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.