Entry 10: Super Smash Bros. Melee

Today I am going to shed light on one of my other passions in life and that is the video game, Super Smash Bros. Melee. This game has become a big part of my life in the past two years for many reasons. I enjoy it for its depth and unlimited potential as a fighting game, and because it also includes all of my favorite Nintendo characters from my youth.

One of my friends, Tyler and I one day stumbled across my old GameCube and decided to pop in my copy of Super Smash Bros. Melee that I had thrown in a box. We instantly fell in love with the feel of the game, and we played for hours and hours that first day. That is what caught our attention, but what snagged it was when another friend of mine, Shawn came over to play with us and he demolished us, smashed us. He was using techniques and moves we had never even thought of. He would hit us once and we would die, it was that simple. But what is more sophisticated is what he was actually doing, he was slurring together button presses and we couldn't keep up. This is when Tyler and I figured out just how deep and intricate this game really was. From that day on Tyler and I have worked to get to the next level, and we did this by countless hours of practice and watching videos of pro players to try and figure out what exactly they do.

One of the players that truly inspired us was, Mango. Considered to be by many the best Super Smash Bros. Melee player of all time, he was fast, he was in your face, and he was cocky about it. His amazingly technical and fast gameplay really opened our eyes and helped us see the potential that this game really has. In particular, Mango was in the last match of a championship game against the most worthy competitor and he styled on him and made him look like Tyler and I against Shawn.

As time passed we became better and better as we pushed each other to that next level, and it wasn’t until our first competitive tournament that we realized that we were better than the average player. We were improving, fast. Then one day Shawn came over to play with us, and we didn’t win but we didn’t get smashed. We put fear into him, and made him realize that if he wanted to still beat us, he is going to need to practice, just like us.