The Wallbusters gaming group organizes video tournament for staff and incarcerated residents in a first of its kind community-building event.
Presented by Smash Brothers, the event was held in the facility’s Gymnasium. It was open to all staff and residents who wanted to participate in a day of gaming.
The gaming day was a collaboration between Wallbusters and the SQ California Resource Team to build community with those that may feel isolated.
“It’s a community building event to bring everyone together as a community because some people feel left out, said resident Alfonzo Landa.
Chairman for Wallbusters said, “This event can help with…solving conflict[s]…through gaming.”
The matchups were 3 brackets of 64 players, competing a single game elimination match, with one winner from each category.
Goodie bags valued at 50 dollars each, were provided to the first place winners. The prizes were sponsored by the “People in Blue” an incarcerated led group of event organizers. CMT provided popcorn to all participates.
The winners were residents Jose Mya, Gabriel Moctezuma, and SQ Correctional Officer S. Hernandez.
Officer Hernandez choose to give his prize to second runner up resident Joshua Childers, who was surprised and thankful at the same time.
“It was really cool for him to give me his prize,” said Childers. ” You don’t see stuff like that happening in places like this [prison]. I appreciate being in an environment where I can play video games with a Correctional Officer.”
Mya, one of the winners, says he began playing Smash Brothers in 2005 when he was five years old, playing every day prior to incarceration.
“It feels great to win and I felt I won because, I know my character very well,” Mya said. “I know that timing is important in the game, and I feel this event eases the pressure of everyday life so it gives me a sense of normalization.”
The Smash Brothers sweepstakes was the highlight of the day, but people were also playing board games like, Monopoly, Corn Hole, Play Station 4, and Marvel Arcade.
Residents expressed hope that events like this continue to happen at the Q and other prisons. Remarking that gaming helps with rehabilitation, making connections with unfamiliar people.
“It helps me with rehabilitation because I can meet people that I wouldn’t normally meet,” said Kevin Binkman. “It allows you to be in communication with other people who have different backgrounds and cultures from you.”
Binkman says he never played video games prior to coming to prison; he started playing Marvel Munchkin a year ago.
The incarcerated people at the Q says that they love events like this one, but they feel it should be a privilege to play video games and not a right, because some people can mess it up for others. Dante Knight lost in the semifinals, he stated gaming should be a privilege. People who continuously get rules violation reports and making no effort to change should not be allowed to participate.
“It should be more stuff like this because everybody is getting along, and coming to a common ground at an event like this where we have no violent accidents,” said Treavion Early, a participant in the SQ Youth Offender Program.
According to Wallbusters they are hoping to hold therapeutic gaming events every quarter instead of every year. They have hope of building better nonviolent communication with the people at the Q.
Early adds events like this can create a gaming community with the staff and the residents, creating a better outlet for problem solving on common ground.
