Veteran player wants to bring less-experienced players up to the top ranks.
Super Smash Brothers, the smash hit video game franchise where a plethora of Nintendo’s finest come together and duke it out, is still going strong despite its first release being over 20 years ago. To this day, tournaments are being held and players all over the world come together to battle it out.
▼ The trailer for the latest instalment, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Souther (@souther_snake on Twitter) is a Japanese Smash Bros. player and is currently ranked 122nd in Japan. After withdrawing from the spotlight for a while, last month he resurfaced by announcing his plans to open a Smash Bros. Prep School for both beginners of the game and those who want to get better.
▼ The school even has its own logo, as seen in the first picture.
Souther describes the school (which doesn’t seem to have a physical location) with:
“I have set up a school to help all Smash Bros. players who want to get better at the game. At the moment, there are so many tips and strategy guides online that it’s hard to find which ones are actually good. At this school, lessons are taught based on the assumption that you have zero experience, so you can learn with peace of mind.”
Of course, courses for pro gamers are nothing new, but Souther is keen to convey that what he is offering is not a course, but actual, personalised lessons on how to become a better Smash Bros. player. What’s the difference between a course and lessons, you ask? Souther explains in further tweets —
“Courses are like what you have at university, and lessons are what you have at high schools. At university, the emphasis is on self-learning. The teacher will teach and if you don’t get it, it’s up to you to study and catch up. At high school, the teacher drills you until you get it, and doesn’t allow any fooling around, skipping class or sleeping in class. Also, you get homework in high school and not at university.”
That’s right, at Souther’s Smash Bros. school, he intends to give homework and tests, and even has a curriculum in place for potential students. The school’s motto is “If you’re hard-working and determined, you too can become good at Smash Bros.!’ and plans to have classes for both absolute beginners and also veterans of the game looking to place higher in tournaments.
When asked why he plans to create such a school, Souther answered, “I want to improve the Smash Bros. community. I think it’s better to encourage new players to get better and mix things up than to just stick with the same old pros winning over and over. That’s why I’m working hard to make this school happen.” And who knows; maybe with more players joining the ranks of Japan’s best Smash Bros. players, the grand prize at tournaments will get better too.
The reaction from Twitter has been mixed, with some users keen to take part in Souther’s classes, whereas others were simple amused at the announcement. Either way, they were keen to share their thoughts and ideas.
“Coming back after a two year break with this announcement is pretty funny.”
“I imagine Nintendo will smack down this idea fairly quickly.”
“I’m a Pichu main, am I still allowed to enroll?”
“I really feel his passion for helping newbies. I think it’s good that he’s helping Smash Bros. stay fresh by getting more people into it.”
“I’ll just stick to my trusted ‘disconnecting the cables when I’m about to lose’ strategy, thanks.”
“I’d be interested in learning from the ‘Projectile Character Counters’ department.”
Souther has not yet commented on how to join his school or even how much it may cost to enroll, but we think we know a fan of the game who might like to join.
Source: Twitter@souther_snake via Kinisoku
Top image: YouTube/Super Smash Bros.
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