The Super Smash Bros. franchise has always been popular with fans, and its competitive scene was invigorated last year with performances in Apex 2013 and the community’s $94,683 Cancer Research donation drive to become the eighth official game in Evolution 2013.

According to a report by Boston magazine, the game’s competitive spirit is also finding its way into colleges in the northeast region. Players from Boston University, UMass Boston, University of Connecticut, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, Northeastern, UMass Amherst, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Tufts University, and Boston College are set to compete for the Super Smash Bros. Melee Championship from February 11 to March 29.

The event’s organizer, Quincy College Student Matthew “MattDotZeb” Zaborowski, originally set up Northeastern Smash Attack in November for players at the college. He expected an attendance of less than 20 players, but over 100 gamers showed up. Now, more than 65 students (Editor’s note: this figure is now closer to 140) have already registered for Northeastern Smash Attack 2, which will also be host to the grand finals of the intercollegiate Melee Games.

The story is a great example of a player from the community wanting to establish a scene in new territory. Here’s a small excerpt, but make sure to read the entire article at Boston magazine.

People might not know it—mostly because the events are held indoors, tucked away at Tommy Doyle’s during “Game Over”—but Boston is booming with sub-communities of competitive “Smash Bros.” players that meet on a regular basis to defend their titles. They also migrate to Facebook fan pages by the hundreds, and bring their tense rivalries into chat rooms and message boards. “Boston has had a large growth of Smash Brothers players within the last year to year-and-a-half,” said Matthew “MattDotZeb” Zaborowski, a Quincy College student, and the organizer of the upcoming “The Melee Games” between the eight colleges. “The events we’ve been running have seen a really large increase in participants.”

Further information on the Melee Games can be found here, and be sure to visit the New England Melee community on Facebook if you’re interested in regional competition.

Source: Boston, contributions to this article via Matthew “MattDotZeb” Zaborowski.