Branches Book

BRANCHES

surprised when I was easily beaten by most of the other players. Regardless, I was welcomed at the tournament and felt that I shared a love for the game along with the other players. What brought all of us there was our passion for Melee , and our belief that its competition is unique. I have since tried to explain my passion for Melee to many people. My friends shrug it off, lacking the interest to share in my obsession. Others do not have the understanding of video games required to even know what I am talking about. Despite the difficulties I have sharing what Melee means to me, I’ll always regard it as a passion of mine. For what seemed like the longest time after the announcement of this project, I struggled to get words on paper. I knew this would be the case though, as I usually fumble at the beginning of big open assignments like this. I did not know what passion of mine to explore in writing. What I did know from the beginning though was that I wanted my piece to be short, and I did not want to write something creative. The topic of my paper is not one that everybody will be invested in, but I thought that this game means enough to me that I ought to write something about it. From the beginning of the process to this final piece, I feel that I have overcome personal obstacles to create an accurate view into one of my passions. Author’s Statement: Matthew Gelbart

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