Editorial: How Money Distribution Affects the Smash Community

Recently within Smash, the BEAST 6 compendium has come under scrutiny for requesting funds so that Mang0 could attend. This made me think of an issue within the Smash community that compendiums seem to amplify and that has drawn complaints as of late: top players get the majority of investments within our community.

These people earn all that they receive by winning competitions and are not ‘rich’ by most forms of measurement. However, our monumental growth will end up stifled and even reversed if resources do not go towards other parts of the community. We started as grassroots and had volunteer work as our lifeblood. As we enter spaces that are occupied by games like Street Fighter or Call of Duty, we cannot expect to keep the same business model while still seeing success.

Great tournaments don’t exist without organizers that have enough experience to run the gamut of events from major to local so that players want to come back. eSports writers are expected to work for free. Commentators often pay out of pocket to attend events so that they stay relevant and gain experience, yet still come under heavy scrutiny. Those who make trailers or videos for the community often do so for free or extremely reduced prices.

Are these people important? No one thinks the equipment manager for LeBron James deserves millions, even if he is a part of his success; he could easily be replaced. While people in these positions in our community can always be found, they will be hesitant to take the risk of joining a community that considers them disposable, thus diminishing the quality of those who contribute.

Even with a Kickstarter campaign, Samox lost money attempting to create the Smash Documentary, the same documentary that was instrumental to the revival of Melee. This documentary could not have existed without those writing about Smash in our history and documenting the rivalries we follow today. Oddly, those doing this now are not considered valuable, while in reality their work will become priceless in the future.

Even then, another group is vital to the success of all those in the community: the average player. These ‘pot monsters’ give us a majority of our funds and spend heavily just to attend events. Once there, they find it hard to even view important matches as they fight for seats and find that top players often receive special treatment over them. They do this simply for the hype of a live venue and meeting their Smash heroes. So what happens if the value of that is diminished by the ease and cost effectiveness of simply staying at home?

There are reasons that top players like ESAM say Super Smash Con in one of the best events they have ever attended. These events provide value to all that attend. Genesis 3 made attempts to do this like having a friendlies room. However, they also raised $5,000 for each game to have an extra pot bonus that only top players would see. What could a fraction of these funds go towards?

The Furry Convention next door to Genesis 3 had a room with arcade machines for attendees to enjoy. I was informed that they were far cheaper than most expect. Imagine if even outsiders to our community could come to play games for the characters that grace our screen, be it on arcade or old consoles.

What if, after every upset, a player could be interviewed and the thoughts of top 8 players could be shared with the world? Just work with a writer to get a table and chairs next to the stage. Maybe funds could be used to help cosplayers that attendees enjoy by setting up a photo area. Instead of top players being harassed before and after matches for autographs or pictures, an area could be made just for this with them slated to appear.

Then, all those on commentary, the media team, and writers can be paid a decent wage. Tournament organizers and volunteers could perhaps have a small catered dinner to thank them for their service. Maybe more recorders and streamers could be found so an event can be even better documented while people hone skills in their respective fields. All of this, while still having funds for pot bonuses, are the small improvements that can make any event truly shine.

Smashers have been selfless and willing to sacrifice for our community’s success. Those that were supported gave back in return, thus creating a synergistic relationship. The idea of a compendium was meant to do just this, but has instead been used to make the big names all the larger while giving little back. This has not been done maliciously - we have simply stumbled trying to properly use this new avenue of support. The people who are our strong foundation must be supported or they will crumble away, leaving us with nowhere to stand. These people are not looking to make massive profits, just to have a living wage or any wage at all. Let us not erode our own base and inhibit our growth but instead keep the dreams of Smash’s future glory alive.

This is an adaptation of the piece "The Rich Get Richer: Problems With Money in Smash", which was also written by this author. This piece is purely the opinion of its author and does not reflect the position of Smashboards or its affiliates.

 

#FeeltheBern

 

It does affect Smash because without some sort of donation there wouldnt be enough events, a place to meet people and catch up with others, etc. I think it would be great if some of the money would be used to help fellow furries and other cosplayers attend events like they did at G3.

 

On the grassroots end, I wonder how feasible it would be for smashers to organize buses for those looking to attend tourneys. A proper bus could even have setups for people to play on the way over, and it'd give broke people a better option than a Greyhound.

 

I very much understand the struggle of being a TO trying to make ends meet

 

(This revision is much cleanner and to the point that the previous one, ty for that.)

In the particular case of beast 6 compendium, i think the real mess lies in putting a player that can pay for the travel expenses and one that cannot in the same stretch goals; i pressume that the TOs priorities where with the audience attendace, more than the added value of the venue (as is stated here), therefore their choice in the donnation rewards.

On the same page, calling it donations seems to be a persisting wording problem with compendiums in general.

 

Mango had 2,000 subs, makes plenty of money, and still put a 16,000 dollar donation goal on his stream for him to go to Beast.

If you're going to give money to a compendium to fly in a player who is showing to be a money-grubbing douchebag, then you're dumb. And I like the notion of dumb people having less money, so I don't see a problem with this.

And if you're gonna donate money to Mango, you deserve to be ripped off.

 

This article and Esam's video really put it into light for me how top loaded the money is in the Smash Community. I hope things change.

 

I found some things I'd like to point out.

Spoiler

"Great tournaments don’t exist without organizers that have enough experience to run the gambit of events from major to local..."
(gambit should probably be gamut)

"Maybe more recorders and streamers could be found so an event can be even better documented while people hone skills in their perspective fields."
(perspective looks like it should be respective)

That aside, this was a nice read, SmashCapps!

 

This article and Esam's video really put it into light for me how top loaded the money is in the Smash Community. I hope things change.

The problem is, while it's top loaded, the absolute numbers are very low.

I agree with the general principle, but right now, top players are barely making a living. Maybe the reason the money is so top-heavy right now is that reason right there: A minimum number has to go to top players to make them able to play the game full time, and there's simply not enough left over with current levels of income. As more money comes in to the Smash community, I suspect this will be rectified.

 

The most straightforward ways to make money in Smash are being in the top 5% of tournament players or excelling at providing a tangible service (TO, streamer, commentator) that isn’t easily replaced. Most of the people who do end up with a profit, put in more of their time and (financial) resources than the return of investment is worth when compared to pretty much any other sector, or have a skill set that is just that exceptional. If you want to make money in Smash, you have to accept that you will have to be one of the best at what you do. Living off of it long-term is even more unrealistic if you don’t build skills that transfer to other areas.

The problem with monetizing content, especially written articles, is that it’s more accessible than ever to share text and videos with a large audience through the internet. People aren’t used to paying for content, adblocker is a thing and professionals need to be both good and daring enough to not accept working for free, which has the associated risk of someone else doing it on the cheap instead. Often the money just isn’t there in the first place and not much is done to budget for it.

While it stands to reason that the people who do profit aren’t in direct need of further community support, they are not responsible for the fact that people are still willing to give them money. The exception is if they are insincere about their situation and needs, but most players/personalities receiving support aren’t going around begging for it and are simply in demand. Community leaders should take more responsibility to highlight other community needs and that’s where I for the most part agree with the negative backlash compendiums are currently getting.

Compendiums are an opportunity to put money into tournament production values, to provide a better experience for all attendants and create content that lasts in the form of documentaries, pictures, in-depth articles etc. They are a way to indirectly redistribute the wealth, so to speak. Instead they are now mostly used as extra TO budget/failsafe/profits and donation drives for flight tickets that would cost the community way less if done directly. It speaks volumes that they don’t reach the end anymore and I hope the concept hasn’t been ruined completely, because there is definitely potential to get creative with it.

Regardless of if compendiums do better in the future, or other ways are found to pay for content creation, no one should want to survive entirely on the goodwill of others. It’s too uncertain and creates an air of guilt tripping people into paying for something they apparently don’t feel compelled to otherwise. I would recommend content creators to have at least one other source of income and a willingness to walk away if they feel their work isn’t sufficiently rewarding or fulfilling anymore.

 

When people donate to a compendium they're paying for a product. These events wouldn't nearly catch as many hearts and minds without all the best players in attendance and that needs to be factored in. Maybe there's a better way to direct some of the funding in compendium, like priority based on need or something, but people will only donate toward something they feel will enhance THEIR experience.

If the donation goals are 'nice dinner for the media' who's going to be dropping money on that?

Also compendiums have given opportunity to non-top players. Genesis 3 for example funded an Australian player Smoking Puppy to attend which would have been a dream come true for him, and something he could not have afforded on his own.

We've seen reasonably well balanced compendium rewards in the past. At the end of the day its a person's choice to donate, not a demand or impost on them, and they are rewarded with both merchandise and outcomes they are willing to fork out for.

Your concerns about the creatives in the community not receiving their due are valid, but not necessarily tied to the alleged evils of compendiums.

 

As it is, anyone except the best of the best are unable to make enough money to sustain themselves. That's a problem, and I'm not entirely sure how to fix it, only that we need to do something about it for our community to grow further.

At the very least, I hope we can get to the point within a year or so where majors give payouts to at least the Top 32 placements and not just the Top 8.

 

At the very least, I hope we can get to the point within a year or so where majors give payouts to at least the Top 32 placements and not just the Top 8.

I'm sure Genesis 3 did this with Melee and Smash 4. Problem is people are so used to see other E-sports like LOL AND CS with a ton of money, sponsorships and giant pot bonuses and they sometimes forget that Smash is a grassroots community that has no major support from major companies like everyone else. People like RoyIsOurBoy_TTG need to understand that pro Melee players aren't diving in money and that we all should contribute to the scene by supporting the tournaments, writers and analysts that make this community so enjoyable.

 

I've said this for years, people always respond with 'lol go TO yourself then' despite how much I want to, I can't because of the nature of my work taking me out on weekends.

Having pot bonuses does nothing to add to the hype or anything, its just more money for top players who will have won anyway. People say that having huge pot bonuses is better for the community, thats a load of ****.

Say you have a tournament with 100 people, $5 entry. The top 3 players will make something like $300, $150, $50 each. If you boosted the pot by double (so, $500 bonus) who does this affect? You guessed it; the exact same people. Whether the pot is $0, $500 or $5000 in any case, only a tiny % of people see any benefit. It doesnt 'inspire' everyone to train harder, thats delusional. The vast majority of people know they have no chance at the money. There is exactly NO PROOF of that theory working because the entire nation of Japan proves the opposite daily. With exactly no money being on offer, they have an incredibly high average skill level.

Every single $ that is wasted extra on top players could have been better spent making a tournament better, hosting more side events, interviews, panels, catering (why is this so rarely done), having more set ups. Just ANYTHING to enhance the tournament experience for the 97%.

People say that unless there is a lot of money thrown towards the pros, they wouldnt keep doing it full time, and quit. Funny how that was never the case in all smash majors up until Evo 2013 when people decided that you need to pay people more money for... reasons.

I can't stand the fact that so many people think that you need to pour in huge sums of money to regulary give to the top players to win in order to grow the scene, when Japan does the opposite and has overall what would be considered the strongest scene, given their population size. Smash Con is more definitive proof that putting money in the right places is better for the scene.

I don't want events to fail, but this Beast 6 compendium is an absolute joke and whether people like it or not, sometimes you have to learn lessons the hard way because they are too short sighted to see anything else. Stupid decisions have stupid consequences, so they deserve every single bit of flack they get and I hope the organisers take note in how to make it better for the community next time. They still have time to fix this one, but whether they bother to or not is another issue, because NEED MORE MONEY FOR ARMADA.

 

People like RoyIsOurBoy_TTG need to understand that pro Melee players aren't diving in money and that we all should contribute to the scene by supporting the tournaments, writers and analysts that make this community so enjoyable.

I'm talking about Mango blatantly being a money grubbing douche. You don't see the other pros beg for 16,000 dollars in order to go to one tourney. Leffen (before his visa issue) and Armada traveled all the time over seas and don't beg for money except for their sponsor paying for their flights. He's sucking every ounce of money from his fans that he possibly can, and if you are going to donate money to him, and if you're donating to a compendium just to fly in this money grubbing loser, then you're an idiot. Because that money will go to the prize pool, which will therefore give Mango even more money.

Mango is clearly doing this to suck money out his idiot fans. Don't tag me if you don't understand my post, because you clearly didn't.

 

Hey there's nothing wrong with Mango sucking the money out of his fans, that's actually hilarious how stupid people are. Because if they didn't waste it on Mango who at least provides us with some sort of entertainment, they'd probably waste it on drugs/alcohol. That's what generally happens when people don't know what to do with their money.

 

This is a fantastic article.

 

I've said this for years, people always respond with 'lol go TO yourself then' despite how much I want to, I can't because of the nature of my work taking me out on weekends.

Having pot bonuses does nothing to add to the hype or anything, its just more money for top players who will have won anyway. People say that having huge pot bonuses is better for the community, thats a load of ****.

Say you have a tournament with 100 people, $5 entry. The top 3 players will make something like $300, $150, $50 each. If you boosted the pot by double (so, $500 bonus) who does this affect? You guessed it; the exact same people. Whether the pot is $0, $500 or $5000 in any case, only a tiny % of people see any benefit. It doesnt 'inspire' everyone to train harder, thats delusional. The vast majority of people know they have no chance at the money. There is exactly NO PROOF of that theory working because the entire nation of Japan proves the opposite daily. With exactly no money being on offer, they have an incredibly high average skill level.

Every single $ that is wasted extra on top players could have been better spent making a tournament better, hosting more side events, interviews, panels, catering (why is this so rarely done), having more set ups. Just ANYTHING to enhance the tournament experience for the 97%.

People say that unless there is a lot of money thrown towards the pros, they wouldnt keep doing it full time, and quit. Funny how that was never the case in all smash majors up until Evo 2013 when people decided that you need to pay people more money for... reasons.

I can't stand the fact that so many people think that you need to pour in huge sums of money to regulary give to the top players to win in order to grow the scene, when Japan does the opposite and has overall what would be considered the strongest scene, given their population size. Smash Con is more definitive proof that putting money in the right places is better for the scene.

I don't want events to fail, but this Beast 6 compendium is an absolute joke and whether people like it or not, sometimes you have to learn lessons the hard way because they are too short sighted to see anything else. Stupid decisions have stupid consequences, so they deserve every single bit of flack they get and I hope the organisers take note in how to make it better for the community next time. They still have time to fix this one, but whether they bother to or not is another issue, because NEED MORE MONEY FOR ARMADA.

Explains my thought perfectly. Great article, something has to change.

 

Mango, honestly, isn't "sucking" money from anyone. People are willingly making an effort to give him the money. Now, sure, compendiums should be used to help benefit the event more so than the players that are typically seen to make their way to the money through winning it. Now, if it were more "Mango's only doing this for money," or "Mango is forcing the BEAST organizers to pay him this money for his appearance," then, sure, I'd agree that it was some kind of low-life scheme. But it's not. People willingly donate to entertainers, players, and artists all the time. It's because that's where they want the money to go.

However, back to the initial discussion of whether or not compendiums can be beneficial? Sure. But it has to be with the intent of helping the events and community. If people really want higher grade, or quality events, they make them happen. Lets be real, the Smash Brothers community as a whole is capable of sustaining itself, albeit on a smaller scale compared to other esports, if people really want it to exist and expand. Now, pot bonuses are another matter, and if its a compendium goal to add it, then that's up to the goal organizers. You can't blame the top players for taking advantage of a financial opportunity that presents itself. C'mon, you wouldn't take relatively free, or guaranteed money? I can fully say, as long as its not illegal, or immoral, I'm bankin'. period. It's not immoral to accept a donation, or in this case, a compendium driven goal that was made by selling products with the intent to get the money for that person. That's literally the most basic concept of a fundraiser being met.

So, I don't think it's the amount of money, or even why the money is being raised. It seems more like people have a concern of where the money ends up. Yes, a portion is used like initially advertised for the goals, but it does end up as a profit for pocket somewhere. I don't doubt that at all. But, keep in mind, all of that money is completely voluntary. No one put any of the, for the sake of looking at it as a compendium, customers in a situation where they had to buy a product that had a goal behind it. They gave a little that will end up either being a lot or a considerable amount to someone or somewhere else. I'm not saying all of the money should go to top players, but don't be surprised if the people that literally put their lives into this game operate for their best interests.

If someone told me I had to raise my own money, which I do already via employment, then I can also get financial aid for travel, plus keep or get a decent sum of whatever is leftover after the fundraising is done, I'd take that in a heartbeat. Yes, I'd take free money that people used to buy themselves product to support an event I would want to attend, and potentially win even more money at. Not even mentioning enjoying the event itself. You can call it top player privilege, but they earned it. They have made, and are still making marks that show why they hold that moniker to begin with. Yes, I want joe blow and jane doe to feel like they enjoyed every bit of the event they came to be a part of. I'm one of the joe blows that goes to locals and big events all the time, but it's not realistic to expect the same treatment as someone who dedicated more time and effort than I did into something. Period. But, I don't think it's wrong for these better players to have people try to get them out to events. It's literally like another sponsorship. They earned the ones that they already got recognized for, now the event is sponsoring them to attend it.

I do believe that "Top Player Privilege" is undeniably real. But it should be regulated. Top players deserve the nice sponsorships by organizations that see fit, or travel expenses to be covered, or extra money for attendance if the organizers want to go that far for these people. However, they shouldn't be granted leeway with punctuality, or being discourteous, or anything along those lines that inhibit or make problems for events. Nothing worse than the fact that people are put on hold because a better player is given treatment that holds up an event someone actually used their own money for. If people are late, hold them accountable. If people get kicked from a tourney because they are late, and it becomes a regular trend, then I guarantee you more positive results will stem from that mindset alone. Don't be mad at people who have earned, or have been given their financial gains. Literally treat them like you would any other player when it comes to organizing and running the event, save for something along the lines of sections made for top player warm ups, etc., make sure they conform to the rules.