The End of Speculation
I have been thinking about this for quite some time. With the release of the 3DS looming closer and closer, we are being treated to more and more information. Last year’s E3 was, quite honestly, one of my favorites because of the Smash announcement. Since then, every day has been filled with surprise, happiness, meh'ness, or disappointment when the PotD is released. Weekends are spent waiting for Monday to come so we can see more of the game. The Direct was like an early Christmas withj tons of information being presented. I have watched both the E3 trailer and the Direct at least 20 times each; just to digest and bask in the pre-release speculation hype.
The Birth of the Smash 4 Forums
Now is the best time to be a Super Smash Bros. fan because it is new, exciting, and enriching. We don't know what lies in store for us in the next few months but the excitement, the hype flows from every post, every thread, and every user. It can be intoxicating.
With the release of the Wii U will end the era of speculation. The 3DS release may end the character speculation with the exception of DLC character though a deconfirmation of DLC content will be the final nail in that speculation scene.
We are looking at the final moments of the Super Smash Bros. 4 speculation which has spanned since the release of Brawl. It first started out as its own thread in the Brawl General Discussion until several weeks after E3 2013 when it received its own board and it's first moderator.
From there, the Super Smash Bros. 4 Discussion Thread blossomed to an entire forum board dedicated to speculation. Fast forward a full year and now we know of 30 total characters (prior to the 0 we knew before E3), more moderators, have at least 300 more users, and even more topics and posts. But with the release of the games will come the final death toll for speculation.
What comes Next?
Typically, after the release of the game will result in an investigation of the meta-game. The first few months after the release will continue to be composed of speculation but will consist mostly of analyzation and discussion of character meta-games and game play. Back after Brawl, many thought Meta Knight would be mid tier due to a perceived lack of killing moves. Yet now he is in S class. In retrospect, that is pretty humorous and, as we all know, history will repeat itself.
This era will bring out a different type of Smasher: one dedicated to finding out different things about the characters, the meta-game, and competitive play. Instead of speculative threads, character support threads, and such; we will be seeing how the best way to master Greninja or how to perform a certain technique. Game Play videos, tournaments, online matches, and such will become a common place.
That being said, will you stay here on Smashboards and participate in the meta-game discussion? Will SSB4 be the first Smash Bros that you become invested in the competitive community? Once the games are released, there will be members who will be leaving the site as the speculation hype has ended. The new has become the old. I did the same thing after Brawl and so did many others.
My question to you is....
Will you continue to be active on Smashboards even after the game release? Do you intend to become a productive member and, in time, help other new members - especially when or if Smash 5 is announced? Or is speculation your only scene and do you intend to leave after the games release? If so, how can you better your time here on the site? How can you improve the community and truly make it the best Super Smash Bros. site on the internet? Every member (for the most part lol) is an important person to the site and has made help make this site into the respected leader of Smash Bros. discussion on the web.
Now is the time to be a Smash fan as the speculation has yet to die. Of course, we want this game now. But with that will come the end of speculation and much of what people come here to do. That being said, I ask anyone reading this to reconsider your role on the site and enjoy it to its fullest because, in several months, the attitude and atmosphere of the site will change from that of speculation to that of analyzation. Not that it is a bad thing. In fact, it is extremely good. However, how well will you transition from character speculation to analyzing the meta-game and characters? I feel some will stay here and carve themselves into Smashboards history while others will simply leave once speculation dies down and maybe return in several years. History often repeats itself and this is especially the case with Smashboards.
