Phi Sigma Epsilon holds intense Mario Kart tournament

By Alex Lockwood, Lifestyle Writer

April 3, 2025

Players compete against each other in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Phi Sigma Epsilon held a single, elimination-style bracket tournament with a cash prize for the winner. (Alex Lockwood | Northern Star)

Pi Sigma Epsilon held a “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” tournament at the Esports Arena in Altgeld Hall on Thursday. Fun times were had by all competitors, as well as those who came as guests to support the racers.

The event gathered 33 players to compete in “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe”, a fast-paced multiplayer kart racer for the Nintendo Switch. The player turnout was welcomed by members of PSE, who organized a short, single-elimination bracket.

Groups of four players would meet at designated stations to play four races and gather points based on their position. Whoever ended the set of four races with the most points would move onto the next round, while the others would be eliminated. Though some of the eliminated players felt frustrated at the moment, many encouraged those who won their rounds and cheered them on from the sidelines.

An entry fee of $7 was required for registration, with $3 from each fee put toward a prize pool. A prize of a $25 gift card was given to the first-place winner of the tournament, with second and third place receiving $20 and $15 respectively.

Free pizza was given out to competitors as concessions. For those who didn’t want to test their competitive spirit, spectators could choose to pay $4 to partake in the food as well.

For Pi Sigma Epsilon, a co-ed business fraternity, these gaming events are intended as a way to give back to the community and grow social life on campus. The cash prize is offered as incentive for competition and any money not given to the winners is put aside to fund future events.

Zach Malkowski, a junior operations management and information systems (OMIS) major, was one of the organizers for the event and was happy to see the turnout.

“I’m just glad everyone came out to have a good time,” Malkowski said. “We do all this stuff for the community, and everyone had a lot of fun tonight.”

Pi Sigma Epsilon plans to host more events like this one in the future, though their exact plans are yet to be determined at this time. For those interested in any future events hosted by PSE, visit their Instagram page.