A group of Nicholls students will hold a free, weekly video game tournament open to anyone interested every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Bollinger Memorial Student Union. “BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger,” a 2-D fast-paced fighting game, will be played in the tournament. “BlazBlue” was released on home consoles earlier this year. The game takes place in 2199 A.D., several years after the eruption of a Civil War. Characters in the game compete by trying to knock out the opponent with various attacks. A match consists of one to five rounds, known as “rebels.” The console version includes all the content from the arcade and added features, such as new music, animations, backgrounds and a story-mode.

While the game is available on multiple platforms, the one that will be played in the tournament is the Playstation 3 version. The tournament will follow a bracket system, where players will have to win two out of three matches twice to advance to the next round. When a player loses, he must select a different character for the next fight. Mike Prehn, culinary arts senior from Mandeville, will provide all the equipment used in the tournament, but participants are welcome to bring their own controllers.

Prehn, who is in charge of organizing the tournament, said there is no entry fee, and it is purely for fun. Each week’s winner is allowed to change a rule for the following week of play. Prehn is the defending tournament champion, a title held for two and a half years. With a current record of 36-0, he said students should not be afraid to join the tournament.

“Some people are scared they will get knocked off quickly, so they don’t want to participate, but that’s not always the case,” Prehn said. “Eighty percent of the people who play are not fighting game enthusiasts, which makes the majority of the playing field level to new participants.” He said it is only when people get to the higher ranks that the competition gets difficult.

The tournament, while competitive, is laid back and good-spirited in nature, Prehn said. Those in charge make sure to keep the competition friendly.

“BlazBlue” is not the only tournament that will be offered. A “Street Fighter 4” competition is said to be coming soon. No date has been determined yet.