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Does the Competitive Smash Ultimate Scene Need More Major Tournaments, Sponsors, etc.?

SilkyTy

Smash Rookie
Joined
May 4, 2019
Messages
1
So, as the title says, I'm wondering if you guys believe the competitive scene could use more major tournaments, sponsors, more support from Nintendo, or whatever else (and sorry ahead of time if a similar post exists). I know it has only been about 5 months and that Ultimate seems to be off to a good start, but other equally popular games are more rewarding to competitive players because their tournaments feature much greater prize pools. For these players of other games, it is easier to make a living just by competing. It seems that most competitive Ultimate players rely on streaming and going to many tournaments to make a living only playing Smash. This has been the case in previous Smash games as well, so I'm curious if you guys think competitive Smash Ultimate needs anything. I'm supposed to write a proposal for class, and I chose to write about this because I enjoy the scene and I feel like it could use a little push. I might direct this paper towards a specific company, person, etc. and try to persuade them to support the game if this paper turns out well.

I've created a poll if you could take some time to vote. https://www.polltab.com/Rm5Tipul3

Also, feel free to correct me if anything I said is incorrect. Everything I said is based on my viewpoint, and I've just been watching from the sidelines for a few years.
 

Xelrog

Smash Lord
Joined
Feb 24, 2019
Messages
1,136
Location
Battle Ground, WA
Switch FC
SW 2367 4933 3404
Why? Everybody knows about the competitive scene, both in and out of the Smash fanbase; it's already pretty massive, so what's the point in campaigning to grow it further?

Personally, I think there's very much such thing as "too big," and esports (and regular sports, too) crossed that line a long time ago. I find it unhealthy and depressing to see human lives made or broken on the bases of games meant for entertainment, but the demand is there, so alas, I am but a drop in a desert. The creator of Little League left his creation after seeing the commercialized spectacle it became, but I guess that's just what the masses want.
 

Sean²

Smash Capitalist
Joined
Mar 28, 2008
Messages
1,657
Switch FC
SW-7479-8539-5283
Why? Everybody knows about the competitive scene, both in and out of the Smash fanbase; it's already pretty massive, so what's the point in campaigning to grow it further?

Personally, I think there's very much such thing as "too big," and esports (and regular sports, too) crossed that line a long time ago. I find it unhealthy and depressing to see human lives made or broken on the bases of games meant for entertainment, but the demand is there, so alas, I am but a drop in a desert. The creator of Little League left his creation after seeing the commercialized spectacle it became, but I guess that's just what the masses want.
Because many other FGC and eSports-heavy titles have received tons of backing from their respective developers/publishers. It isn't lucrative to cross over to Smash for any big FGC/eSports name who wasn't sprouted from Smash's roots. There's a reason we always get called "smash kids" and aren't taken seriously by other eSports names, because we built a grassroots community that was used to being shunned and not taken seriously. So in turn, our community has all but ignored other eSports titles, while they are starting to come around and support us. Crossover events like EVO are interesting, because a lot of FGC names liked watching Melee and supported top players, while average players showing up for Smash only might struggle to know who Justin Wong or Daigo Umehara is. There is a line in the sand that has been drawn between other FGC/eSports games and Smash. It mostly comes down to who's supporting who.

You have to mostly play it for the love of the game, and while that attitude has created an amazing grassroots scene that no other community can compare to, it's almost laughable what Nintendo contributes in comparison to other publishers. They "support" events like Genesis and EVO, but exactly how they support them is always left in the dark to the public. It's purported that their contribution is, Nintendo gets their name on the sponsor sheet, they set up a booth at the event, and allow streaming. And that's about the end of it. It's laughable that DotA teams are making millions while your average Smash pro is barely squeaking by, and they come very close in viewership numbers. It's less exponentially growing the physical size of the community, more of taking away the bottleneck that's been holding it back.
 

TheMisterManGuy

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
138
You have to mostly play it for the love of the game, and while that attitude has created an amazing grassroots scene that no other community can compare to, it's almost laughable what Nintendo contributes in comparison to other publishers. They "support" events like Genesis and EVO, but exactly how they support them is always left in the dark to the public. It's purported that their contribution is, Nintendo gets their name on the sponsor sheet, they set up a booth at the event, and allow streaming. And that's about the end of it. It's laughable that DotA teams are making millions while your average Smash pro is barely squeaking by, and they come very close in viewership numbers. It's less exponentially growing the physical size of the community, more of taking away the bottleneck that's been holding it back.
According to Sakurai, apparently Nintendo doesn't like contributing to the prize pot that much because they're not a fan of people who are only playing for the money and no actual enthusiasm for the game, which sadly is quite common in eSports titles. Many SFV players dislike the game, but they still play because the pay is good. Not saying that Nintendo is right for doing this, they could come up with some other form of prize for the Smash tournaments, but you can at least see where they're coming from regarding the eSports scene. They want people to actually like playing their games, not play begrudgingly because there's a carrot on the stick, which is why they mostly leave competitive Smash up to the community.

It's not exactly a wrong way to go about it I don't think, it's just different from the others.
 
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Kokiden

Smash Ace
Joined
Apr 24, 2019
Messages
782
Yes.

Smash pro players are paid peanuts compared to other esports. It's honestly embarrassing how low the payouts are. $2K or $3K for first place generally speaking with weeks, or months, apart, is pitiful.
 
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TheMisterManGuy

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
138
People doing something they don't like because it pays the bills? Never heard of such a thing!!
Yes, I am aware that happens often in work. But when your pay is essentially coming from playing Video Games, you should at least have fun doing it. At least that's what I think.
 

Kokiden

Smash Ace
Joined
Apr 24, 2019
Messages
782
Video games should be played for fun and not money, period.
It can be both. Doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive.

It should be fun to play a game, but there are bills to pay at the end of the day.

Playing a video game for a living is a much bette alternative than working in a typical office, even if it’s not fun for the player.
 
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TheMisterManGuy

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
138
It can be both. Doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive.

It should be fun to play a game, but there are bills to pay at the end of the day.

Playing a video game for a living is a much bette alternative than working in a typical office, even if it’s not fun for the player.
Agreed. But I do think the game in question should be at least fun to play if your aiming to make money playing it.
 
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