While student culture at the U is constantly evolving, one beloved video game — Super Smash Bros. — has remained integral for years. Although the gaming consoles have changed, Super Smash Bros. continues to be the “go-to” game for students, especially those who live on campus. At any hour of the day, you can find a group of people gathered around a small TV in a dorm room, cheering and yelling over the results of a game. But where is the line drawn between friendly fun and detrimental addiction?
The U’s Behavioral Sciences Department conducted a statistical study suggesting the better the students’ abilities at Smash Bros., the less likely they are to attend class and complete assignments on a regular basis.
“I feel like I have to play the game,” said John Spike, a freshman in baconwalking. “If I don’t play every day, my Wii will feel like I don’t love her anymore. She can get pretty upset when we don’t spend enough time together.”
Spike plays whenever he’s not in class, and even when he is in class, he can’t help but think about the game.
“I know she misses me,” he said.
Some students said they rely on the game to maintain certain friendships.
“There are some people I keep around simply because they are good competition for Smash Bros.,” said Ben Spam, a sophomore in photominimalism. “Otherwise, I couldn’t stand to be around them.”
A lot of students are playing Project M, a community-made modification of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Project M is not officially sponsored by Nintendo, but a lot of players enjoy it more than any other version of the game.
Devan Taunt, a senior in geographic alphabetization, said he is an avid fan of this variation of the classic.
“Project M isn’t so demanding. I don’t feel like I have to play it all the time,” Taunt said. “It’s more fun to play, and my Wii doesn’t seem to need so much attention.”
Nintendo just released Super Smash Bros. for the Wii this past year, and students seem to love it. The new game allows eight people to play at once.
“When it first came out, we played for three days straight,” said Joy Stik, a freshman in market emoticon. “We didn’t even think about stopping. Now that I think about it, that’s kind of terrifying. It was like we couldn’t think about anything else while we played it.”
Dr. O. B. Vious, psychologist at the U, said he thinks the game is detrimental to students.
“It would appear that the students have a problem with video game addiction and how it affects their academic performance,” Vious said. “What else is new?”
It seems like students will always be playing Super Smash Bros., and although they may be addicted, they don’t seem to be worried about it.
“I think I finally understand why people go to college,” Spam said. “The Smash action here is killer. I have never been in so many Smash tournaments. I haven’t been to a class this semester!”
This content is intended as fictionalized, satirical work. Events and ideas presented in this piece should be viewed as fictional.