Jason Savio

Gamers, get ready. Coming to Worcester this August is an eSports event that is sure to be fun and thrilling for participants and observers alike. Shine, a gaming tournament focusing on three Super Smash Bros. Nintendo games, will be hosted at the DCU Center on the weekend of August 23-25.

After previously plugging in and turning on at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston in previous years, Shine is now set to make its debut in Worcester. “Worcester has really shown its growth over the past few years and it’s always good to contribute to other parts of the area that we’re from,” said Colin Fyffe, co-founder of Shine and Chief Operating Officer of Big Blue, a game company originally based out of Boston and organizer of the competition.

ESports are multiplayer games usually played by professional gamers while an audience watches, either in person or online via Youtube or Twitch. There will often times be teams and leagues for specific games. The NBA, for example, held a draft to pick top-gamers for teams in its league based on the NBA 2K franchise. Yes, these gamers were drafted just like real athletes. Bet you didn’t know the Celtics have their own gaming team called Celtics Crossover.

But it’s not just based off of traditional sports games – eSports also include titles like Call of Duty and Fortnight. The concept has created a million-dollar industry with participants winning big cash prizes. In Shine’s case, you won’t need to be a professional gamer to enjoy the tournament. Anyone can sign up.

“It’s a festival where you can see some really high-end video game play and also have some fun yourself,” Fyffe said.

Last year, Shine featured a Dragon Ball Z fighting game and Street Fighter. This year it is keeping with the fighting theme and bringing back three classics from Nintendo’s Gamecube, N64 and Switch consoles: Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. An additional game, Brawlhalla, will also be featured.

“It’s a grass roots tournament for Super Smash Bros. that grew as a love for the game and the scene,” said Fyffe about the creation of Shine and the organizer’s affinity for the Smash Bros. series.

That love is shared by many. Fyffe expects 800 to1,200 entrants into the double elimination brackets. For $10 (not counting the $60-$80 you pay to get into the event), players can sign up for as many of the competitions as they want to perform in individually. The cash prize pool for each game will be given out at the end to that title’s respective winner. The weekend will build up to the championship round on Sunday.

“The live experience is like nothing else,” said Fyffe. “The crowd gets so into it and jumping out of their chairs.”

If that sounds too intense for you, fear not. Fyffe says that there will be Indie developers on hand showing off their games for people to try out, artist and merchandise booths, and plenty of consoles set up around for you to just casually play if you’d like. There are also less serious tournaments where you can win Shine merchandise.

“It’s a very inclusive community and everyone is having a good time playing their favorite games,” said Fyffe. “There’s nothing quite like the experience of an eSports event, especially one grounded in a grass roots build-up. We do it because we love it.”

For more info, visit: smash.gg/tournament/shine-2019