Gamers from Illinois State University, the broader Bloomington-Normal community and elsewhere gather every Thursday night during the academic year for one reason: to play Super Smash Bros.
The weekly tournaments, hosted by the Redbird Super Smash Bros. Club, are open to anyone who loves the game. On Feb. 28, the club will take things to the next level by hosting its first international tournament.
Often referred to as “Smash,” Super Smash Bros. is a popular fighting game franchise available on Nintendo consoles and was one of the best-selling fighting games in 2025.
The two most-played games in the series are Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Grassroots Esport
Co-president Avis Tang described Smash as a grassroots-driven community.
The club receives no university equipment for its weekly tournaments. Instead, the 40-60 attendees who show up each week haul in their own consoles and monitors.
“Every week they lug their big TVs in,” Tang said. “Sometimes they walk upwards of 20 minutes just to provide one setup for the local tournament.”
ISU previously had an official Esports program—Redbird Esports—complete with scholarships and full-time coaches. Financial uncertainty led to the program’s closure last summer.
Although Super Smash Bros. was never recognized as a varsity Esport under that system, players still competed in a Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
“Since the disbanding of the official varsity program, with all the staffed coaches and scholarships, some of the other games have gotten a chance to organize themselves and compete a little more competitively than they have [in the past], namely Smash Bros.,” varsity team captain Luke Sherman said.
As captain, Sherman approaches Esports like any traditional sport. Players warm up, review gameplay footage and analyze strategy together.
“What's really cool with Esports is that since there's less of that physical barrier to entry, you end up getting a lot more into the strategy and the tactics of it, which is really fun to do,” Sherman said.
Building community through competition
For many players, the weekly tournaments are about more than winning. Former club president and ISU alum Joshua Dahmm said they provide a welcoming space to connect and improve.
“Lots of times, people will give each other advice,” Dahmm said. “You might find someone talking to their opponent, ‘Hey, what did I do wrong? How could I improve?’ And most people here are always happy to give advice and help people grow.”
Sherman said he’s formed close friendships through local tournaments.
“I always joke with my professors and in my classes that every Smash tournament I go to is a networking event. Which makes it sound a little more professional, more serious than, you know, going to compete and playing video games,” Sherman said.
Those “networking events” have taken him across Illinois and as far as Texas to compete.
A major moment for ISU
Now, Redbird Super Smash Bros. Club is preparing for its biggest stage yet. Flash Flood, a major Smash tournament, is being held at ISU for the first time.
In competitive Smash, “major” status means high-profile players from around the world attend. Co-president Kwesi Blankson said bringing an event of that scale to campus is exciting for the club and the state of Illinois.
Blankson said organizers have worked closely with Smash communities in Peoria, Champaign and Davenport, Iowa, to make the event possible.
Tang said the club did not initially plan to host a major, but after a few Redbird Super Smash Bros. Club social media posts went viral, the tournament drew international attention.
Some of the world’s top-ranked players such as Miya, Syrup, Zomba and Peabnut plan to attend.
From there, Tang said interest snowballed. Players from Japan, Peru, Mexico and the United Kingdom have registered.
“We unexpectedly had to hire translators for them,” Tang said. “Which has definitely been very hectic, because, again, we did not plan for this to hit major status.”
Tang said the goal is to deliver a top-tier experience for both the ISU Smash community and visiting players.
Flash Flood will feature 256 competitors, with about 70 more on a waiting list. The tournament will use a double-elimination bracket, where players compete in best-of-five matches.
Many of the Redbird Super Smash Bros. Club members will participate in the tournament. Dahmm will represent the club in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
“I think it's definitely a really big moment,” Dahmm said. “If you think about large tournaments, obviously they're going to go towards the larger cities, like LA, New York, Miami. So bringing top level Japanese players and [players from] across the United States, many top players are coming. It's crazy to see them out here.”
Flash Flood will take place Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Bone Student Center on ISU’s campus and will be livestreamed on the UGS Gaming channel on Twitch.
