@Bees:
I don't know about you, but 12 and 13 year olds littering the scene aren't exactly helpful in my eyes. They're protected by their parents to the point that they'll only go to the occasional tourney near their house, won't be able to travel outside of their area (see: me) or participate actively in endeavors. They'll just be there, and nothing else. Maybe a couple of them have any sort drive and/or experience with the game, but even they will most likely drop it after a month of getting a taste of the problems that arise when trying to compete in the game when young. Myself, Lawkk, and BPM are huge and rare exceptions to the rule. Also, you don't have any experience trying to contribute to the scene when you're 14, you're just theorycrafting stuff that might happen (like most smash-related things that come out of your mouth, oOoOoOoO <3). It's not as easy as "it's at a public venue, mom, it's alright now".
Once someone hits 15 or 16, then they should just talk to their parents about playing, and getting rid of any sort of paranoia. Before then, they're completely dependent and still very naive about how the world outside the neighborhood works, and shouldn't even consider getting into Smash realistically until they can at least get their driver's permit. I was just, y'know, kinda lucky. I trust people too much.
I don't know if people have noticed this, but I'm the absolutely youngest person in this scene (unless BPM's birthdate is lying to me). I'm the absolute lowest edge of the demographic. Most of the scene hits the 18-22 year old demographic. Smash is a colorful game, but that shows what age group is interested in it. We shouldn't be tailoring to the potential young ones, who get allowances from their parents, while the real demographic is struggling to find jobs and pay their way through college.
@Nite:
I'd probably go to that. If you give me a good reason to pay $5 venue.
