The third edition of the Hack n’ Smash tournament will take place Saturday at the CoWorks building on Fifth Avenue. Marshall University’s Hackers for Charity, the only university branch of the organization, is also hosting a Super Smash Brothers Ultimate charity bracket.

“It’s really nice to be able to combine community service with one of my passions,” said Jason Scott, president of Marshall’s Hackers for Charity. “It doesn’t really feel like I’m doing a charity event. You’re doing something you love, while supporting a great cause. It’s like the extra sugar on top.”

The organization has seen success in the past with drawing people in from all over the state to compete, while raising money for local charities.

“I know people from WVU that I’ve never met. It spreads to Maryland and Virginia as well,” Scottsaid. “It means a lot to me to be able to create a place for people with a similar hobby to come and hang out. It’s really nice to see all these people. I feel that this community has served as a bridge between all of the different areas.”

Marshall Smashers, an organization focused around the popular Nintendo fighting game “Super Smash Brothers,” has also given back to the Huntington Community. The organization recently began taking donations to help contribute to the February Collection for a Cause, a drive in which items such as deodorant, shampoo and razors are collected to be sent to the Huntington City Mission.

“These opportunities are there all the time,” said Austin Gaal, president of Marshall Smashers. “This was just on the Marshall Banner page for anybody. Anybody can do this. It often goes unnoticed. People may think, individually, that if they bought a couple things, that it wouldn’t make a big difference, but if you have a group of 30 people, maybe it can.”

When it comes to college, differences can oftentimes set people apart. However, Marshall Smashers has shown that those differences don’t really matter.

“People are from all over. People are from different cultural backgrounds. People are so, so different,” Gaal said. “When you can have a group together and do something like this, whether it be the drive or the upcoming charity brackets, people can put everything aside and come together and help pitch in.”

Along with those contributions, the two groups are coming together at HerdCon to do another charity bracket along with a charity raffle in which proceeds will go towards the Cabell Wayne Animal Shelter. With HerdCon coming up on March 16, both Scott and Gaal encourage any fans of the game, competitive or casual, to come out and support the local organizations.

Marshall Smashers meets each week on Tuesdays, starting at 7 p.m. in Harris Hall 102. More information regarding the group and the tournaments can be found by visiting the Hack n’ Smash 3 event page or the Marshall Smashers group on Facebook.

Tyler Kennett can be contacted at [email protected].