Even after the football game ended Saturday, UF’s campus still buzzed with fans cheering for competitors playing a different kind of sport: video games.
From 4 p.m. to midnight, both rookie and expert gamers flocked to the Reitz Union Ballroom to participate in GatorLAN, a video game tournament hosted by Gator Gaming. About 800 people attended; at any point during the day, there were about 150 computers in the room, said Gator Gaming president Ed Fonseca.
“Most players come to play here because it’s free, and there’s no pressure to win,” said the 20-year-old digital arts and sciences junior.
GatorLAN happens twice a semester, and gamers can come to watch, compete for prizes or just play for fun.
Santa Fe College junior Tommy Janky, 22, is a pro but doesn’t just play for cash. He streams many of his matches live on YouTube so people can watch.
On Saturday, fans cheered as Janky played Super Smash Bros. Brawl onstage. His character, Ike, was a fan favorite because players don’t usually choose him — his killing moves are slow.
“We like Ike. We like Ike,” the crowd chanted.
Jesse Negron, a 20-year-old international business junior at Florida International University, said he likes attending tournaments like GatorLAN because they’re pressure-free. “A lot of people want to get better but don’t know how,” Negron said. “The cool part for me is coming and seeing people I don’t know grow, learn and get better at the game.”
