
This is a somewhat major tournament - sometimes we get some of the top players from LA - but it’s free, paid for by sponsors.” “What’s cool about this,” said Brian Navarro, a 19-year-old UC San Diego sophomore, “is at the major tournaments you mostly have to pay. Organizers and university officials say it has grown every year, and it apparently is gaining a reputation in the gaming community. The 8th annual Winter Gamefest is a free student-run videogame event open to UC San Diego students and the general community. We’re waiting to see who we are competing against.”

Right now I’m just spectating, but we came over here for a tournament.

“I didn’t have school today,” Samaan said as he watched four UC San Diego students play Super Smash Bros. Antwan Samaan, a 15-year-old Castle Park High School student, insisted that he did not cut class Friday to attend Winter Gamefest 2012 at the University of California San Diego.
