The illustration accompanying this article is misleading. See the bottom of the article for additional information.

At UCLA the fighting spirit is alive and well, but not in such a literal way. Every Monday, a group of UCLA students and nearby residents of Westwood gathers to play and practice Super Smash Bros. Melee, a 12-year-old video game that refuses to lose relevance.

Earlier this year, Super Smash Bros. Melee was given an opportunity to re-enter the competitive fighting game scene when the prominent fighting game tournament EVO Championship Series opened an eighth and final spot at its exhibition.

This spot was up for grabs for any fighting game community that could fundraise enough money to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The Melee community, including the UCLA team, competed against 16 other fighting games vying for the single open spot.

The game revolves around an ensemble of Nintendo video game characters battling among themselves on a two-dimensional stage, with game play itself requiring amazing dexterity and technical skill. The difficulty required in mastering the game has earned Melee a cult following of committed fans that not only has survived in the past 12 years of the game’s existence, but also evolved over the years as new players present different playing styles and techniques that have kept the game novel and interesting.

Find out if the Melee community was successful in beating out the other video games for the spot to compete at EVO at dailybruin.com/radio.

Clarification: Wario, third from the left in the illustration, is not a character in Melee.

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