Hoang started playing "Super Smash Bros." when it was released for the Nintendo 64, but never competed in an organized tournament for the game, due to a lack of a widespread competitive scene at the time. When "Super Smash Bros. Melee" was released for the Nintendo GameCube, Ken initially did not enjoy it, but the game grew on him after a period of a few months. By the time he attended his first tournament, he already built up a reputation in his town as the best "Smash" player. This tournament differed from most later "Super Smash Bros. Melee" tournaments in that matches were free-for-all matches between four players rather than a 1 vs 1 match. The other players teamed up against Hoang to eliminate him.