Ask Alex Strife TO specifics THREAD

[theDuL0R]

I'm pretty sure Alex Strife has a regular 9-5 job.

 

[Alex Strife]

Alex, do you just T.O as a hobby or do you actually do this as a business and make a living off of it?

I work a full time job. For me this is a hobby. A hobby I really enjoy.

posting up in a moment!

 

[Alex Strife]

Ok everyone I am back for another breakdown.​

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One of the things I have learn is that no matter how good you are for the community, you still have people that will be agianst that. Those people are born from simple ignorance or jealous. I will be breaking down how you can handle it and push past it.​

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Simple Ignorance​

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You have to remember the one thing about gaming communities. It is high school but with grown-ups. People will do and say things that you will always find offensive. It is a part of life. When you realize this a lot of things that people do make a lot more sense. Think of this :​

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People that say things behind your back/forums but will say the opposite in person. That is something that they will do because in theri eyes the only way they have the courage to say anything negative is behind a computer screen. There is this one player that constant seems to talk trash to others, for example. He complains about payouts, seeding, and everything under the sun. In person he says none of this, offers no help in seeding, and tried to always be a pain without lending a hand. Those people you have to ignore. They are ignorant to the effort and thought that is put into an event. They will ALWAYS complain about everything because that is what they do. You ask for thier opinion and they are easy to sit there and not provide one. If you find someone like this ignore them. They are more about feeling better about themselves than helping the community.​

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Jealous Folk​

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Yea there are out there. We can spend hours discussing the reasons behind this. Simply put there are some people in this world that want to see you fail for no other reason than they want to be considered "the best". They do not want to help the community just themselves and their friends.​

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Personally I always believe that helping the community means I won't have any recognition until the end of my career. Do I want respect now? Yea, but, I realize that they will always have reasons to hate you.​

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There is always a guy that wants to get you. Maybe they had a bad experience and didn't tell you, maybe they just think they are a better host or they THINK they know everything because they have been in the community so long they expect things to stay the same. Bottom line is that they would rather make things worst than better. They do not want to help you, or help the community. They are out to just hurt you.​

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Conclusion​

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How do you deal with this? Remember what was said before about high school? In HS you ignore it and work hard and same goes for you here. Easiest way to beat people like that. Another way is simply confronting them. They will not say it to your face and that makes you look good for confronting them in person ( non-violently guys I do not want people fighting :D ). They can be bigger, have more influence, or whatever, they won't touch you. No matter what happens they will know that if they do anything to you in person they look bad not you.​

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In the end you have to be the bigger person to a point where you push yourself to the sky.​

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Tomorrow I will let you know the DIFFERENCE between a person who runs a tournament and a Tournament Organizer/ Community Leader. I will also go on about how to help become one.​

 

[theDuL0R]

This is a problem I've had to deal with since I first started running events. Especially from some other tourney hosts. I try to not let it get to me. But in the end, I let my events do the talking for me. It's been a long road (2 years strong) but I've always pushed forward and adapted to make things better. Great stuff again Strife!

 

[cmu6eh]

Love your post alex. Evolution is the survival of the fittest

 

[SCC_Cone]

Great read, I'm looking forward to your post about the difference between running tournaments and being a TO, I sure hope I fall into the more positive category...

 

[Djent]

This is the best thread in this forum right now.

 

[Alex Strife]

Let me try this with my iPad.

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What makes a TO and what makes them just a bracket runner.


There are people who just run brackets. They host an event, run it, and pack up at the end of the day. Rinse, lather, repeat every week/month and collect what little they will probably get from a local store. Even I was one when I first started. I remember a great quote that describes this situation.


"Get into the community. Find out their likes, dislikes, and learn to be one of them. Only then can you run events for them and gain their respect" - Craig "torbull" Levine Owner of ESAE a major E-Sports brand.


Look at that quote and realize what it means. You can BE in a community and run events but you have to always push what those events are and the perception of them. Here are examples of what you can/cannot do as an Community Leader, aka a Tournament Organizer.

- Grow the community

To do this it is as simple as promoting your event on smashboards. At least that is what lazy people will tell you. Smashboards is not the end all be all of Nintendo game forums. There are a few you can look to. Nsider is one, Gamefaqs is another, and so on and so forth. Look for other community forums to find new people. Do not just SPAM stuff but actually take a look and learn. Not every community has the same views and it takes a great bit of effort but it gains you the ability to promote across multiple sites and create a larger reach.

Other examples are just to go around to your local gaming stores, high schools, colleges, and areas frequented by youths and fans of gaming all the like. You can do a lot with these resources. For gaming stores you can barter for free swag to give away or buy equipment at a discounted rate. Use these to think of ways to help the community. Host for them, for example, a charity event in exchange for supporting your event that would be more towards the traditional tournament standard.

Do not, under any circumstances, align yourself with people that claim they are the end all, be all, of a community. You know the type but I will break it down. They are usually the ones that sound like they are over compensating. If you do not know what that means remember what I said previously about the people that want to bring you down for jealousy? Well this is what they do to those starting out. They like to "impose" thier will upon you making demands like it is their right. Those people do not help you they want to take credit for your hard work. Also, they tend to show up in a group usually. Most of them never seem to go to you one by one. In my expereince those people are those who the community think helps them but they really do not. It is all about themselves and that is something you should remember.

-Events/Side-Events Structure


What I have said since we had the ability to have multiple games is that locals should run all three games. If you break into all the communities and are able to handle them then it would benefit you and the venue to have them. Look at CrossFire II for example. It had several games and a lot of people came out. There was enough space and enough setups to do pretty much anything. If you do not like one of the games, I understand, but I think investing in helping others shows that we are all in this together. Remember that Smash is Smash no matter the version.

Never EVER publically bash a game. That makes you sound very elitist and it will bite you in the end. Some hosts I know did that and the other community STOPPED/NEVER SHOWED UP for tournaments. Be nice and respect everyone or else it will hurt you.

Me? I talk to every community and treat them as equal as I can.


-What makes a TO?

Simple fact is a tournament organizer furthers the community not just runs an event. That means supporting everyone and everything. That means making new contacts, talking to new people, and making sure everyone has a good time EVERYWHERE. You are basically the leader of the group. You organize car rides, hotel rooms, everything to help your friends, and community attend events. A person who runs tournaments just does that...runs tournaments. They often sit there, play whatever they want, and expect the community to run itself. Never be that. BE more than the sum of the parts.

Go to a tournament and watch how they run the event. Do they talk to people? Do they just sit around and play a game and leave the Laptop with Tio open? Do they not use a venue to the fullest?


If the answers to those are no, yes and no then it is not a tournament host it is a person who just runs a brakcet ( albiet poorly )


Next time I will break down the basics of why/how a TO can get paid for hard work.

 

[abcool]

That was an excellent read I was really looking forward to the post about the difference between a T.O and a Bracket runner. I am definitely a T.O. I have/had an uphill battle though. The Bahamas is a very small country and that creates less diversity and a lot of bigots. I have been trying to grow a competitive scene since 2006(when I left high school) even when the odds were against me I pushed onwards. It's tough when it's only you as a person that thinks about doing this in your country--especially when no one else before you has ever done it or your peers thinking the idea is ludicrous/doubting you. People in this country still to this day(Outside the community) Think that I pulled this whole competitive smash idea out of my ***. They don't know this game is played competitively in other countries, or even has Internationals (Apex, Genesis and now EVO).

There is an anime/gaming club here, that are so elitist it's not even funny...it's only the 1 or 2 trolls in the group though, the actual owners don't know me that well, so I am trying to help them with an up and coming traditional fighting game event; to give a good impression. I never had help before with my community, but I think it's time to branch out and increase the numbers--which is always on my mind.

I run tournaments, record videos, write up the results...I do everything to be honest. I have a crew though that is super supportive especially one named Rudra. I think having that one friend to keep you from getting overwhelmed and reminding you of your purpose for doing all of it helps too.

I am the only smash T.O here and I do doubt myself sometimes about all of this, but threads like this is really inspiring and shows me I am on the right track. I'll keep pushing and trying and maybe one day someone from the states may visit here and want to link up with my scene, that would be awesome. I can't wait for the next read, Alex. ^-^

 

[theDuL0R]

What I have said since we had the ability to have multiple games is that locals should run all three games. If you break into all the communities and are able to handle them then it would benefit you and the venue to have them. Look at CrossFire II for example. It had several games and a lot of people came out. There was enough space and enough setups to do pretty much anything. If you do not like one of the games, I understand, but I think investing in helping others shows that we are all in this together. Remember that Smash is Smash no matter the version.

THAT'S RIGHT!! LOOK AT CROSSFIRE II!! HAHA Thanks for the shout out Strife!

That was an excellent read I was really looking forward to the post about the difference between a T.O and a Bracket runner. I am definitely a T.O. I have/had an uphill battle though. The Bahamas is a very small country and that creates less diversity and a lot of bigots. I have been trying to grow a competitive scene since 2006(when I left high school) even when the odds were against me I pushed onwards. It's tough when it's only you as a person that thinks about doing this in your country--especially when no one else before you has ever done it or your peers thinking the idea is ludicrous/doubting you. People in this country still to this day(Outside the community) Think that I pulled this whole competitive smash idea out of my ***. They don't know this game is played competitively in other countries, or even has Internationals (Apex, Genesis and now EVO).

There is an anime/gaming club here, that are so elitist it's not even funny...it's only the 1 or 2 trolls in the group though, the actual owners don't know me that well, so I am trying to help them with an up and coming traditional fighting game event; to give a good impression. I never had help before with my community, but I think it's time to branch out and increase the numbers--which is always on my mind.

I run tournaments, record videos, write up the results...I do everything to be honest. I have a crew though that is super supportive especially one named Rudra. I think having that one friend to keep you from getting overwhelmed and reminding you of your purpose for doing all of it helps too.

I am the only smash T.O here and I do doubt myself sometimes about all of this, but threads like this is really inspiring and shows me I am on the right track. I'll keep pushing and trying and maybe one day someone from the states may visit here and want to link up with my scene, that would be awesome. I can't wait for the next read, Alex. ^-^

And never give up man!! I started TOing 2 years ago. As a newbie, I got hated on by members of this community. But I fought and beat all odds. And because of my efforts, I currently have the Brawl Singles (54 players) and Doubles (20 teams) Attendance record here on Long Island (which I still aim to break). Keep doing what you are doing man! If you believe, you will succeed!

 

[SCC_Cone]

Hmmmmmm, after reading your post... I think I'm hovering somewhere in the middle.

Sure, I'm not actively trying to grow my community, but the people I've influenced have met a lot of other friends on their own and a lot of people here prefer the way things have been going for quite some time.

I know my own little community and what they prefer, and I can tell that they would prefer that I do NOT actively try to increase the size of our community.

When we want to branch out (the truly "hardcore"), we look to actively leave our little community and join another (SwiftBass's, actually).

I know that if we were to invite other serious Smashers, our regular tournament goers would be deterred by seeing so many players much better and would probably fall out and not want to play Smash anymore.

Just reinforcing Alex Strife's point: KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY.

 

[SSGuy]

If you are starting out small but want to host a large scale regional, what is the best way for getting sponsorship (such as Best Buy) on board. (Like if I wanted to host a mini-Apex and doing it for the first time)

 

[Alex Strife]

If you are starting out small but want to host a large scale regional, what is the best way for getting sponsorship (such as Best Buy) on board. (Like if I wanted to host a mini-Apex and doing it for the first time)

Easiest way is to get in touch with th regional manager and try to strike a deal. It is rough but usually w if you try hard enough it works out.

 

[Alex Strife]

ggoing to post the next section up within the next two days

 

[Alex Strife]

Next time I will break down the basics of why/how a TO can get paid for hard work.


Phew.

After a long while I am back. Sorry for the wait guys I have been working extra hard and dealing with a lot of personal issues.

So how can a Tournament Organizer make money ? Well let us break down some facts.

• We do not make bank on any event. We work hard only because we love you guys. I can only speak for myself but I have a full time job. Anything I do, event wise, is done on the side.
• Customer is not always right. In this business it is about innovation and upgrading each time. Fans may want something but it might not be feasible for a TO or cost effective. Remember that we work together not alone. That being said you should not use that as an excuse to push your agenda ( meaning BS rulesets )

Now there is something you have to consider and , many do not do this , but plan out your event from pre-event to post event and include every ( I MEAN EVERY ) expense.
Let's start with a few things that can be done at any regional-sized event

Venue = $1,000
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Most people stop at that and do not consider

Power = $300
Power Strips + Cords = $400
Stream Director = $200
Food = $100

There are a lot of things you can input but consider all of that. Then remember that there are ways to circumvent costs. You have to be realistic in that regard. For example the Power ( whcih is usually a drop to avoid black outs ) can be avoided if you only have a smaller event. Power Stripes and cables are great but you have people bring those. On the other side you might need them depending on the event. They also might be used any time you wish rather than relying on the community. Those are things you have to think about with budgets.
So once you have a budget down you are all set right?

NOPE.
That is just an example of regional let's look at a local level and how we deal with...GAMING CENTERS!
What people say is that they are amazing. This is 100% not true. A majority of them are just meh. Why? It is not about growing the scene ( not unless you are Game Underground those guys are top tier). It is about gettingand keeping people spending money at their store.
With them it is about knowing your worth. Two ways to get paid by these people

1. Work there. Do not just try to run events for X Game and expect anything. Offer to work at the store doing events, running the counter, fixing things if you can. Be a staffer. Chain-Ace does that and works at an AMAZING place cause of it. Even if you get paid 9-10 an hour it is worth it as a College/HS person cause its MONEYYY. Do not forget the perks ( PLAYING GAMES FOR FREE )
2. Commission. This is a bit complicated. You ask for a cut of the venue fee in exchange for services. Remember you are worth something to them and always be ready to pick up and move else where if anything.

Overall never underestimate yourself. If you are a proven product work hard and make sure that what you do matters not just to the community but to yourself.
Next time I will explain a bit more about stream production.

 

[DeLux]

In your experience, how many setups is enough to warrant some sort of power panel installation?

 

[TM_icecream]

Why doesn't people attend my tournies?

 

[xBlitz]

If any locals in the Brampton area hold little tournaments, and I like the way things are run, I'd be down to catch a tourney early and help out with everything beforehand for free, just because Brampton has no tournaments, and the drive to Toronto is a mission >.>

 

[Alex Strife]

In your experience, how many setups is enough to warrant some sort of power panel installation?

That is based upon the venue. Some venues you do not have to worry about it and some are horribly wired.

You have to consult an electrician to find out tbh.

Why doesn't people attend my tournies?

What part of TX are you from ?

 

[TM_icecream]

I've started a small scene in Tyler, which is in east tx.

The dallas scene has come out for nearly every event(Denti infinity Alsm dakpo) and Gnes is the only person from Houston to come.
But I've yet to break 20 entrants after 6 events LOL

I've tried flyers, posting on EVERY website possible, and contacting people induvidually and no one comes. I've even been told my events are tons of fun/super well run/one guy said best ran tourney he's attended.

 

[Alex Strife]

I've started a small scene in Tyler, which is in east tx.

The dallas scene has come out for nearly every event(Denti infinity Alsm dakpo) and Gnes is the only person from Houston to come.
But I've yet to break 20 entrants after 6 events LOL

I've tried flyers, posting on EVERY website possible, and contacting people induvidually and no one comes. I've even been told my events are tons of fun/super well run/one guy said best ran tourney he's attended.

hm. A couple of questions

- Where do you post.
- What kind of venue do you use
- What is the scene like in general and how far are u from dallas

 

[TM_icecream]

1. Here/AiB/FB/reddit/twitter/when I co-host another series here(ETFC) it's posted on like srk and stuff plus flyers are GameStop/Starbucks/other local nerd stores

2. My venue is a library which is actually an awesome venue. We have wifi that USUALLY works and is pretty good for my stream, we're put in a spacious room(like I could host a regional in there lol) separate from the actual library, so we're allowed to be noisy and stuff, plus we have access to the library's own tables/chairs they use. And the venue just charges me $50 every day I want it rented AMAZINGGG. Only down side is that we aren't in walking distance of food so people just drive away to go eat

3. Our scene is pretty chill. We suck at brawl really(top 3 are Labernash, minifox, myself) but we all want to, and are, improving rapidly. It's cool to have Dallas come out to our events cause they teach us stuff. Everyone in tx says they want to see the tyler scene in action but then they never do lol
We are about 2 hours from DFW

 

[Alex Strife]

I'll respond when I am home or have time. Need to think of ideas.

 

[Alex Strife]

1. Here/AiB/FB/reddit/twitter/when I co-host another series here(ETFC) it's posted on like srk and stuff plus flyers are GameStop/Starbucks/other local nerd stores

2. My venue is a library which is actually an awesome venue. We have wifi that USUALLY works and is pretty good for my stream, we're put in a spacious room(like I could host a regional in there lol) separate from the actual library, so we're allowed to be noisy and stuff, plus we have access to the library's own tables/chairs they use. And the venue just charges me $50 every day I want it rented AMAZINGGG. Only down side is that we aren't in walking distance of food so people just drive away to go eat

3. Our scene is pretty chill. We suck at brawl really(top 3 are Labernash, minifox, myself) but we all want to, and are, improving rapidly. It's cool to have Dallas come out to our events cause they teach us stuff. Everyone in tx says they want to see the tyler scene in action but then they never do lol
We are about 2 hours from DFW

I think the first thing is to talk to the people in your community and encourage them to bring people. Offer incentives since the venue fee is so low.

also 18-20 people for a local is not bad its pretty good. Take pride in that.

 

[TM_icecream]

I'm not happy with that number. Never will be. Simply because I know it could be so much more... Like, the are over 30 potential people who would enter these things if they would just go enter them lol

But no one shows up. I can't figure out how to be more appealing to them so they think its worth the effort.

 

[Alex Strife]

That is a great way of thinking.

TBH see how far you are from the screwattack guys. They might help.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

So, this close call that EVO had with their stream kind of makes me curious as to what the situation is like for other TOs. I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask but I'm interested specifically in your input. Do you have either a formal or understood arrangement with Nintendo to run and/or stream their games? If so, can you provide any details about it? If not, do you think it's in your best interest for TOs to start seeking such arrangements or do you think it would be better to just try and fly under the radar? What kind of effects do you think this might have for future Smash events, both big and small?

 

[metalmonstar]

If you would like to ask Alex questions or want to talk about being a TO feel free to join us.

https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/6ac65dc22f5624932087551aa130c632722f3fdf?authuser=0

 

[Deleted member]

Hey Alex Strife. I recently started hosting a series called "Smash in Tarzana" every other week in SoCal because we've been dying. My first event was great. I had 20 entrants (more people came, but not everyone entered). I had 2 australian players that happened to be in town which was really cool, and some of the top players in SoCal who still come. I also had a few new people which was great. I had a stream and provided free food/drinks. The only problem was the air conditioning that didnt work (but I setup 4 fans to make it up, not as good as air conditioning tho), and the lack of space. My second event had about the same amount of people with even more new faces. I got their contacts, but haven't heard from them. My third event only had 8 people with the same old faces such as mikehaze/pitbull/some other socal players that usally come.
For my next event and on, I've gotten permission to use another empty room (i had 2 rooms and we did pretty good with one room). I've also taken care of the air conditioning problem. The venue/entry are $5 and i give $1 discounts for bringing a tv or a wii, and a $3 discount for both. The venue is a computer training place with a few rooms that fit about 20 people for the main room, 5 people for the second room, and probably about 10 people for the new room. I provide comfortable chairs too.

Now my question is, how do I get those new people more involved in the community? Was I doing something wrong? Did I not interact enough and/or make it enjoyable for them? How can I improve the experience for others? Am I providing too much? Too less? Where should I advertise this?
Thanks if you can answer these questions :D

 

[Sashimi]

What exactly is the difference between a local, a regional and a national, and how do people determine which of those a specific tournament is?

 

[SacaSuMoto]

If a T.O. runs a tournament, it is announced and all, and there is lack of entrants and/or Set-ups. Is the blame on the community or the TOs?

 

[GTZ]

Interesting write-up. Most of these points are well constructed. Hard work is the biggest factor in running a smash event IMO. Lots of hard work. Advertising you have to be relentless, you have to know and trust your staff definitively (an issue I suffered from and learned from when I hosted Dissention). You also have to have the time in your life to devote to the cause as a whole.

T/O's tend to have a thankless kind of existence, Alex is right when he describes the community as an adult version of high school. If you understand that and are willing to deal with the constant heat and criticism the community churns out before, after, and during event event you run, you will be okay.

Honesty is huge too. You've got to be honest and respectful of peoples opinions and not try to step on each others toes. For everyone starting out, you can be big, you can be well established, it just takes some polish and a lot of promoting. Venue location plays a huge role too.

If a T.O. runs a tournament, it is announced and all, and there is lack of entrants and/or Set-ups. Is the blame on the community or the TOs?

Both honestly. Some things you cannot control and some things you can. Learning from trial and error will help too.

 

[Alex Strife]

I will be answering questions today so