It’s hard to believe that just over two years ago we were scrambling to preserve the stream of EVO 2013. Tomorrow, Smashers from around the world will compete in the largest Smash tournament ever. The. Largest. Ever. That phrase previously had meaning. These days, it feels more like just another record to be broken. A line to be crossed. Another jab against the community to be overcome. We’re always beating expectations, always pushing toward the next milestone, always looking for the next slight against our ego that will then motivate us to excel and say “you were wrong about us, again.”
Genesis in 2009 - Need I say more?
It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come.
Hard to believe over 10 years ago I was involved with my first tournament series – BOMB. At the time, BOMB was one of the largest series on the east coast. We held 4 events in about 2 years, expanding from 30 players to over 100. Hard to believe 100 person tournaments were rare, national affairs. This was a time before Facebook, before YouTube, before anyone uttered the phrase eSports around fighting games or even outside of South Korea. Before we had smartphones or iPads, before high speed Internet was found in every home. 2004 was so different that the software we used to run the bracket was made by Kiraki in our Junior year high school computer science class. He’s now in his 4th year at Microsoft.
In 2005 and 2006 we were in the golden age of Smash. At the time, having 15 tournaments a weekend that could muster 30, 40, or 50 players apiece felt like we had ‘made it’. Compared to everyone else – we had. Hard to believe that was nothing compared to today. In 2009 I compiled a report of all the Smash tournaments for one year – just over 600 in total for Brawl. That felt like a lot. That WAS a lot. But looking at the Smashboards listings, there have been over 3,000 events listed in the last 12 months. We are seeing reports of locals getting not 100, not 200, but over 300 players. In 2009 the record was set for Brawl at just over 300 entrants.
Pound 4 was once the largest Smash tournament ever
It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come.
Tomorrow, thousands of people will watch EVO from their own living rooms. Are they a part of the community? Are you a part of the community? The line has become ever so blurred. Even 5 years ago, the community was defined by the experience and the relationships of players who were attending events in person. Now we see uproar when viewers at home can’t follow along, even if the paying players find the tournament to be excellent. The transition to a shared online and in person experience, as one community, has been one of the biggest transformations in the last three years. It’s hard to believe the event experience is now defined as much by the players competing as it is by the spectators watching.
This weekend, Smashboards should cross the 200,000 member threshold - a testament to this continued Smash community growth. When I acquired the site in 2012, we were sitting around 125,000 members. It’s hard to believe that every day there are more than 8,000 posts and 10,000 liked comments on the boards, and that every weekend we see more than 50 Smash tournaments being held on our tournament listings. Smashers are joining today that weren’t alive when Melee was released. That is hard to believe. Even harder, there are Smashers who have never owned a CRT or even seen one out in the wild.
Most Smashers don't even know there was Brawl at EVO 2009.
While this may seem centered on Melee, it’s important to also consider the strength and growth that Super Smash Brothers for Wii U has brought us. DLC and balance patches were unthinkable 3 years ago – now we can be excited at what new content may be around the corner. Like Melee, Smash Wii U will have nearly 2,000 players compete in EVO this weekend – and they will begin a journey to define the games legacy. For these Smashers, consider the above, the trek that Melee players have undergone and the long battle to build the scene to where it is today. The leaders of the next generation of Smash are likely sitting in a high school classroom, waiting for their turn to push Smash to new heights.
If you are attending, or watching EVO, this weekend, remember that just a few short years ago, several hundred players competing was considered a huge event. Remember that in 2009 at COT4, we were elated to see the Brawl stream cross 1,000 viewers for the first time. This is all due to a community that is self sufficient, without need of external resources, and that has an unwavering desire to prove itself to all doubters. Most of all, remember that the community got here today by supporting each other and binding together.
I still find it hard to believe how far we’ve come.
Happy Smashing. aZ out. Enjoy EVO, discuss EVO here.
Also, EVO fantasy with prizing.
Apex 2015 - Smashers do the unthinkable.
Genesis in 2009 - Need I say more?
It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come.
Hard to believe over 10 years ago I was involved with my first tournament series – BOMB. At the time, BOMB was one of the largest series on the east coast. We held 4 events in about 2 years, expanding from 30 players to over 100. Hard to believe 100 person tournaments were rare, national affairs. This was a time before Facebook, before YouTube, before anyone uttered the phrase eSports around fighting games or even outside of South Korea. Before we had smartphones or iPads, before high speed Internet was found in every home. 2004 was so different that the software we used to run the bracket was made by Kiraki in our Junior year high school computer science class. He’s now in his 4th year at Microsoft.
In 2005 and 2006 we were in the golden age of Smash. At the time, having 15 tournaments a weekend that could muster 30, 40, or 50 players apiece felt like we had ‘made it’. Compared to everyone else – we had. Hard to believe that was nothing compared to today. In 2009 I compiled a report of all the Smash tournaments for one year – just over 600 in total for Brawl. That felt like a lot. That WAS a lot. But looking at the Smashboards listings, there have been over 3,000 events listed in the last 12 months. We are seeing reports of locals getting not 100, not 200, but over 300 players. In 2009 the record was set for Brawl at just over 300 entrants.
Pound 4 was once the largest Smash tournament ever
It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come.
Tomorrow, thousands of people will watch EVO from their own living rooms. Are they a part of the community? Are you a part of the community? The line has become ever so blurred. Even 5 years ago, the community was defined by the experience and the relationships of players who were attending events in person. Now we see uproar when viewers at home can’t follow along, even if the paying players find the tournament to be excellent. The transition to a shared online and in person experience, as one community, has been one of the biggest transformations in the last three years. It’s hard to believe the event experience is now defined as much by the players competing as it is by the spectators watching.
This weekend, Smashboards should cross the 200,000 member threshold - a testament to this continued Smash community growth. When I acquired the site in 2012, we were sitting around 125,000 members. It’s hard to believe that every day there are more than 8,000 posts and 10,000 liked comments on the boards, and that every weekend we see more than 50 Smash tournaments being held on our tournament listings. Smashers are joining today that weren’t alive when Melee was released. That is hard to believe. Even harder, there are Smashers who have never owned a CRT or even seen one out in the wild.
Most Smashers don't even know there was Brawl at EVO 2009.
While this may seem centered on Melee, it’s important to also consider the strength and growth that Super Smash Brothers for Wii U has brought us. DLC and balance patches were unthinkable 3 years ago – now we can be excited at what new content may be around the corner. Like Melee, Smash Wii U will have nearly 2,000 players compete in EVO this weekend – and they will begin a journey to define the games legacy. For these Smashers, consider the above, the trek that Melee players have undergone and the long battle to build the scene to where it is today. The leaders of the next generation of Smash are likely sitting in a high school classroom, waiting for their turn to push Smash to new heights.
If you are attending, or watching EVO, this weekend, remember that just a few short years ago, several hundred players competing was considered a huge event. Remember that in 2009 at COT4, we were elated to see the Brawl stream cross 1,000 viewers for the first time. This is all due to a community that is self sufficient, without need of external resources, and that has an unwavering desire to prove itself to all doubters. Most of all, remember that the community got here today by supporting each other and binding together.
I still find it hard to believe how far we’ve come.
Happy Smashing. aZ out. Enjoy EVO, discuss EVO here.
Also, EVO fantasy with prizing.
Apex 2015 - Smashers do the unthinkable.
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how could u do this 2 me
