by Jordan Houser
Seniors Mark Williams and Seth Williamson have pioneered an on-campus gaming league so large that they were forced to turn away prospective members during the most recent recruitment period.
The Mario Kart League (MKL), as they have officially titled it, began in Spring 2013 and has grown each consecutive season since. Members of the league meet on a weekly basis to compete against one another in Mario Kart, the popular Nintendo video game.
“We started with myself, Seth [Williamson], Matthew [Valtaire], and Ryan Kremcheck. We were the four original members,” Williams said. “The following year we just went out and got one or two people that were our friends all to come in and join. After that, we all went out and got another one or two friends. And that’s how we went form four, to nine, to 20.”
The league has developed into a full-fledged organization that includes weekly match updates, player rankings, a league constitution, and a double-elimination tournament in the post-season. The founders have even earned formal titles for themselves, with Williams as League Commissioner, and Williamson as Official Scorekeeper.
Williams and Williamson were struck with the idea to start a formal league after realizing that their group of friendly competition had grown so large that an organized approach was possible.
“We just played a lot of Mario Kart. And we had a lot of [friends] who played Mario Kart, so we decided it was a good decision,” Williams said.
In its first season, the Mario Kart League had four members. The following season it had expanded to nine members. By this semester, in its third season, the interest was so great that prospective competitors were turned away after the twenty-member limit was reached.
“There was so much interest [that] we had to cap it at 20 because we wanted it to be manageable,” Williamson said. “If it grew too large, we thought that it would be very difficult to manage.”
Williams and Williamson drew from their own experiences in recreational play to develop and write their own rules for the MKL. The regulations have developed each consecutive season.
In its current form, the MKL consists of two-person teams competing against one another. Individual scores are tracked throughout the season to determine individual rankings and placing in the playoff bracket.
Each match consists of five races, with the “home” and “away” competitors both being given opportunities to choose in-game racetracks. Other game settings are also chosen in the matches, with certain stipulations set by league standards.
“At the end of five races, you add up the total score between you and your partner and compare it to your two opponents. Whoever has the higher score wins,” Williams said. “The game sets the score; it’s not a scoring system I developed.”
Members of the league are responsible for contacting their opponents and setting a time to meet for the weekly matchup. Williams and Williamson require that they both first approve of the gaming system and its setup before labeling it as “League Certified.” Currently, there are six systems approved for official league gaming.
The MKL 2014 regular season has ended and tournament play will carry through the end of the semester. Williams has spent such a large amount of time working within the MKL that he is able to quickly recite the placing and scores of the top-ranked competitors.
“The number one seed in the tournament is Seth,” Williams said. “He averages 67 points per race out of a possible 75. I am number two, and I average 64 out of a possible 75. Will Gehring is number three, averaging 62 out of a possible 75.”
Williamson, a running champion of two seasons, appears to be the frontrunner to finish the tournament undefeated. For Williams, as founder of the league and long-term friend of Williamson, this can cause frustration. He cites luck and computer errors as components that also influence placing.
“It is very frustrating to not be the best,” Williams said. “However, in Mario Kart, being the best driver does not always mean you win.”
Williams will graduate in May with a degree in Organizational Communications, as well as several minors in the business field. He is pursuing a career in the golf industry, in which he currently works. Williamson will also graduate in May with a degree in Marketing and Leadership Managements, and is currently an intern with Merrill Lynch. When they graduate, they hope for the league to continue on under the guidance of up-and-coming members.
“Steven Seyler and Travis Bosanac are supposed to jointly fill our positions and take over,” Williams said. “We should still have six or seven, and if they all bring in one or two people, we should be back up to that 20 members area we had this season.”
jhouser@capital.edu
