “The two players that are fighting are constantly thinking about what each others’ plans are, what their own plans are, and are constantly adapting to deal with what their opponent is doing.”
With the prize of $100 going to each first place winner for the three titles, it’s easy to see why so many people showed up.
“We held our first tournament in the summer, kind of as a stepping stone to see if we had a fan base,” said DRF manager Taylor Hanson. “Now we’ve got triple numbers in attendance over our first tournament, with about 90 people here today.”
Money wasn’t the only thing bringing people out however.
“It’s really a social thing with these kinds of games,” said competitor Spencer Markin. “Instead of playing online on a computer, you’re sitting next to them and can see the reactions when you win or lose, and people around you can get really excited when cool things happen.”
With the success of this tournament, Down Right Fight hopes to host at least one tournament per semester.
