E-sports are not physically demanding or dangerous? Not at all, Rivals-of-Aether pro Zachary “CakeAssault” Benson pushed his body even beyond the limits of endurance, albeit somewhat unwillingly.
What happened? At the Riptide Show (via Twitch.tv) in Sandusky, Ohio, tournaments for Smash Bros, Splatoon 2, and also Rivals of Aether took place from September 10 to 12. The winner of the Rivals tournament was very happy about his victory, but perhaps a bit too much.
CakeAssault left not only without a winner’s title but also with a severe arm injury. During his excessive celebration and victory dance, he brought too many hot moves to the floor and dislocated his arm.
However, the commentators and stream viewers thought he had fainted due to the rapid stress relief. Only a video from a spectator present on site shows what really happened:
The pro did not let the accident take away his joy over the victory. The crowd was silent for a brief moment, but then CakeAssault jumped up and celebrated with his remaining arm as if nothing had happened.
CakeAssault gives statement: “The wrong attention for Rivals”
On Twitter, the tournament winner commented on the incident and reacted to the somewhat exaggerated coverage about it (via Twitter.com). CakeAssault also finds it unfortunate that the Rivals tournament and the Riptide Show have attracted attention in this way:
I can’t believe this is the point that brings attention to Rivals.
CakeAssault via Twitter.com
What kind of game is this? Rivals of Aether is a classic fighting game. In the well-known Smash Bros manner, two players hit each other to increase a percentage. This number hovers above the players’ heads and determines how forcefully they will be knocked back with the next hit. This continues until one of the players is catapulted off the level.
To achieve the goal of knocking the opponent off the stage, players must know their character’s movement and attacks well. Those who want to be among the best Rivals players memorize all 14 characters.
CakeAssault is not only among the best players, he is the best Rivals player — even if he literally had to leave an arm behind for it. No one will forget this incident anytime soon, and who knows, maybe CakeAssault’s accident will indeed attract more attention to the scene.
