Journalism Profile: Griffin Williams

Griffin Williams entered a tournament last year that changed his life. On a sunny day in San Jose, California, Williams and his team from the University of California, Irvine competed against 1800 gamers in Genesis 3, a national gaming tournament that is dedicated to focusing on the popular Super Smash Brothers Melee game. As a tournament that is divided into three different phases, it starts with 1800 entrants and losers from the first phase get cut out. In the second phase, 400 competitors remain until the winners reach the final phase which consist of only 64 competitors.

Williams was one of the 64.

Competing in tournaments since 2013, Williams finally made it to the final phase in a national event. For many, making it to the top 64 in a national event is a goal that gamers could only dream of. Not only that, but The Melee Games, a collegiate league that watches college students compete against each other in tournaments had their eye on Williams. 

Alongside his teammates, Williams was determined to make a great impression with TMG. 

“It was a big deal because I was part of the roster in the final phase, and I was captain of the team,” Williams says, “I had to make sure we all had our head in the game.”

For Williams, it was important to encourage his team members to keep a high energy and a positive mindset; he wanted them to feel like they could do it.

After a gruesomely long day of competing that started from noon to midnight, Williams and his team from UC Irvine won TMG against 200 schools.

“I can’t forget that day. So many things were happening, not just with me, but also with my team and to make it in a national competition felt so surreal,” Williams says.

As a 3rd year Informatics major with a specialization in organization and information technology at UC Irvine, Williams does not always have time to focus on gaming. However, he still tries to utilize ways to incorporate Super Smash Brothers Melee into his life.

Leading as also president of the Super Smash Brothers club on campus, Williams and his executive board host bi-weekly meetings, which usually consist of playing their beloved game and preparing for their next tournament. As a club that is under The Association of Gamers, also known as TAG, at UC Irvine, the Super Smash Brothers Club also partakes in meetings and events with other gaming organizations on campus.

TAG is an independently sponsored student-run association that organizes events for the gaming organizations at UC Irvine. For example, if a student is a member of the Super Smash Brothers Club, they are already a part of TAG. 

Even though TAG is an association that focuses on games and the gaming community, they also make sure to incorporate skills to their members that will be beneficial to other aspects of their life. 

“TAG also focuses on marketing, management, and customer support. We aren’t just about playing games. Even though there is a stigma of laziness associated in the gaming community, it really is not like that,” says Lily Kuang, a Computer Science major that is also a member of TAG and the eSports Arena team. 

Last month, TAG and the eSports Arena team even organized a Stream eSports symposium at the Cove in UC Irvine. TAG’s members utilized their marketing, customer support, and public relations skills to create large events such as this. Aside from the regular student gamers, professionals that study the world of gaming also attended. The symposium hosted talks from academic and even carried booths for gamers to learn more about the new games coming out. 

Various topics such as the gaming community and how gaming can be integrated with education were discussed at the symposium. 

When the eSports Arena at UC Irvine opened in 2016, many students in the gaming community finally had a space to compete and play with other gamers, finding opportunities to develop their skills.

“There are all kinds of students that come in here; some play professionally, others have probably never played at all,” Paul Moore, a graduate student studying Political Science and a supervisor for the eSports Arena says.

For Williams, the eSports Arena is the place for gamers to meet up on campus. In addition to being a space for gamers to feel comfortable competing and playing with other gamers, another benefit of the eSports Arena is how advanced the technology is.

With computers that can handle the amount of space that some games need to run, and with screens that carry a high-definition quality of 1080 frames per second, the eSports Arena has increasingly become a popular attraction for the gaming community at UC Irvine.

“Before the eSports Arena opened, it used to be ‘Zot Zone’ and even though students were coming to play with the pool tables and stuff, ‘Zone Zone’ really wasn’t making a lot of money, but once the eSports Arena opened, we’ve been able to monetize enough to keep this place afloat,” Moore says.

In addition to that, the eSports Arena was able to obtain all the technology they have because they were able to get sponsored by Tespa, a North American collegiate eSports organization that is a part of Blizzard Entertainment, a popular gaming company.

“Part of what makes the eSports Arena so great is that none of the money we have comes from the school, at all,” Moore says.

Before the eSports Arena opened, a survey on changing the space for Zot Zone was sent out. Many students shared that they would like to have a space for the gaming community. However, due to the stigma associated with gaming, a lot of the students were not vocal with expressing how they wanted an eSports Arena.

“A lot of people view gamers as lazy and uninterested in anything else. Gamers are seen as people that are just sit in their room all day in front of a screen,” Moore says.

In turn, many students assumed that eSports Arena would not actually be built.

“I think part of the reason students don’t want people to know that gaming is a part of their life is because of so many instances that made games look like it was bad. Like, after the Columbine shooting with that guy that played Doom, much of the community was quick to associate gaming with violence,” Khung says.

The eSports Arena has developed a community for gamers to feel safe and not judged for enjoying gaming. Although the plans are not fully solidified, the eSports Arena even plans on creating an educational Summer camp, specifically for kids, to learn more about the world of gaming.

“Gaming is beneficial. If you think about it, we’ve been playing games since we were kids; it’s innate. We could use our understanding of games and integrate it into education and display how gaming can be used as a learning experience,” Moore Says.

Although Williams does not frequently get judged for playing Super Smash Brothers Melee, a competitive game that contains childhood beloved characters such as Mario and Luigi, the stigma of how gaming is looked down upon still exists as a part of his life. Part of his goal as president for the Super Smash Brothers Club is to combat that stigma. 

“I’ve been playing games ever since I was a kid. A lot of the stigma comes from a place of misunderstanding. Even though I play it seriously now, that does not mean it isn’t fun. It brings people together, not set them apart,” Williams shares. 

Growing up in Chicago, Williams would always play Super Smash Brothers Melee casually with his three older siblings. With two older brothers and one older sister who are 10, 8, and 6 years older than him, the large age gap made it difficult to closely connect with his siblings. However, games allowed the Williams siblings to bridge that gap and make them closer together.

“There is only so much you can do to connect with a four-year-old, but even though I wasn’t good at games at age four, it was a constant past time and bonding experience that I was able to share with my siblings,” Williams shares.

Growing up, Williams was surrounding by a gaming community at home. His parents supported whatever decisions their children made, and while none of his siblings play professionally, they all have a serious interest in it. Due to that, it caused Williams to focus more of his time on gaming than other activities, such as sports, which never interested him, anyway.

As he got older, Williams gained an interest in PC games. In middle school, his favorite game to play was World of Warcraft, a massive multiplayer online game that focuses on this fantasy world of Warlords, elves, and dragons. Competitors from all over the world are able to play and interact with each other. When he got to high school, another PC game, --which is similar to World of Warcraft -- called League of Legends shifted in popularity. While Williams was playing both of these games casually, he realized that Super Smash Brothers was a game he wanted to play seriously and competitively.

In early 2013, his junior year of high school, Williams saw a Super Smash Brothers Melee livestream on Twitch that changed his perspective on the game. Similar to Youtube, Twitch is a popular livestreaming site where gamers can watch other gamers play and compete. At the time, Williams followed and watched many players on Twitch, but did not know anything about the competitive scene.

“It was just something about that tournament that really made me interested in that game again. I played it as a kid, but not like how they were playing it. It was amazing to see how fast they could move. They didn’t have to think twice about what move they had to make next. It was instant,” Williams says.

When Williams would play World of Warcraft or League of Legends, those games did not require the kind of fast paced skill set Super Smash Brothers Melee did. Part of what intrigued Williams to gain interest in Super Smash Brothers Melee again was how excited the quick moves made him feel.

After watching the Super Smash Brother Melee tournament stream on Twitch, Williams became obsessed with learning how to improve on the game. Besides watching gamers on Twitch, he looked up guides and Youtube tutorials online. In high school, if he wasn’t studying or doing homework, he was using most of his time getting better and finding new ways to beat competitors in Super Smash Brother Melee.

In late 2013, Williams saw that there was a tournament happening in his area. Even though he started playing Super Smash Brother Melee again in January of that year, Williams wanted to show off his the skills he had gained in a few months.

For these tournaments, anyone can join. While there is a fee to join, gamers are able to play against anyone in any level. In other words, if someone with not a lot of experience with gaming enters a tournament, they could be placed with another competitor who could have years of experience.

“My first tournament was rough. You really get thrown into the sharks. You never know how good your competitor is unless they tell you beforehand. I obviously did not get far, but it was still fun, and losing just motivated me to get better,” Williams says. 

A few months after the tournament, in October of 2013, Williams’ friend showed him a documentary on the Super Smash Brother Melee called, “Super Smash Brothers.” Although Williams was interested in gaming competitively, the documentary really solidified his goal to play professionally, and to stick with just Super Smash Brothers Melee. The documentary focused on how the Super Smash Brothers Melee gained popularity and influenced a community of gamers.

The documentary showed Williams that gaming is not only used for a pasttime, but also can bring a community of people who enjoy and love the same thing together. 

While Williams never had an athletic build growing up, he trained for tournaments and games in the same way a regular athlete would, with the same dedication and persistence.

Even though Williams has been playing since 2013, he is still considered a “new” gamer. In the gaming community, Williams has gained much popularity based on how fast it took him to develop his own style and skills. For some gamers, it can take so many more years to be at the level Williams is currently at. 

As of now, Williams has competed in over 150 tournaments from all across the country. He has won first place in multiple tournaments such as the Super Smash Sundays 54, the SoCal Colosseum #8: V-Cancel Day, and We Livin VI: Some of Those Days, just to name a few. With over two thousand followers on Twitter, and hundreds of viewers on his Twitch streams, Williams has even made it under many gamers’ top “People to Watch” list in these livestreams.

While his thick glasses, curly brown hair, and sweater vest may fit the same meek gamer persona, Williams is a force to be reckoned with. He is a competitor that has instilled fear into many of his opponents. 

Confident in his gaming abilities, he believes that part of what made him so successful is because he kept on participating in so many tournaments. 

“I have so many people ask me online and in person how to get better at Super Smash Brothers Melee, but honestly, the only way to get better to participate in tournaments. You have to learn how to accept losing and just get better from that,” Williams says.

Playing in tournaments forces gamers to play in that same competitive mindset, as opposed to leisurely playing with friends. It is difficult to gain different perspective and understand how other players work if gamers play with the same person each time.

In addition to that, Williams advises to stick to one character. Each character in the game has different specialties, some characters are fast while others are known for their super strength. By mastering a specific character’s skills, it becomes easier to play against opponents because you know your character well.

Williams is most known for using Sheik, a character from the console game Zelda. In Super Smash Brother Melee, many of the characters in the game are from other games. 

Part of the reason he uses one character is because he made himself get familiar with Sheik and her tactics. Certain characters carry special moves and Williams wants to be able to master all of her moves.

“Besides that, I also like using her because she’s a badass ninja, and I think that fits part of my aesthetic,” Williams says.

Playing as Sheik, Williams is also known for what is called, “reaction tech chasing.” Basically, the reason why many gamers enjoy watching Williams is because of how quick and fast-paced he is when moving against a competitor. He reacts quickly to their attacks without even making a second thought about it. 

“It’s insane. I’ve seen him play, and it’s like he’s not even phased by what [his opponent] does. He reacts so quickly; he makes it look effortless,” Ruiz says.

Williams’ following has greatly increased ever since making it in the top 64 for Genesis 3, and being one of the first-place winners for TMG with his UC Irvine team.

“He’s arguably one of the best players in Orange County. I know people that are avid followers for his streams and tournaments,” Fernando Ruiz, a member of the Super Smash Brothers Club at UC Irvine says.

Although he rejects being labeled as a celebrity, Williams is grateful for the success he has achieved.

“It’s crazy. It’s surreal. I go to tournaments or conventions and people know who I am, and they ask me for advice. I never would have thought I would be in this position,” Williams says.

Known also by his gamer tag, “Captain FaceRoll,” many gamers have gone up to Williams and greet him by his gamer name. “Captain FaceRoll,” has earned a reputable name in the gaming community. 

Part of his name “FaceRoll,” was created in high school. When Williams would play games with his neighbor in Chicago, they needed to create gamer tag names for League of Legend. Williams and his neighbor agreed on starting their gamer name with “Captain.”

 “Basically, when you use the term ‘faceroll,’ you are telling the other gamer that that move was so easy they literally rolled their face on the keyboard to do that. It’s a derogatory term,” Williams says.

Williams found the term “faceroll,” so hilarious that he had to use that as part of his gamer tag. When he started playing seriously with Super Smash Brothers Melee, he used “Captain FaceRoll” for all his accounts. 

It became a part of his identity. 

After competing in so many tournaments and gaining such a large following in such a short span of time, Williams did not only gain attention from gamers, but also from companies.

While large companies such as Blizzard and Riot Games have not reached out to Williams, smaller companies have.

“There have been some companies that have reached out to me, and asked to sponsor me, but a lot of them have been really sketchy. They ask for a lot of stuff that makes it hard to trust them,” Williams says.

The companies that have reached out to Williams have asked things such as getting part of his winnings from tournaments while he advertises their products. Other companies have offered to fly him out to such tournaments, but require he pay a portion of the expenses while also making him advertise their products. 

“Ever since companies have reached out to me, I require a physical contract on paper. Verbal contracts don’t mean anything. It’s so easy to get cheated by these companies” Williams says.

Williams is currently not sponsored by any gaming company, but he hopes to one day get attention from Blizzard or Riot Games. A sponsorship from them would entail receiving their newest gaming controllers and technology, in addition to getting paid for entering tournaments or even streaming online.

However, to gain attention from big companies such as those, Williams knows he needs to continue competing in tournaments and honing his skills. 

“It can get difficult sometimes. I don’t know if I want to do this for the rest of my life. There are people that can, and it’s completely possible to make a living out of this, but that’s also why I’m in school -- to focus on an ‘adult job,’” Williams says.

As an Informatics major, Williams wants to work under these big technology companies to help create and design games after college. Another one of his goals is to also change the stigma behind gaming and to show people that there is more to gaming than what many assume.

For events such as tournaments, many people do not understand the preparation and dedication that goes behind them. Most of the preparation for a tournament can be compared to competing against an athletic sport: it requires dedication and tenacity.

These gamers train, practice, and watch videos of other gamers to improve their skills.

Regular tournaments can last up to four hours, but the bigger tournaments, such as nationals, can last from morning until midnight.

“I always make sure I have snacks and a lot of water with me before I go to a tournament. You’re there all day, and even though you’re not playing the entire time, you always have to be ready,” Williams says.

To prepare for a tournament, Williams tries to find out who his competitors are beforehand. He watches their streams and studies his opponents. Although, sometimes tournaments do not show who the gamers are competing with. 

On average, a match in Super Smash Brothers Melee lasts around ten to fifteen minutes. Usually it is for a set of games. Sometimes, if the competitor has sharp skills, they can finish their opponent in under eight minutes. 

During these tournaments, gamers do not have a lot of time to think about what move they need to make next. They need to make their next move in a split second or else, it would be easy for their competitor to win.

However, with juggling school, work, and the Super Smash Brothers Club, Williams has lost time to entirely focus on just competing.

“Ever since I got to college, I learned that it is really important to manage your time. I think I’ve gotten better at that, but I know I can be better,” Williams says as he shrugs his shoulders.

One of his goals is to win against a very popular gamer who goes by the name “DruggedFox” or otherwise known as Sami Muhanna. 

His face lit up when he started talking about Muhanna.

One of the reasons that motivated Williams to work so hard with Super Smash Brothers Melee was actually because of Sami. Ever since he started playing the game seriously, Sami has always been one of Williams’ main inspirations.

“I want to be just as good as him, or even better. I’ve competed against him in so many tournaments and have lost miserably” Williams says as he shakes his head smiling.

While he is still unsure exactly what specific career he wants to focus on for these large technology companies, Williams plans on staying in the West Coast. Many technology companies are based on the West Coast, and it is easier for Informatics major such as Williams to obtain a job in California.

“Like I said, the main goal is to work for Blizzard or Riot Games, but if that doesn’t fall through, I would still be happy working for any company here. I love the California weather, and I love the opportunities I was lucky to get here at UC Irvine,” Williams Says.