Competitive smashers have sucked the fun out of the game by reducing smash to 1v1 no item battles on Final Destination only. These self proclaimed Pro smashers are only good at the way THEY play the game. All Casual smashers think that playing with items on very high on Temple is a deep and enriching gameplay experience. Hardcore Smashers spend all of their time finding glitches so they can exploit and break the “real way” to play smash. People who don’t play smash are worthless.
If you’ve been outside the smashboards for more than 17 seconds, you have probably heard some of these stereotypes. Good thing none of them are true (except maybe that last one).
It’s time to set some things straight. I believe it would do us all good to try to work out some definitions so that we can work out our differences.
Non-smasher: A person who doesn’t play smash.
Though the definition seems clear enough, I must add that in order to qualify as a non-smasher, you have to either have never played any of the Smash Bros. games or explicitly state a refusal to play them. Basically, these people are mainly gamers who have never owned an N64 or a Nintendo Gamecube. It’s important to remember that there’s nothing wrong with these people. Most of the people in the world are these people. We need them to power our livelihood. Also, before you got your hands on Smash, you were one. Never forget where you’ve come from.
Casual Smasher: A person who plays smash as a recreational activity. These gamers play smash as a pastime, diversion, or as a resource for relaxation and enjoyment.
Ultimately for these gamers, Smash is all about having fun in any style. Winning a losing matches is secondary to creating exciting experiences. This is why playing with items appeals to these players so much. What’s more exciting than throwing a bunch of pokeballs all over the place and running around as chaos commences?
As soon as someone gets upset or angry (at losing perhaps) the situation would have then gone too far for the Casual Smasher. Because everyone is just trying to have fun, there’s no need to get upset and throw your controller across the room. Though Smash has rules and clear objectives, they’re of a lesser priority for these players. They encourage people to try and win, but not at the expense of anyone else’s fun.
Competitive Smasher: These gamers are serious about getting better at smash.
The rules of the game are important because they create structures and yield gameplay that can’t be found anywhere else. Because the point of playing a game is to win, these Smashers do exactly that. These gamers will analyze their game to discover weaknesses and attempt to correct them. They’ll discover or acquire a technique and practice until it’s second nature. These smashers would never say “you’re taking the game too seriously” because they know, like anything in life (sports, music, school), taking it seriously is the best way to live. Only when you work for things do they truly become worth it; they truly become a part of you.
Though these gamers may not always have the time, it’s important to keep in mind that the only thing that differentiates a competitive smasher and a casual smasher is their respective attitudes. It has nothing to do with skill level. Those who simply have to desire to get better are competitive smashers, even if they never have any one else to play with for real competition.
Pro Smasher: A pro smasher is an expert player.
There are many definitions of what makes a professional. Some define being a professional as being able to earn a living by, in this case, playing smash. I didn’t like this definition because earning a living is still quite difficult for professional gamers. After all, gaming in general is relatively new to the professional world of competition.
The only way to prove yourself in smash is to compete. Participating in tournaments is an easy way to compete and potentially establish yourself as an expert player by placing high. With Melee, competition was usually your friends, unless you were tapped into some kind of community. I grew up on smashboards, and I owe my allegiance to those boards. Through this community, I found out about tournaments, players, and techniques, and have been traveling all over Texas for the last 5 years or so just to compete.
Just because you win a local tournament doesn’t make you pro either. It’s important to get a sense of the overall evolution of competitive smash play. Thanks to youtube, smashers everywhere have an easy way to post and share videos. When someone is good, like
Bombsoldier for example, the world can know about him and the new level of skill to reach.
There are certainly other kinds of experts in the smash universe. Some people aren’t good at mind games or pushing buttons fast enough. For these people, they might enjoy doing research about smash.You can also be an expert by holding the high scores in any of the single player modes (Break the Targets, Home Run Contest, Adventure Mode, Challenge Mode, Multiman Melee).
What’s important to remember about the pro smasher is they still have fun. Because fun can be thought of in many different ways, and come from a variety of experiences, we must be careful to accept other people’s preferences and methods for having fun. Some people really like applying themselves. I am one of these people. I enjoy experimenting and finding completely new ways to play. I don’t believe any pro smasher would continually go to tournaments if they weren’t having fun or being satisfied in some way. Nobody is forcing them to go. Because they choose to go, then there’s a good chance they enjoy it.
Every competitive player has their own personal line that they draw between doing everything it takes to win, and still having fun. I know I drew the line at “I must play Kirby.” For me, it was all about Kirby, and I didn’t care about any other character. This is probably the worst decision I could have made for my Melee “career.” I’ve suffered so much because of Kirby’s weakness. But even when I lost hard, I was still having fun. As long as I played Kirby, I was on the fun side of the line. Ultimately, it was my choice, and I went down fighting for what I believed in.
Hardcore Smasher: a player who will stick with Smash no matter what happens to the game.
If L-canceling is out, if wave-dashing is out, if Marth is out, if Fox is nerfed, if there are no more original stages for target test, if the Brawl is not online, the Hardcore smasher will shrug and quickly move on. I know some may think that being hardcore is wining and nitpicking over the smallest details, but this is a misconception. The primary definition for “hardcore” is being “unswervingly committed”. This means, not matter what you’re sticking with Smash.
I fall under this definition of hardcore. I’ve written literally hundreds of pages about smash. I have owned the game since day 1 on the N64. And I’m planning my college schedule light next semester so my academic career isn’t flushed. I’ve set aside money so that I’ll be sure to be able to afford Brawl when it hits. Plus, I have two reservations for the game just in case a delivery truck tips over, or one of my friends foolishly forgets to reserve a copy. This is what it means to be hardcore. Not necessary all the specifics, but simply being committed.
I can hear some of you saying, “But wait a minute. I thought you said you were a Pro smasher. How can you be a hardcore smasher too?” I’m so glad you asked.
Being a Casual/Competitive/Hardcore smasher is all about your attitude. It’s very possibly to be a Hardcore-Casual Smasher. And for all you competitive/pro smashers reading this, inside us all there is a little casual smasher sitting around just goofing of on pokefloats with items on high. It’s good to recognize that.
Notice how none of these definitions have anything to do with “items on or off” “final destination only” or “must play tiers.” It’s all about who each individual smasher is and the choices they make. Everyone is different. Respecting these differences is how we’ll all get along when Brawl rolls around.
*wink* 
lick my eye? (I don't know what this one is used for)
PK thunder is lame in brawl 
Linear Mode
