In a recent reddit thread about VODs being uploaded to youtube without the streamers’ permission, GGs_Liva, the streamer behind Geeky Goon Squad, made the case from a streamer’s perspective.  

“The major problem is the financial aspect. Yes, talking about money is a bad thing BUT bills, food, rent or equipment doesn’t pay by itself.”

He betrays a shameful truth of our community: We have somehow adopted an ideology under which a legendary figure in our community must concede that “talking about money is a bad thing” before his comment can be taken seriously. This is absurd. Even more absurd is the addendum explaining that his basic human needs can’t be cared for without financial support. Is this not an obvious fact in our present world? If so, then why are we so collectively pained to hear it mentioned?

I have a few theories. Perhaps our community as a whole is too young, too idealistic, too naive to have yet embraced the reality of being a self-sufficient adult. Maybe we’ve read a little too much of Marx or a little too much of Zizek, and somehow came to feel that the best way to transform our unfair globalized economic system was to deny our community members the right to make a living. Probably the most likely, though, is that the rhetoric surrounding “esports” has confused us into believing that the less money one makes for doing a task, the more they must inherently love performing that task. People who want money are bad, people who selflessly work on projects they love are good. This simplifies the situation, of course, but I’ve come to think that our community has largely embraced this simplification. It’s harmful to our individual well-being, and downright toxic for all of Smash.

Let’s break down three reasons why this line of thinking is patently false:

For starters, anyone getting into Smash “for the money” is a total idiot. We are not a community loaded with money. There is no giant corporate backing in our community like there is in most other eSports. Events are run on shoestring budgets on a daily basis. Someone looking to make a quick buck could do a seasonal stint at Tropical Smoothie and make more while working less than they would in Smash.

Secondly, being able to make a living doing something you love allows you put even more of yourself into that task, and your work improves as a result. Being able to focus almost entirely on Smash-related content has massively improved the quality of my work this past year. Last year, I was still working 8-10 hours each day to support myself financially. The only time I had to work on videos was at the end of the day, when I was drained mentally and physically. Now, I spend a majority of my time doing what I love, and my love has grown stronger. I’ve been able to expand from trailers to top 8 intro videos, Last Stock Legends, behind-the-scenes content, and a few other projects that you will all see very soon. I was the head/sole TO of 5 different tournaments at my college back in 2005-2007. I know what it’s like to work for no money, and often no thanks. It kills your love very quickly; unrequited love is unsustainable.

Which brings me to the final point: human beings burn out. We aren’t all blessed with unlimited energy. Constantly travelling around the world for events sounds glamorous, and it initially feels that way. But after working a few eSports events, you realize it means leaving your family to jump in an airborne bus a.k.a. sickness tube for hours and hours, only to arrive at whatever mediocre hotel can be afforded before walking down to the venue, where you’ll spend most or all of your time working before crawling back to travel back home in order to recover from whatever sickness you got from your third round opponent’s unwashed poopy hands. Rinse and repeat.

Smash tournaments are not a basic necessity of life.

Lacking basic necessities shouldn’t be seen as a badge of pride just because we happen to be grassroots. In the end, all of this broadcasting is part of the entertainment industry; money is being exchanged for product on every level. If we were feeding the poor, then sure, working 16 hours a day for little pay would be a noble cause. However, any arguments about the moral good of donating one’s time to something as superfluous as watching individuals play a video game stand on flimsy ground. Smash tournaments are emotional, they’re exciting, they’re moving, they’re inspirational, but they are also entirely expendable branches of entertainment. We do not need people to give up food and shelter in exchange for Super Smash Brothers tournaments.

We’ve tricked ourselves into holding a paradoxical view of “eSports.” None of the compendium rewards for The Big House 5 garnered half as much excitement as the promise of a Homemadewaffles/Phil duo performing “non-esports” commentary. Thousands of dollars were spent to ensure their presence in the gorgeous and expansive venue. They sat in front of a professionally-created backdrop, lit from above by one fill and one key light. An HD camera honed in on their faces, and thousands upon thousands of people tuned in to hear their take on the second biggest melee tournament of all time. Hate to break it to you, but that’s esports.

Being a grassroots community affords us a unique opportunity in the world of eSports that we should embrace: the freedom to say what we want the final product to look like. I’m sure that we’ll be seeing more and more streams with uncensored commentary, and it doesn’t take an advanced understanding of economics to see why: people are willing to pay for it. We don’t need to resort to one set of standards for all of our content. Smash can become a multi-dimensional esport, offering a variety of experiences to satisfy different tastes. Apex had a beginner’s stream and the main stream. TBH5 had two streams with different levels of censorship and professionalism. Perhaps it won’t be long before differing commentary experiences becomes a standard feature at major events. There is room for growth, but only if the financial support grows as well.

If you want to learn more about just how much work goes on Behind the Scenes of a major tournament, check out the video below!