Sept. 19, 2024

This paid piece is sponsored by SDN Communications.

For the Bergan families, this weekend’s SoDak Circuit esports event will be a family affair.

Seven members of the families will be competing in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch during the Sioux Falls tournament, which is being powered by SDN Communications as well as its 17 member-owned companies across South Dakota. The tournament is free to the public and will be at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. Pre-registration for the free event is open now.

But the Bergans, who all live in Sioux Falls, don’t need a tournament to express their love for gaming. The family has been passionate about playing video games since the 1990s and before.

John Bergan (upper left) and Michael Bergan (upper right) pose in front of a TV screen showing Mario Kart 64 in the late 1990s with their friends Matt Havlik (lower left) and Larry Moose (lower right). Moose is holding the trophy that he won for taking first place in the battle mode competition. All four of them are pointing to the character they played as.

Michael, John and David Bergan grew up in Madison, where they learned early to enjoy games of all types. Their father, Jud Bergan, an optometrist, introduced his sons to board games like Monopoly and chess at an early age. Eventually, the boys discovered video games as well. The competition, the challenge — they loved it all. They even got their dad involved in video games.

“The first game we got him to play was Super Mario Kart,” John said.

John Bergan, Jeff Wilde and Michael Bergan play an N64 game in 2000.

John, 38, is the youngest of his brothers. He said the beginning of video gaming for his family “goes beyond my memory.” But his mother tells the story of one weekend when she left her family to take a trip. When she returned, a then 3-year-old John was happily playing Super Mario Bros. with his older brothers. Once he started, he never stopped.

In 2008, while in college at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, he even took first place in a Super Smash Bros. tournament.

“I think for me, one of the draws is the challenge and the feeling of completion and satisfaction,” he said.

Smash Bros. Club would draw 30 to 40 kids

Michael, the middle son, loved playing video games so much that in high school, he started a weekly Smash Bros. Club in Madison. Each week, 30 to 40 kids would gather at his family’s home to socialize and play games of all type.

“It became a social event. … Eventually, we had two TVs where the games were being played. And maybe a board game would be going on too.”

He said his mother, Jean Mallory, would stock up the shelves with pop and snacks.

“She viewed it as an opportunity to be a community outlet for kids,” he said.

David, the oldest, said the games are a great way to bring people together, provide mental stimulation and teach kids the importance of sportsmanship. And that’s a good thing, noting that the average teen spends far too much time by themselves on apps like Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.

“I’m in favor of any game that physically brings people into the same space with each other,” he said, “whether it’s Mario Kart on a couch, throwing beanbags, shooting pool or playing cards.”

He also has been involved with teaching chess to hundreds of kids in the Harrisburg and Sioux Falls schools over the past seven years.

Like any good family tradition, gaming has been passed down to the brothers’ own children.

Rachel Bergan, Eric Bergan and Jack Bergan play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with their uncle John Bergan (second from left).

“Just like my dad wanted to teach me chess … you want to pass on some memories. … I like that we can all play on the couch together,” Michael said.

Take Jack, David’s 14-year-old son. He has grown up on video games, playing with his father and uncles. He’ll be competing this weekend at the SoDak Circuit as well.

“Smash Bros. is one of his favorites,” David said. “I’d like to see how far Jack can make it this weekend.”

Esports and video games ‘bring people together’

Ethan, Michael’s 13-year-old, also will be competing this weekend. And then there’s Rachel, Michael’s daughter, who at just 11 will be competing in the 10- to 12-year-old division, along with her brother Eric. The rest of the family will compete in the 13-and-older division.

Rachel recognizes that as a girl, she might seem like a bit of an anomaly in gaming. The perception is that gaming is a male-dominated sport. But the number of girls is growing, with some estimates that 46 percent of the players worldwide are female.

Rachel has been playing “as long as I can remember.” She said playing video games lets her escape into another “little world.” It’s fun and challenging, she said.

Bergan brothers David, Michael and John

Her favorite game is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but she is going to compete in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

“I’m practicing for it,” she said.

She has decided to play as Donkey Kong because he has “a lot of moves” and can cause more damage to his opponents.

Michael is excited for his kids to get the chance to compete. And he’s looking forward to testing his own skills against other gamers this weekend.

“You kind of want to see how good you are compared to the average person,” he said. “I’m hoping to win one or two games, but you just don’t know. There are people who have been playing this (since it was introduced), and this isn’t the game I grew up on. … So it will be interesting to see where I will stack up.”

For his brothers, they also look forward to flexing their gaming skills a bit at the tournament. But mostly they love the idea of being together as a family and passing on their love of games.

“Games are just a great thing to bring people together,” David said.

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