“I’m hooked forever”: Inside the small, toxic, and passionate Super Smash Bros. Brawl scene from the eyes of GENESIS X3 champion Chia

Within the nook of the GENESIS X3 conference, with eight CRT TVs, no stage, no livestream, and no microphone, was a match for an 18-year-old recreation with a $450 prize pool on the road. And it meant the world to the 45 or so gamers who competed.

That is Tremendous Smash Bros. Brawl. That is every little thing, particularly for Christina “Chia” Korsak, ranked #4 within the SSBBRank as of Summer time 2025. She flew to San Jose to compete in Brawl – to show one thing to herself, to lastly get first at a GENESIS, as a result of she will’t assist however really feel compelled to compete.

However she advised me that if she gained this match, it is perhaps the top of her Brawl profession.

“The win would oddly be serendipitous,” she mentioned to Esports Insider. “With the problems I’ve skilled within the scene, I’m extremely contemplating that, if I win, I’ll announce that I’m retiring from the sport. With the caveat that I’ll come again if the neighborhood is handled. It’s not an ultimatum. However I’ll really feel I’ve achieved sufficient that I can go a yr or two with out taking part in Brawl and really feel high-quality.”

This could finish her practically 25-year profession in Smash.

Chia has been competing in Tremendous Smash Bros. since Melee’s launch in 2001. However when Brawl got here out in 2008, she made the soar together with many professional Melee gamers. The entire huge names had been competing in Brawl, enthralled with the aggressive meta of its early days – earlier than Meta Knight took over, after all.

It was an superior time.

Nonetheless, the aggressive scene began to decelerate in late 2013 when Tremendous Smash Bros. 4 was introduced. With a brand new recreation popping out in six months and Mission M gaining momentum, Brawl was already beginning to fade out. Solely in Smash would a mod be bigger than the official video games. With extra technical parts and a wider vary of viable characters, Chia was a kind of Smash gamers who made the change.

However she by no means left Brawl.

It was at all times within the background, even when Tremendous Smash Bros. Final got here out in 2018. That recreation had all of the hype for some time. The neighborhood was dying to know who the following DLC fighters can be and the professional scene was thriving, that includes a major Leonardo “MkLeo” Perez. There was no denying it was the Smash recreation for some time.

However there was one thing about Brawl.

“That combination of being in a aggressive scene when it first got here out, being probably the most try-hard of try-hards. Me, Mew2King, and Velocity used to drive from Philly to Brawl tournaments twice a month throughout New England, Virginia… His gamertag was Velocity as a result of he drove actually quick. We’d simply discover any huge match, getting apply and publicity towards individuals in Majors throughout the nation,” she recalled.

And who might overlook these limitless summer time nights the place she’d simply hear Meta Knight utilizing Mach Twister again and again as Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman practiced? The dude spent hours labbing, calculating precise projections for when characters had been knocked again by sure strikes at particular harm percentages. For higher or worse, that reminiscence doesn’t depart you.

There’s simply one thing about Brawl that made her preserve attempting. All through the years, the Brawl tournaments have been getting smaller and smaller. Fewer persons are flying out to compete. Some Majors don’t also have a stream. The Brawl match at GENESIS X3 had only a handful of spectators whereas Melee and Final had a whole bunch of individuals watching a large display on stage, screaming so loud you could possibly barely hear the poor TO name names out for Brawl units.

“I simply f***ing love taking part in this recreation,” Chia mentioned. “It’s bizarre the way it can nonetheless entice my consideration, much more than the present titles. Greater than each different recreation. I’ll get sucked right into a Zelda recreation for, like, three hours lately. However if you happen to sit me in entrance of a Brawl bracket, I’m hooked without end.”

Brawl is a recreation of obsession and grit. Once I even requested her what the prize cash was, she didn’t know. I don’t assume she even cared. Brawl is for the neighborhood. It’s for the love of the sport. The rivalries, the storylines. I’ve at all times marveled at how video games like Melee and Brawl have esports scenes fueled solely by ardour. There may be actually no cash available, no sponsors, no groups, no huge crowds.

All Chia wanted was a CRT TV and long-time opponents to beat. That was sufficient to take the flight.

Regardless of the clear quantity of ardour it takes to play a recreation competitively for practically 20 years, Chia admitted that a number of the ardour has left her over the previous few years.

Whereas Brawl’s lack of assist from Nintendo and main sponsors is what makes it so grassroots, it’s additionally what makes it a bit harmful. There aren’t any strict laws that apply to each occasion. Crappy individuals can typically slip by means of the cracks, Chia mentioned, as a result of each match organizer has their very own guidelines and bans in place.

This could be a drawback once you’ve handled “relentless hate” like Chia.

“I’ve a variety of supporters and folks will defend me,” she mentioned. “However there’s a lot toxicity, and I can’t actually attain out to TOs and inform them about points with individuals. It seems like a endless loop of whether or not they’re allowed or not. It at all times seems like weekly discussions on stuff they’ve completed to me two years in the past at occasions.

“It’s bizarre that being in such a special area of interest – a prime 10 participant on this planet – and I nonetheless obtain hate and nothing can really be completed about it besides banning them from my very own occasions…. If a prime participant in Melee was harassed like I used to be, they’d be banned and within the media. In Brawl, it by no means will get handled.”

It frankly will get exhausting to maintain combating to enhance the neighborhood. And it’s simply as exhausting to compete when there are individuals saying sure issues that ship you into shock, throwing round useless names and slurs. Chia doesn’t wish to lose her aggressive consolation recreation, however she’s getting “too outdated” to take care of these things. It’s not price her time to compete towards somebody who’s sending her into fight-or-flight mode throughout brackets. She might simply change to Smash 6 when it comes out and be left alone.

She didn’t enter Supernova’s Brawl match final yr – regardless of it being the most important in measurement and talent – to guard her psychological well being. She was additionally invited to a Brawl Invitational final yr that included the 2 individuals she doesn’t wish to take care of, so she missed out on the match (and the free flight that was supplied to her).

“It simply sucks that almost all of these items occurred a couple of years in the past, however it’s by no means been ‘dealt with.’ I wish to transfer on as properly. However I wish to stick up for myself and different minorities in the neighborhood,” she mentioned. “These drawback individuals don’t have a private situation with me; they discuss very down on different LGBTQ+ members of the neighborhood.

“After they’re allowed, I simply don’t enter.”

While you consider the most well-liked esports scenes on the market – VALORANT, League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2 – you notice that the gamers retire fairly early. It’s not fairly often that you just see professionals competing for over 20 years.

Though Brawl has some points (Meta Knight, floatiness, tripping), gamers have continued to compete for years. What makes Smash gamers so devoted? What retains them taking part in the identical recreation for 20 years?

“A technique is that, whether or not we notice it or not, we had been skilled for this,” Chia advised me. “Smash has been round 25 years or so now. In contrast to different aggressive video games that get a brand new model each one to 3 years, our wait durations are 5 to eight years.”

In contrast to video games like Marvel Rivals, which get frequent updates, Smash has remained the identical for years. The characters haven’t modified, the meta hasn’t actually modified, and the gameplay has modified. However that’s the one Smash recreation you’ll have for years, so that you gotta keep it up.

And also you gained’t be alone. With no high quality on-line play, Brawl apply and tournaments are at all times in-person. This made fixed grinding extra rewarding, figuring out you’d be part of the neighborhood and journey everywhere in the world.

Even whereas working towards at dwelling, forward of GENESIS, Chia advised me she might go on Discord and ask different aggressive gamers to apply and there was at all times somebody prepared. For Chia, the issue earlier than the tourney wasn’t actually the sport itself. It was psychological.

She didn’t actually compete for over a yr as she labored on the psychological points she felt had been holding her again. Whereas working towards, consuming properly, and sleeping had been all useful, being constant was nonetheless a battle for her. She realized that she would usually really feel that sense of struggle or flight towards lesser gamers, spiraling if she felt herself slipping towards somebody she is aware of she ought to beat.

“Somebody will play worse with a gun pointed at your head. Enjoying throughout that worry… I’ve to try this for each bracket set,” Chia mentioned. “Now I monitor my coronary heart charge variability – decrease means your physique goes by means of it. Regular is like 40-50 coronary heart charge.”

She was within the single digits.

You’d by no means know Chia was that terrified if you happen to noticed her at GENESIS X3. She appeared fully in her ingredient, speaking with different professionals and working towards forward of units. However perhaps that’s all a part of the method. A part of getting out of your head.

Nonetheless, Chia advised me she was frightened concerning the third seed of the match, ISH, a mid-tier Wolf participant ranked round 14th-18th on the time. Chia beat them finally yr’s GENESIS, however admittedy dropped some video games. R.O.B., Chia’s important, has some points with Wolf. Each are “sh***y mid-tier” fighters, and the struggle isn’t baked into her muscle reminiscence simply but. Final yr, Chia needed to whip out King Dedede to complete the job.

All through the weekend, Chia appeared fairly assured. She mentioned every little thing in need of “I do know I’m going to win.” Even different opponents knew. They felt it. Kurobi, a prime participant from Japan, pointed at Chia after watching her bracket, saying: “Me and also you, Finals.”

Chia had gained huge occasions main as much as GENESIS X3, however by no means a serious of this measurement. Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma had beforehand advised her: “Upon getting confirmed you are able to do it, you are able to do it once more lots simpler.”

However would Chia stick round after successful GENESIS X3? Main as much as the Grand Finals, she mentioned she nonetheless couldn’t resolve. There have been some engaging occasions lined up after GENESIS X3 she didn’t wish to miss. Then again, she wasn’t positive she might take care of the drama behind the scenes for one more decade.

Whereas the uncertainty of her future in Brawl remained, Chia was clearly very centered on the current. She wiped ISH 3-1 within the Winners Finals. She then confronted Kurobi within the Grand Finals. It was shut, however she beat him 3-2. The emotional, tiring, and thrilling weekend was lastly completed. She took dwelling $225. It wasn’t streamed. Barely anybody was round to look at her pop off.

However it wasn’t about that. It was about lastly successful GENESIS.

After successful GENESIS X3, I requested Chia once more whether or not she was going to retire. It didn’t look like it. Perhaps a break. Perhaps a bit extra selective with which tourneys to attend. On X, she nonetheless talks a bit about her rank in Brawl and the state of the sport, however she’s been largely competing in Pokémon and spending time along with her new girlfriend.

However is she absolutely completed with Brawl? Is she retired? I’d enterprise to say no. It could be onerous to go away a small scene after you gained a large match. It’d be onerous to go away a small scene you’ve been part of for many years. That’s simply the way in which it goes for Smash. You don’t depart. You’ll be able to’t.

Chia, I’ll see you on the subsequent Brawl main.