Following yesterday's catastrophe at MVG Sandstorm, the below article from April 20, 2014 (exactly 1 year ago) is being re-published. MVG Sandstorm, a major event in Arizona that featured Project M, Super Smash Brothers Melee, and Super Smash Brothers Wii U, ran into a host of problems. Among them was power being shut off during the Melee finals mid-match, the Project M Grand Finals not being played at all due to time, controversy over Mew2King and Zero's Smash Wii U team name, and controversy over Mew2King's decision to drop out of Melee after being seeded 5th in the bracket. Most spectators at home also likely noticed the sub-par stream quality as the venue's internet could not sustain a connection. The stream itself was saved when D1 volunteered his 4G phone for bandwidth.
Below's article touches on why some of these problems are more prevalent in the Smash community than in other gaming communities. While many new players have already labeled Sandstorm as the "worst" tournament ever, such a characterization would be unfair. Multiple large events have had to shut down to play finals in other venues (usually hotel rooms), more than a few events have had to run using 4G phones before, and let's not forget about Apex 2015 where the entire tournament moved 45 minutes away from the original venue and an entire tournament day was lost. Through it all though - Smashers persevere.
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Yesterday, Fight Pit IV ran past midnight as the day-long Super Smash Brothers Melee tournament saw over 170 entrants. So late did Fight Pit IV go, that the venue had to clear of spectators and there was even the threat of having the police called in order to vacate the premises. While this may seem unusual for those who are just entering the Smash scene, this is actually not an unexpected or rare occurrence since Smash tournaments operate under different variables than other scenes.
Shout outs to Duck for forfeiting Loser's Finals so that the tournament could finish!
Why Smash Tournaments are Crazy
Some Notable Tournaments and Late Finishes (Melee and Brawl)
The parking lot makes a great emergency venue!
Below's article touches on why some of these problems are more prevalent in the Smash community than in other gaming communities. While many new players have already labeled Sandstorm as the "worst" tournament ever, such a characterization would be unfair. Multiple large events have had to shut down to play finals in other venues (usually hotel rooms), more than a few events have had to run using 4G phones before, and let's not forget about Apex 2015 where the entire tournament moved 45 minutes away from the original venue and an entire tournament day was lost. Through it all though - Smashers persevere.
___
Yesterday, Fight Pit IV ran past midnight as the day-long Super Smash Brothers Melee tournament saw over 170 entrants. So late did Fight Pit IV go, that the venue had to clear of spectators and there was even the threat of having the police called in order to vacate the premises. While this may seem unusual for those who are just entering the Smash scene, this is actually not an unexpected or rare occurrence since Smash tournaments operate under different variables than other scenes.
Shout outs to Duck for forfeiting Loser's Finals so that the tournament could finish!
"Smashers derive their very existence from an overwhelming need to get together and play in person - once this is accomplished little else matters."
Why Smash Tournaments are Crazy
- Smash Tournament Organizers don't cap attendance and nearly every attendee is a player. This means the structure of the tournament needs to satisfy most players - and not spectators.
- Smash tournaments are open to all - they are not invite only for only a select number of "teams" or players who essentially are there to put on a show for a spectating audience.
- Smashers are notorious for not registering online, making preparation for tournaments a 'best guess' - this means planning (and advertising) to operate Round Robin pools that may be difficult to run if attendance is very high.
- Smash tournaments require setups (CRT + Gamecube/Wii + game) and the ideal minimum ratio for operation is 1 setup per every 4 players. This is very difficult to achieve and often only partial setups show up. Not enough setups slows down the pace of the tournament.
- Smashers love to play friendlies - since every person attending is a player, once they are eliminated, players will often play friendlies on setups that should still be getting used for only tournament matches.
- Smash tournaments are run on a shoe-string budget. They are nearly entirely grassroots, which means tournaments can be run in houses, bars, and gaming centers. However, one of the most popular places to operate are schools (colleges) or church facilities - these facilities are usually free or cheap, but it means the venues shut down at specific times without negotiation.
- Smashers are accustomed to operating in conditions that players from others communities may find unprofessional. This means playing and finishing tournaments in apartments, hotel rooms, even the back of a car. Smashers derive their very existence from an overwhelming need to get together and play in person - once this is accomplished little else matters. Indeed, while the conditions can even be borderline harsh, the shared experience of making it through 10, 14, or 20 hour days with tournaments ending after midnight builds memories and, even, overcoming a shared hardship.
- Imagine the commitment and dedication it takes to have a community where over 1,000 LIVE tournaments occur in a year that hasn't seen support from the games developer or publisher. The only major force to operate consistently in the Smash community has been MLG - and outside of their events every other tournament is an entirely community driven effort with little or no sponsorship, put together by TOs just scraping by and putting on an event for the love of the game and community.
- Tournament Go - the Matt Deezie series that launched the community - held 100+ person tournaments in a house
- Game Over, in 2003, finished at a players apartment
- BOMB3, in 2004, finished in the hallway after the main room closed
- COT4, in 2008, finished in an apartment with radio-style commentary in place of a livestream
- Genesis 1, in 2009, finished in a hotel room
- WBST3, in 2009, finishes in the back of a car
- Fight Pit IV, in 2014, finishes in an empty venue as two the best players in the World compete for victory
The parking lot makes a great emergency venue!
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