Gamingboy
Smash Lord
Okay, first, I'd like to put this out there: While a longtime on-again-off-again member of the community, I've never been particularly competitive, and would love to join in. However, there is the problem that where I live there isn't that much of a Smash community (only one place AFAIK, which I'm going to have to check out) and I'm not exactly financially able to travel around, especially because it's likely I'd get my ass kicked (It's not the entrance fees that kill you, it's the gas).
But, wait, with online play now around more, and the Wii U having tournaments, there could be the possibility that people like me could join tournaments and maybe, just maybe, make a name for ourselves (or, more likely, get our asses kicked by other, better players).
But the question is... will those tournaments "count", whether it be in rankings (like the ones here at smashboards) or Smash-public opinion? Now, I'm not saying that every damn online tournament should count, far from it. But if it's something done and run and/or sponsored by a respected part of the Smash community, why couldn't it count?
Far as I can tell, here are the pros and cons:
PROS:
More accessibility. Not everyone lives in an area with a big smash scene, and not everyone has the means to pay their way to certain areas. Still others might not want to travel simply because they are afraid they will get a round pounding and humiliation. With online, that disappears, everyone can go.
Larger Potential Talent Pool. With the abovementioned people more able to play, there are thus more people available, and thus a larger potential pool of talent to take from. There are no doubt some hidden gems out there that we have no idea about because they live in Hypotheticaltown, USA, miles from the nearest Smash hotbed.
A Better Look for the community. If online tournaments- especially ones run or vouched for by established parts of the Smash community- aren't included, then it might make the community look elitist and snobby, which is bad.
CONS:
Lag. It's unavoidable. No matter how good your internet connection is, or even what your opponent's internet connection is, lag happens. And while at times it can be worked around, other times it messes up gameplay and what happens in the game.
No standard set-ups. If one person is using a freaky third-party controller that has a turbo button or some other assistant, there's presumably no way of stopping them.
Unknown Things. We don't know much about how Nintendo's tournaments on the Wii U will work, so it's unknown how streaming will work, how stage selection will work, etc. etc.
...Thoughts?
But, wait, with online play now around more, and the Wii U having tournaments, there could be the possibility that people like me could join tournaments and maybe, just maybe, make a name for ourselves (or, more likely, get our asses kicked by other, better players).
But the question is... will those tournaments "count", whether it be in rankings (like the ones here at smashboards) or Smash-public opinion? Now, I'm not saying that every damn online tournament should count, far from it. But if it's something done and run and/or sponsored by a respected part of the Smash community, why couldn't it count?
Far as I can tell, here are the pros and cons:
PROS:
More accessibility. Not everyone lives in an area with a big smash scene, and not everyone has the means to pay their way to certain areas. Still others might not want to travel simply because they are afraid they will get a round pounding and humiliation. With online, that disappears, everyone can go.
Larger Potential Talent Pool. With the abovementioned people more able to play, there are thus more people available, and thus a larger potential pool of talent to take from. There are no doubt some hidden gems out there that we have no idea about because they live in Hypotheticaltown, USA, miles from the nearest Smash hotbed.
A Better Look for the community. If online tournaments- especially ones run or vouched for by established parts of the Smash community- aren't included, then it might make the community look elitist and snobby, which is bad.
CONS:
Lag. It's unavoidable. No matter how good your internet connection is, or even what your opponent's internet connection is, lag happens. And while at times it can be worked around, other times it messes up gameplay and what happens in the game.
No standard set-ups. If one person is using a freaky third-party controller that has a turbo button or some other assistant, there's presumably no way of stopping them.
Unknown Things. We don't know much about how Nintendo's tournaments on the Wii U will work, so it's unknown how streaming will work, how stage selection will work, etc. etc.
...Thoughts?
