Treat Sakurai like a human, not a mythical mastermind, please

[pap64]

OK, here is what I think what the OP's point is...

Fans in ALL fandoms have the tendency to do one of two things...

- Glorify the creator in such a way that they see him/her as a perfect mastermind that makes no mistake whose word is law and anyone that dares to say otherwise will be shamed and burned at the stake for questioning him/her

- Send murder threats, abuse, bully and scream at whenever they make a choice the fandom disagrees on

And both have one VERY common problem; they forget that artists are humans and thus make mistakes like you and I, are restrained to a system, and should be respected as such. I am in a ton of fandoms and the problems are the same; you are either not allowed to express criticisms and concerns about a product or franchise or people expect you to be offended when something is not agreeable with the fanbase (y'all remember the big Steven Universe reveal with Rose Quartz? Hoo boy I was around for that one and yikes...). And as a Disney fan, I REFUSE to buy anything with Walt Disney's face on it, not even a quote because I feel that's putting him on a pedestal when he had many mistakes and had many flaws too (and I say this as a Disney fanboy who works at Disney World so yeah the mouse owns my existence and has copyrighted it to heck and back!).

So to me at least, what the OP is trying to say is that Sakurai is so revered that fans will put him in a pedestal and we have to accepted everything he says or does, regardless if it's functional or not. Likewise, if he makes a bad decision that the fanbase disagrees with, he is a jerk that doesn't care about the fanbase. And after the November direct, the fanbase split into camp "SAKURAI IS A GENIUS LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" or camp "F*CK YOU SAKURAI AND YOUR PLANT FETISH TOO!". And guys...

Can we just turn him back into a human again?

You CAN still deeply love, respect and be grateful towards an artist, especially if their work has influenced you in significant ways. But showing criticism is NOT being ungrateful, a hypocrite or a jerk, it's just expressing an opinion, which last I heard was still something we can do. Miyamoto was used as an example here; I ADORE the heck out of the guy and I would love to meet him someday and thank him for everything he has done as an artist, game developer and designer. But that doesn't mean I have to approve everything he has done (while I low key love Wii Music as a guilty please they sold it way too much as being a sort of killer app, and the fact that his design approach for Starfox Zero was more about the visuals than the mechanics is puzzling).

Sakurai is no different. I am beyond grateful for everything he has created, I highly respect the man for all the hard work, effort and passion he puts into his games. He does not deserve death threats, racist slurs or just plain toxic criticism from the fanbase. He is a human being that deserves respect. However, putting him on a pedestal and thinking that any criticism made towards him is unwanted is also a ridiculous idea. Both mentalities are dangerous towards critical thinking.

You can STILL love and respect Sakurai, and still say "hey, this game was bad" or "I am disappointed with how this turned out. It doesn't make you any less of a fan nor does it make it a hypocrite. You bought a product and as a consumer you expressed your thoughts on it.

THAT

IS

NORMAL

It only goes over the top when you take it to such a personal level you feel the need to murder someone for it. That's it.

 

[RealPokeFan11]

OK, here is what I think what the OP's point is...

Fans in ALL fandoms have the tendency to do one of two things...

- Glorify the creator in such a way that they see him/her as a perfect mastermind that makes no mistake whose word is law and anyone that dares to say otherwise will be shamed and burned at the stake for questioning him/her

- Send murder threats, abuse, bully and scream at whenever they make a choice the fandom disagrees on

And both have one VERY common problem; they forget that artists are humans and thus make mistakes like you and I, are restrained to a system, and should be respected as such. I am in a ton of fandoms and the problems are the same; you are either not allowed to express criticisms and concerns about a product or franchise or people expect you to be offended when something is not agreeable with the fanbase (y'all remember the big Steven Universe reveal with Rose Quartz? Hoo boy I was around for that one and yikes...). And as a Disney fan, I REFUSE to buy anything with Walt Disney's face on it, not even a quote because I feel that's putting him on a pedestal when he had many mistakes and had many flaws too (and I say this as a Disney fanboy who works at Disney World so yeah the mouse owns my existence and has copyrighted it to heck and back!).

So to me at least, what the OP is trying to say is that Sakurai is so revered that fans will put him in a pedestal and we have to accepted everything he says or does, regardless if it's functional or not. Likewise, if he makes a bad decision that the fanbase disagrees with, he is a jerk that doesn't care about the fanbase. And after the November direct, the fanbase split into camp "SAKURAI IS A GENIUS LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" or camp "F*CK YOU SAKURAI AND YOUR PLANT FETISH TOO!". And guys...

Can we just turn him back into a human again?

You CAN still deeply love, respect and be grateful towards an artist, especially if their work has influenced you in significant ways. But showing criticism is NOT being ungrateful, a hypocrite or a jerk, it's just expressing an opinion, which last I heard was still something we can do. Miyamoto was used as an example here; I ADORE the heck out of the guy and I would love to meet him someday and thank him for everything he has done as an artist, game developer and designer. But that doesn't mean I have to approve everything he has done (while I low key love Wii Music as a guilty pleasure they sold it way too much as being a sort of killer app, and the fact that his design approach for Starfox Zero was more about the visuals than the mechanics is puzzling).

Sakurai is no different. I am beyond grateful for everything he has created, I highly respect the man for all the hard work, effort and passion he puts into his games. He does not deserve death threats, racist slurs or just plain toxic criticism from the fanbase. He is a human being that deserves respect. However, putting him on a pedestal and thinking that any criticism made towards him is unwanted is also a ridiculous idea. Both mentalities are dangerous towards critical thinking.

You can STILL love and respect Sakurai, and still say "hey, this game was bad" or "I am disappointed with how this turned out. It doesn't make you any less of a fan nor does it make it a hypocrite. You bought a product and as a consumer you expressed your thoughts on it.

THAT

IS

NORMAL

It only goes over the top when you take it to such a personal level you feel the need to murder someone for it. That's it.

Everything you said here makes so much sense without coming off as party pooping, or whining. I'm personally ok if they refer to him as a "god" or "mastermind" as long as they still treat Sakurai as a human being and have realistic expectations from him, and don't send him death threats over something that disappointed them. (*Cough cough* Waluigi) However, Princess Rescuer solely made a Smashboards account just to whine about the most direct being disappointing, and what other people think about the game. Yes, it was disappointing in some parts, but you kinda have to get over it at some point and acknowledge that Sakurai and his team put a lot of work into the Ultimate Smash game. He is human and definitely deserves a nice vacation after the first fighters pass.

 

[Wyoming]

Sakurai's a contractor with his own company, not a Nintendo employee. Working on Smash is his choice at the end of the day. He could say no and Nintendo wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Some people call him Daddy in jest which I find cringe, but they don't really see him as this demigod unless they are very young or naive.

Dude puts a lot of work into his games though and a few good vibe tweets/messages are probably nice for him and the Smash team to see. He makes questionable decisions that are scrutinized often, but overall can't fault his work ethic and passion.

He definitely looks tired though and deserves a long break doing whatever he wants. He'll at least rake in tons of savings to do plenty of adventures.

 

[Mogisthelioma]

However, Princess Rescuer Princess Rescuer solely made a Smashboards account just to whine about the most direct being disappointing, and what other people think about the game.

It seems that way. Lets all make this a Smashboards joke; what's his next complaint thread about?

 

[Fell God]

God you people care too much about things just let this thread die already smh

 

[Mogisthelioma]

God you people care too much about things just let this thread die already smh

It's fun to harass the OP's arguments when they're completely oblivious to everyone else's feelings.

 

[Fell God]

It's fun to harass the OP's arguments when they're completely oblivious to everyone else's feelings.

Yeah but now it's just pretty much everyone virtue signaling to try and win the imaginary "you're a good person" contest.

 

[pap64]

Everything you said here makes so much sense without coming off as party pooping, or whining. I'm personally ok if they refer to him as a "god" or "mastermind" as long as they still treat Sakurai as a human being and have realistic expectations from him, and don't send him death threats over something that disappointed them. (*Cough cough* Waluigi) However, Princess Rescuer solely made a Smashboards account just to whine about the most direct being disappointing, and what other people think about the game. Yes, it was disappointing in some parts, but you kinda have to get over it at some point and acknowledge that Sakurai and his team put a lot of work into the Ultimate Smash game. He is human and definitely deserves a nice vacation after the first fighters pass.

Oh for sure, just that the argument presented, even if made on a mountain of salt with a side of disappointment, is sound because as soon as the November direct ended, the fanbase split into those that want to kill Sakurai and those that want to glorify the man and defend everything he does. It's not just on Smash Boards but on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook everywhere.

I am also one for respecting and loving artists and creators while also being a critical thinker about their works. I mainly wanted to point that out.

 

[soviet prince]

Oh for sure, just that the argument presented, even if made on a mountain of salt with a side of disappointment, is sound because as soon as the November direct ended, the fanbase split into those that want to kill Sakurai and those that want to glorify the man and defend everything he does. It's not just on Smash Boards but on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook everywhere.

I am also one for respecting and loving artists and creators while also being a critical thinker about their works. I mainly wanted to point that out.

except the things there complaining about are ridicules and not deserved. This game is far from a bad game but you think it is utter trash how some complainers are complaining

 

[Tollhouse]

I actually agree with this a lot. Some people treat him like he's the Pope of video games and is ultimately infallible, but he can make mistakes. (example: the smash 4 roster) Everyone does.

That's a bit subjective, don't you think? Just because you don't agree with a god's decision, doesn't mean it's a mistake. Sakurai works in mysterious ways. The only thing you can do is hold down the control stick to crouch and pray he makes your most wanted character a fighter.

 

[Mogisthelioma]

That's a bit subjective, don't you think? Just because you don't agree with a god's decision, doesn't mean it's a mistake. Sakurai works in mysterious ways. The only thing you can do is hold down the control stick to crouch and pray he makes your most wanted character a fighter.

That was one example.
Probably the biggest issue in Smash history is Sakurai letting wave dashing slide in Melee even though he knew it was an issue. Because of that, Melee fanatics lose their **** whenever another Smash comes out because "IT'S NOT MELEE!"

 

[Eternal phoenix Fire]

That was one example.
Probably the biggest issue in Smash history is Sakurai letting wave dashing slide in Melee even though he knew it was an issue. Because of that, Melee fanatics lose their **** whenever another Smash comes out because "IT'S NOT MELEE!"

Just stop

It’s not an issue at all. It’s a movement option.

Do you really believe that’s all that makes Melee great? As someone who has an appreciation for the game and has played it for s very long time, that’s insulting.

Melee is revered not just for tech, but the flow of the game, the physics, the varition of play that comes from its engine. I personally think it has the best musical score of all the games (have you heard the fire emblem victory theme?) Granted, there are those in the community that are vocal and obnoxious, but that exists in every community, and bringing up the issue unwarranted such as how you are doing so further drives the divide in the smash community. So for the sake of doing yourself a favor, research, or just play, before you make these conclusions.

I played Brawl and Smash 4 competitively as well, and continue to play Smash 4 regularly, so this isn’t bias.

It’s not that players want another Melee, but something successful in its own regard that brings what Melee brought to the table. Even Mango said we don’t need another Melee, but something built as good, rather than building up from the Brawl engine, which isn’t bad, but has been the common denomination in the questionability of game play quality.

I shouldn’t have even responded in here honestly but stuff like this irks me man.