For the entire month of September, the Beercade welcomed both serious gamers and newcomers alike to enter a Grand Champion Event competition for some exciting prizes and an all-encompassing night of drinking, eating, and gaming. 

Since its opening in June 2022, Double Tap Beercade has been a staple for arcade gamers in downtown Iowa City’s Pedestrian Mall and is hosting its second annual Grand Champion Event.

Between two divisions, the “easy” and “hard” brackets, players can accumulate points to win high-value rewards.

The winner of the easy bracket will receive $250 in prizes from Double Tap’s “treasure chest,” some of which includes Marvel superhero memorabilia — a bottle opener in the shape of Thor’s Hammer; a Deadpool cooking apron — and any video game of choice, paid for by Double Tap.

Meanwhile, the winner of the hard bracket will be given $500 worth of tokens to be dispersed weekly, equating to a full year’s worth of free games.

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Although the September tournament is almost over, the Beercade still host weekly tournaments on Mondays that always manage to attract a new crowd depending on the game. Christian Gossweiler, the organizer of the weekly tournaments and Grand Champion Event spoke to Double Tap’s effort to introduce competitions like these into its business.

“Tournaments were always something we wanted to get off the ground, and now we’re able to do that efficiently and effectively,” Gossweiler said. “We get a different crowd each time because we do rotate the games,” but that the size of the crowd is “always consistent.”

Those interested in attending arcade tournaments with large rewards can visit Double Tap Beercade in the Ped Mall at 121 E. College St. A Super Smash Bros double elimination tournament will be held on Oct. 2, from 5-8 p.m.