What defines a Smash pro, anyway?

[otter]

I see this term being thrown around so much, and I realized I don't know what it means. Where is the line between an am and a pro in this game. It is just someone who wins a major tournament, or does Sakurai come to your house and ask you to play the game for a living? I seriously doubt anyone makes a true living off video games anyway, unless it's a FPS.

So what's up?

 

[phanna]

If you haven't at least won money in a legitimate, accepted tournament, you can't even begin to be considered a pro.

The "true" pros are those that MLG had designated as such, for their placing at prior MLG's.

The game developers have nothing to do with who is pro or not.

 

[INs4niTY-]

It is some who plays to the highest standard and owns all, normally winning tourneys. Quite simple?

 

[A New Challenger]

FPS or Starcraft, on that last bit. But yeah, no. A pro is someone who is good enough to consistently bank in prize winning slots at tournies, to the point where technically they can live on them.

I say technically though, because it's not 'Support a wife and kids' money, for fighters. Especially not for Smash. It's more 'McDonald's Assistant Manager' money.

 

[I.T.P]

so, by winning roughly 500$ at israeli tournaments, am I a pro?

we have someone who won much more than that, around 2000$ I believe, and some others are near me.

are we all pros?

 

[RizardoLawless]

so, by winning roughly 500$ at israeli tournaments, am I a pro?

we have someone who won much more than that, around 2000$ I believe, and some others are near me.

are we all pros?

Yeah. But there are different levels of how pro you are. Pros are really good, top pros are untouchable

 

[TheRooster]

Excuse me if I am mistaken, but I thought pros were just people who could wavedash, shffl and played a very tight game of Smash.

I didn't think you had to be a prize-winning grand champion, or something to that effect.

I thought the term was meant to separate people who play the game and are good from the people who play the game and are great.

 

[redgreenblue]

A professional is someone who earns money at what they do. An amateur does not earn money. That is the only difference. All other uses are metaphorical, even though you may confuse them for literal meanings.

Anybody can be competitive.

 

[ph00tbag]

Excuse me if I am mistaken, but I thought pros were just people who could wavedash, shffl and played a very tight game of Smash.

I didn't think you had to be a prize-winning grand champion, or something to that effect.

I thought the term was meant to separate people who play the game and are good from the people who play the game and are great.

You might mistakenly call competitive smashers pros, but if they haven't won money, then they really can't be called professional. That's what professional means. It means you can make money playing the game.

I lost.

 

[DragonRider-ofSmashBros]

Excuse me if I am mistaken, but I thought pros were just people who could wavedash, shffl and played a very tight game of Smash.

I didn't think you had to be a prize-winning grand champion, or something to that effect.

I thought the term was meant to separate people who play the game and are good from the people who play the game and are great.

Yeah, what if u cant just run out and go to a $500 prize tournament? For example, there's people on other games (like halo) who can beat the crap out of anybody, but that doesn't mean they won the world championships or something.

 

[ptown]

someone who plays smash.

professionally.

 

[redgreenblue]

someone who plays smash.

professionally.

^Best definition, A+++

 

[Drclaw411]

if you can wavedash, you are pro



jk

 

[ptown]

thanks, i got educated in a school of learning.

 

[RednaXale]

What if you never played in a tournament because you thought it was a really gay thing to do, but you can beat your friend who took first prize any time.

 

[MasterCheeze]

Here's the definition of professional from Dictionary.com:

"following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain"

That means that a Smash Pro is anyone that plays Smash as a job or to get money/something of gain.

 

[TheRooster]

Here's the definition of professional from Dictionary.com:

"following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain"

That means that a Smash Pro is anyone that plays Smash as a job or to get money/something of gain.

Yeah, thats in the literal sense, but we're talking about slang here.

Besides, who here lives off of smash tourney earnings. Not enough to warrant the term "pro"

 

[L ryusaki]

What defines a Smash pro, anyway?
answer- Anyone who is great at the game to a extent higher than that the majority of the people who play it " I was a Smashpro on Melee"

 

[TheRooster]

What defines a Smash pro, anyway?
answer- Anyone who is great at the game to a extent higher than that the majority of the people who play it " I was a Smashpro on Melee"

Sums up what I was saying before.
I think thats the definitive answer

 

[Firesoul1]

Lets say you have the skills of a pro but yet don't earn money.
Are you still considered a pro or something lower than that?

 

[Aaryk]

You can really only be considered a professional smash player when you make a good amount of money at tournaments and/or consistently place in major tournaments. Just because you dominate your local scene does not mean you are a pro gamer.

 

[Lgndknight]

Being able to wavedash, shffl, etc. isn't skill, it's moving your fingers. good descision making, honed over a period of time, is "skill". however, using techniques called "advanced" (the aforementioned things) you can influence both you and your opponents descision making, for better or worse.

 

[kilroy]

Rooster, you ain't pro. deal with it.

do you make money off of smash on a consistent basis? then you're pro. if you don't, you ain't pro, no matter how good you think you are ruling your mom's basement. this is very simple, people, if you check your massive egos at the door.

 

[DeuceBlade]

A pro is usually someone who wins money playing smash.. and says things like "I have to train my fox for the upcoming tourny"

 

[Firesoul1]

You can really only be considered a professional smash player when you make a good amount of money at tournaments and/or consistently place in major tournaments. Just because you dominate your local scene does not mean you are a pro gamer.

I see, so my next question is, can you be considered a pro even if you happen to not get anymore money? For example... " XXXX is pro gamer who is now retired " something along those lines.

 

[Sliq]

There are only a handful of pro players.

A better term to refer to someone who wavedashes, l-cancels, and goes to tournament would be competitive player. A lot of competitive players are bad, so to call them pro would be false.

However, I stand that a bad competitive player will beat a "good" casual almost any day.

 

[S0X]

I'm pretty sure that in some time pro will be redefined because of some glitch like wave dashing.

 

[Luteyi]

Pro, or Professionals are those who compete for money WELL. In slang terms it might mean someone who is just excellent in what they do, but the real meaning of Professional relates to money and tournaments. For example, I wouldn't say I'm professional because I'm handy with them game, I would say it because of my placements in tournaments and my winnings. Keep in mind however, because you choose not to do tournaments doesn't mean you "fail", just means you're not "professional". I think some of you are getting the slang and the true meaning mixed up, and getting offended by it.

 

[Sliq]

I'm pretty sure that in some time pro will be redefined because of some glitch like wave dashing.

 

[Tino's White Horse]

This thread is what tourney***s actually believe.

 

[Anarchist_Chase]

so technically, i am a pro-am.

 

[TheRooster]

Rooster, you ain't pro. deal with it.

Umm... Where did that come from? I don't recall claiming to be a pro
(I would'nt even call myself highly compettetive.)


Hey kilroy, you ain't a pro basketball player-- deal with it.
I'm sorry if I crushed your delusions of basketball grandeur.


oh and to stay on topic: I think that "pros" are either making a lot more money than I expected, or that they aren't paying their own way. (in other words, mommy and daddy pay rent)

I don't know how much rent is where you guys are, but after that and gas for your car, insurance, food, the electric bill etc. etc. the cost of living will be more than smash prizes over time. (unless somone is consistently winning a couple of grand every month)

Although I am totally willing to be wrong here. It would be cool to live in that world.

 

[Yuna]

There's a huge difference between being a Competitive Smash Player and a Professional Smash Player. I am a Competitive Player. I, however, cannot make a living off of playing Smash.

That's what the definition of a "prfoessional" is: To be able to make a living off of something.

To be a Pro, you have to be able to make a living off of what you do, in other words, you must be able to win or at least place very high at big tournaments.