What's the line between competitive and casual Smash?

[Pixel_]

Dunno if this is the right place to put this or what, but I've been wondering about this for a while.

Is someone considered competitive the moment they start playing to win, or when they reach the skill level of Anther's ladder? I think the definition for most people is a bit vague.

Tell me if you want something on the poll, by the way; I have a feeling the choices aren't that great . All of the choices are saying "first someone passes this requirement, then plays to improve."
I personally think the "Once someone knows about the competitive community" is right.

 

[Frizz]

It's either "Once someone enters a tournament" or the one you think.
When someone enters a tournament, that means they're ready to compete with other players and acknowledge their placement with other players. Though, someone could just enter a tournament for fun, so I'm not so sure.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Entering a tournament doesn't inherently make you competitive. It's just a way to hang out and see what you can do for fun. What really makes one competitive is the willing to practice hard to get your skills to a higher level. Casual tournaments entirely exist, after all.

 

[Xermo]

The nature of competition entails that both sides are competing to best the other. So long as one plays this game with the intentions of winning over their opponents, they're competitive.
Playing casually would imply that any outcome of any game played wouldn't matter to the player, so long as they're playing it for their own amusement.

 

[Kurri ★]

The nature of competition entails that both sides are competing to best the other. So long as one plays this game with the intentions of winning over their opponents, they're competitive.
Playing casually would imply that any outcome of any game played wouldn't matter to the player, so long as they're playing it for their own amusement.

This.

Being competitive simply means you intend to win, anything else is arbitrary.

 

[Wintropy]

Yeah, competitive just means you're playing to win. You can throw sticks in the air with your best friend, and if you're both aiming to throw your stick the highest, you're engaged in competitive stick-throwing.

When most people say a person is "competitive", it tends to refer to somebody who goes to tournaments regularly and plays to win every time, which may or may not be the case with the person in question. You can just go to For Glory to hone your skills and still be considered competitive.

 

[EarthBoundEnigma]

You can easily play for style, in a tournament, rather than playing to win, and still win inadvertently.
I'd consider myself casual in Brawl, playing more for style alone, but competitive in the other Smash entries.
Sure, playing to win makes for competition, but at the heart of every competitive player, is the desire to improve.
To become greater with every match is the inspiration that drives many people to make the jump from casual friendlies to competitive events.
Each and every game's competitive scene faces this same unspoken ultimatum: either ignite this inspiration, or face expiration.

 

[420quickscoper]

You don't have to enter a tournament. You can still be a competitive player and not go to a tournament. Hell, I'm that kind of person.
For Glory is kind of irrelevant. You can still be a casual and consistently win on For Glory.

It's more of the fact that you start playing to improve your skills. Casuals play for fun, usually not to improve. It's also a little bit of playing to win as well.

 

[Raijinken]

Regular tournament entry, ideally backed with results.

I have entered tournaments. I have won tournaments. I have hosted tournaments. I (moreso formally than recently) spectated and debated competitive Smash on a regular basis. I play to improve, and generally prefer to win. I don't do any of the above but play to improve and prefer to win on any sort of regular basis (tournament density is less than one per year and I've lost interest in the meta, see sig for details). I would not consider myself a competitive player.

I find it largely an irrelevant distinction. Mostly because I'd rather we all be Smash players of varying skill, rather than the elite "If you aren't winning tournaments you don't know what you're talking about" versus the "tiers don exits."

 

[Mysteltainn]

Being competitive starts with the need to improve yourself; the desire to best any opponent in your path.

Entering more tournaments can be a trait of this, but there are plenty of people who also attend tournaments simply to converse and mingle with fellow players, which is excellent as well. There's nothing wrong with being an opportunist and expanding your social circle by meeting people with your core interests. Some players do both, and others are there simply to take the crown.

As for all of those options regarding For Glory... They may as well not be there. Although For Glory can be fun, and is a vast improvement over Brawl's on-line system, it is just that, an improvement. I would credit it for being able to teach very new players bare-bone basics, but overuse of this mode can really make a mess of an aspiring player by teaching them repetitive and non-conducive habits that will only prove detrimental to their further advances should they desire them. For Glory is a valiant effort, and does give players more to do outside of the core off-line game, but beyond that, it's quite irrelevant for quite a few reasons, sadly. Personally, if I'm going to go on-line, I'd much prefer For Fun or even Team Battle over For Glory.