While Gainesville residents regularly follow Gator football and basketball, a new fanbase tracks a UF student as he rises in the ranks of competitive gaming.
Juan Debiedma professionally plays Super Smash Bros. Melee and the new Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS under the pseudonym Hungrybox. The UF chemical engineering senior leads national rankings in the games.
Super Smash Bros. is a Nintendo game that pits the company’s classic characters against one another for an intense fighting game, and Debiedma leads the pack by playing the Pokemon franchise’s cute and cuddly Jigglypuff — a round, pink creature with pointed ears and big, blue eyes.
“I just played (Super Smash Bros.) with my friends back in 5th and 6th grade, and we were really competitive,” the 21-year-old said. “I’ve been playing the game for about seven or eight years now.”
Since his modest beginnings, Debiedma has performed well in several notable tournaments across the country.
“I realized I made it when I got third place at the Genesis (Tournament) in 2009,” he said. “It was my first time making money at an event that big, ever.”
He went on to win third place at EVO 2013 and second at EVO 2014, essentially the Super Bowl of fighting video games. This summer, Nintendo of America invited Debiedma to participate in the Super Smash Bros. invitational at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in California. While playing the unreleased Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, he finished second place after a gripping sudden death match.
“I use my accomplishments in Smash on my resume to show my leadership and ability to organize large scale events and network well,” he said.
When not practicing, he balances his often hefty schoolwork with his social life.
“Balancing is very difficult. If I want to do well at a tournament, it usually means sacrificing a good exam grade, and vice versa,” he said.
Debiedma makes great strides in developing the Super Smash Bros. community around Gainesville. Last weekend, he attracted 200 players to a statewide tournament at Kanapaha Presbyterian Church. As a member of UF’s Gator Gaming, he helps organize the GatorLAN events every semester as well.
“I try to host events on a semi-regular basis,” he said, “and I think the local players can definitely use that as an outlet to get better.”
In the near future, Debiedma hopes to get a job in chemical engineering. However, he plans to play Super Smash Bros. for as long as he can.
“I’ll compete in (Super Smash Bros.) for as long as I am physically able to and as long as it doesn’t interfere with other major things in life.”
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 11/13/2014]
