Super Smash Brothers regaining popularity with tournaments held at Gaming Grounds

For nearly five hours competitors rumbled in a throw down in a Super Smash Brothers tournament to compete for cash prizes at Gaming Grounds on Broadway on March 9.

Nearly 30 competitors showed up to compete for first, second and third place.

"Super Smash Brothers" is a video game that has been around since 1999 but has started to regain popularity with its release on Nintendo Switch, a new gaming system.

Tournament coordinator Michael Spies said the tournaments are double elimination and provide contestants with two chances to make it to a top eight round that produces the top three finalists.

Competitors pay $7 to enter the tournament, and $5 of that goes toward the the top- three prizes, Spies said.

"First place will get 65 percent of the winnings, second place will get 25 percent and third 10 percent from a $135 pot," Spies said.

The winner of the most recent tournament, Eric Ralfs, said he was happy to win the cash prize in his first attempt.

He was also confident he could pull it off and would walk away with win.

"It is no small secret, I have never lost a tournament," Ralfs said.

Spies said they do plan on putting on future events.

"On social media everybody was playing Super Smash Brothers, but nobody was trying to organize anything or trying to get people to together so, I spoke with some people who are still helping now to host the tournaments," Spies said.

Assistant tournament director Graig Laux said different social media played a major part in putting together the tournaments

"I posted in one of my old Facebook groups about starting the tournament up and it started with about seven of us who was interested right away. After that it just kind of began to snowball," Laux said.

Spies said there will be another tournament coming soon that will involve teams.

For more information visit facebook.com/Gaming-Grounds