While sporting leagues across the Goulburn Valley have been falling victim to the coronavirus, one competition has been quietly running in the background.
Shepparton's Ethan Angell, 20, has been taking part in a Super Smash Bros Ultimate Esports tournament over the last few weeks.
It's a round-robin style competition played from home, linking gamers up in an all-in, battle-royalesque skirmish streamed live on Facebook organised by the volunteer youth organisation, Word and Mouth.
There's even a commentator calling the live, video-game action.
Mr Angell, who was part of the team of volunteers who organised the tournament, decided it looked like too much fun to simply sit and watch.
“I've spent the last two weeks cramming information from YouTube videos on how to play,” he said.
“Everyone is really good, there's only been one game that was one-sided and usually everyone is sweating pretty hard.”
Super Smash Bros. is a series of crossover fighting video games published by Nintendo featuring characters from various Nintendo games.
In the latest Nintendo Switch instalment used in the competition, players can select from 74 characters.
But in the cut-throat world of Super Smash Bros, Mr Angell's choice to play as a character named ‘Cloud Strife’ from Final Fantasy VII backfired.
“The best player switched to Cloud just to flex on me,” he said.Despite the competitive nature of the game, Mr Angell said he had been taken aback by how friendly everyone had been.
“There's good sportsmanship all round,” he said.
“And after we're finished, we stick around and play more.”
Originally from Queensland, Mr Angell has lived everywhere along the east coast of Australia from Caboolture to Nathalia.
Now happily residing in Shepparton, Mr Angell nabbed a scholarship for a Certificate III in Business which he is currently completing at GOTAFE, a qualification he picked for the variety of jobs it qualifies him for.
Mr Angell also volunteers with The Smith Family, but since the pandemic, he said things had been pretty quiet.
For now, his eyes are on taking home one of the tournament prizes, which include vouchers from local businesses.
Round three of the five-round tournament, run in partnership with the Australia Esports League, will kick off at 7 pm on Tuesday and can be watched live on the Word and Mouth Facebook page.
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