Gaming isn't just about having a bit of fun for some players – those who have chosen eSports as their profession also make their livelihoods out of interactive entertainment. The only way they can do that is by attending tournaments and events which offer a pool of prize money to participants, and that's why we've seen games like Fortnite, Dota 2 and League of Legends become such massive, massive draws for professional players around the globe.
As we've touched upon in not one but two exclusive reports, Smash Bros. isn't in the same league at all, mainly because Nintendo – despite offering some limited support – refuses to put up any prize money to attract pro players.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was recently quizzed on this situation by Japanese publication Nikkei, and had the following comments to offer (thanks for the translation, Kotaku):
Esports, in which players compete on stage for prize money as an audience watches, demonstrates one of the wonderful charms of video games. It’s not that we’re opposed to it. So that our games can be widely enjoyed by anyone regardless of experience, gender, or age, we want to be able to participate in a wide range of different events. Our strength, what differentiates us from other companies, is this different worldview, not an amount of prize money.
Speaking to Nintendo Life late last year, Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma – the world’s best Super Smash Bros. Melee player – was scathing in his assessment of the current state of Smash-related eSports:
The payout for Smash Ultimate is downright embarrassing. It is tragic how little money the top players make for competing at events compared to the viewership and the impressions that this game gets on a social basis. It is a travesty. This needs to change.
When you consider that Epic Games coughed up a whopping $100 million in prize money to support its Fortnite events in 2019, that gives you some indication of the gulf between that game and Nintendo's fighting title. However, it would seem that the company's aim is to make its games for everyone, regardless of ability, and it perhaps sees the idea of 'pro' players as counterproductive; Nintendo wants everyone to feel like they can play its games, and the notion of individuals getting rewarded for being better than everyone else clearly runs against that approach.
However, while the stance remains, it's unlikely that the lot of pro Smash players is going to change any time soon – and that's a problem when it comes to maintaining the game's presence on the increasingly-popular eSports circuit.
[source kotaku.com.au, via nikkei.com]
Comments 127
How much is an embarrassing amount of money?
But maybe they need to get a PROPER JOB, the rest of us have.
I think for one that it is great that Nintendo does not pump millions in this game’s esports.
It supports the vision of Sakurai and if player want more money from play tourneys they should start looking for other games.
Most of the other esports game have or more players or many in-game transactions that can “fund” the pool. It is all up to the company what they want to do.
Smash unlike other games do not get any frequent patches nor is made with esports in mind and not every popular game is meant for esports.
I read that as Furukawa saying it was an embarrassing amount of money...
I think Smash pro's need to recognise that there 'is' business sense in seeking to cater to more of the player base with a broader, more diverse range of Smash competitions and events.
The above is simply a continuation of their company philosophy tbh.
If anything Smash tournaments should get an amount in relation to what it generates for Nintendo. Honestly though, I never saw the competitive scene as a driving force for sales and even with all the DLC we're getting I doubt it does much to help the situation.
I do think the community needs to cleanup things first, too many controversies that I doubt Nintendo want to be connected to.
I get it that Nintendo wants as diverse a group as possible enjoying their games, but does anyone really think that casual players are turned off of Fortnite because Epic puts up huge pots? This sounds to me more like the types of excuses Nintendo offered for not having online games in the Gamecube and Wii eras.
@Godlike_Virus @Bunkerneath You guys feel the same way about professional athletes?
I just can’t get over how these eSports people and YouTube people think any big company “needs” them or owes them anything. These people make a damn living off simply playing games, no company in the world owes them a cent.
To be honest I couldn't care less, if the payout on Smash is not enough then move over to Fortnite, just like if your regular job does not pay you enough.
@johnvboy Just because you are good at one game, does not mean you're going to be good at another game. I'm pretty decent at fighting games myself, but I suck at most FPS games I play.
Telling people that "Hey, you don't like the payout for Smash Tournaments, then go play Fortnite|!" Would you tell a Football player who wanted more money that he can go shove it and play in MLB or the NBA?
Nintendo should be sponsoring tournaments and helping put up prize money. If Capcom and Namco Bandai can do this for Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, Soul Calibur VI, and Dragon Ball Fighter Z, then I see no reason why Nintendo can't do this as well.
Especially given the numbers Smash Ultimate got at last-years Evo.
Judging by the downvotes, it looks like some people are just allergic to getting a real job, and would rather enjoy living in dreamland.
@Dr_Corndog dude, you have no idea what a professional athlete has to do, most times for a very little wage. It isn't just about kicking a ball, that's a totally different thing and it's called entertainment, people there get paid for that. Get a clue.
"Our strength, what differentiates us from other companies, is this different worldview, not an amount of prize money"
One of the many reasons I am a fan!
@Bunkerneath my thoughts exactly
@Dr_Corndog fortnite also has tons of microtransactions driving up its revenues in the billions now rather than mere million. So that kind of help in allowing Epic to dump 100 whopping millions in mere prize money rather than holding everything back for game development.
I'm pretty sure no one would be ready for "Smash Bros the microtransactions edition" if that's what it took for nintendo to give away better prize money themselves. You already get enough people still grumping about the fighter pass released in 2018 with the game(we're now in 2020 and it's - finally- about to see the end of that first fighter pass cycle) as it is. It's already a surprise there'll be more fighters than but even then they still ran that first pass from 2018 to 2020 before starting to introduce more. Like most people who will get that fifth dlc fighter this year technically bought them in 2018...
@Dr_Corndog I do. They shouldn't make the amount of money they do in my opinion.
Coincidentally I find esports embarassing.
@Caryslan I get what you're saying but if the football player is professional then yes, I would tell them to go shove it because they make enough.
@Gamesurfer You have any idea of the level of hypocrisy in your comment?
@Caryslan,
Nah, still could not care less.
What Casual players are put off Fortnite or anything else by some people being really good at it?
Nintendo obviously value having the image of a company that welcomes casual noobs.
@Caryslan I am not really against Nintendo giving more mulah for esport but why would you want them to do that.
They could, yes could,(we do not have a way to know that but it is most likely) invest that money elsewhere like advertising or to develop games. You think Nintendo will profit from a few guys going to their tournaments. The meta and the kinda game Smash is makes it less popular than other games like LoL.
@Bunkerneath Or maybe the need to live their life the way they want to live it.
I don't think "embarrassing" is the right adjective for describing Nintendo's lack of e-sports support for Smash.
It's embarrassing how bias you are on the topic obviously, I love objective journalism. Maybe the vast majority of gamers, especially Nintendo gamers, could give two farts about esports.
There is no obligation for Nintendo to put up any prize money at all. Epic don't do it out of the goodness of their hearts, they need esports as a way of promoting Fortnite to keep people playing. It's just another form of advertising. Nintendo don't earn any extra money by people continuing to play Smash so it would be money down a drain, it's not a game as a service and it doesn't have microtransactions like other esports games.
Nintendo made Smash Bros for fun not eSports.
@Godlike_Virus O'Really?
www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/pdf/fatalinjuries.pdf
"I want it" and "other companies do it" do not mean Nintendo (or anyone) has any responsibility at all to do something. My parents taught me that "other people have/do it" means nothing, and then I grew up. We can only hope they'll get there too eventually.
I'm not sure how you can compare a game you buy once that made a few hundred million dollars to a free to play that makes billions annually because of micro payments.
It would never benefit Nintendo to give millions to a handful of players who don't have a life. For each million $ they give, they would need to sell tens of thousands of copies.
NintendoLife's Editor-In-Chief Explains Embarrassingly One-Sided Headline.
Why does this man-baby think he's owed something for playing a videogame.
Esports yeah kinda boring. Hmm just like regular sports.
@LukeNI Around the amount where 1st place can have a good time and have all expenses paid, 2nd and 3rd get their travel expenses paid, 4th and down to #1000 or however many contestants might as well just pour their money into a black hole while doing the creeper dance... In MAJOR tournaments.
Let's not even talk about smaller ones.
I don't feel like a society where people get rich by playing videogames is sane. People complain central banks have to print more money and it lowers its value but it's a consequence of how society makes rich people who don't create any productive value at all.
So many eSport haters in the comments. Stop telling them to get a proper job. You would probably not say that to a "real" athlete. Sure, you don't care about eSports but just because you don't care doesn't mean it shouldn't pay properly. There is obviously a big interest in eSports and Smash.
Remember when being the best at Smash just meant being able to tw*t your mates with a virtual baseball bat, and that was satisfaction enough? Strange times back in those days, what on Earth were we thinking? Nintendo are so stupid to focus on making games fun and entertaining with an evergreen lifespan. They need to offer me the chance to win millions or I shall refuse to be entertained by them again!
@AcridSkull He doesn't think he's owed something for playing a video game. He thinks that tournaments for this game, like for ALL other games not part of Nintendo's "world view", should reward competitors properly for their dedication.
You say he's a man-baby thinking he's owed something for playing a video game. So you're also saying that anybody playing ANYTHING competitively, be that olympics, any sport, literally any kind of tournament or competition for any reason... Is a man-baby if they so much as insinuate that winners of said tournaments/competitions should be rewarded for their dedication, hard work and provision of entertainment for thousands/millions of viewers...
@JohnnyC Your comment is funny, but nobody is saying Nintendo shouldn't focus on making games fun.
Unfortunately, when creating games that are naturally competitive, people want to, you guessed it, compete. There's always a sort of "elite" pool of people when it comes to anything in the world.
Some people enjoy watching those people.
Those people cannot be elite without making a living, because otherwise they don't have the time to be elite.
They need to make money to live in order to continue to be elite, and provide both the company (Nintendo) and the viewers (Nintendo fans/franchise fans) with the entertainment that there is clearly a demand for.
I'm not saying they need to win millions like in LoL tournaments and all that shit.
But honestly, somebody competes for a YEAR to become THE single best player that year in the entire world, and they're rewarded with payment of travel expenses... And maybe food.
Wow. That's.... Wow.
That's Nintendo's take on fair rewards for tournaments. Yay.
makes 0 sense, you can make a game for everyone but that doesnt mean you cant have tourns with large cash prizes, the two are completely unrelated
There is nothing embarrassing about it. It's stupid to demand anything. Nintendo owes them nothing. Smash players are not Nintendo employees. If I made a game and people decided to play it professionally without asking my permission, I would not be on the hook to pay for their careers. But because it's Nintendo, people think they can whine on the internet and force their hand, even though there is no reasonable argument for why Nintendo should have to do this.
@Bunkerneath I mean, Hungrybox is an engineer, and probably makes more than most in here. The point he is making, is that with all the free publicity Nintendo gets from the competitive scene, they could have given something in return.
I'm confused. Why do publishers owe any amount of money for competitions that they themselves do not run? What am I missing here?
Nintendo doesn't owe anything to esports players. Nor does Activision owe anything to CoD players, or Microsoft to Halo players. Where is this coming from?
Their team should pay them to compete. That's how it works for football players or any other sport
@Bunkerneath agreed. These people arent even that good at smash, what they need to focus on is real life
@Dr_Corndog I feel professional athletes are grossly overpaid.
The payout for Tetris 99 is even worse
@Blizzia
Sorry to say even if one million people watched a handful of "experts" lay Smash in a tournament that is only 1/40th of Nintendo's overall audience and that's not a big enough reason for them to give money to unsanctioned tournaments.
@Blizzia I appreciate your points, but if you compare it to any other profession in the world then the sense of entitlement amongst elite gamers is absurd. They're basically saying "I'm good, so pay me." If you work in any other profession and a company isn't interested in paying you, you work for another company. Simple as that. This is yet another example of esports pros being out of touch with reality, largely because quite a few of them have never dealt with the realities of employment. Somewhere out there is the world's best Tetrisphere player, which is also a competitive game. That doesn't mean they're entitled to a fortune.
@HumanDog
Hey I enjoy the $10 in gold coin payout lol
@JohnnyC
Agreed, in most professional sports you have to live, and breath the sport from k-12, be exceptional enough to earn a scholarship to play in college ball, then hope you are exceptional enough there to be drafted by a major team. E-Sports is the equivalence of hoping to get paid millions for beating a bunch of other children in a game you like to play without any of the actual hard work and sacrifice.
What do these people plan to do when they’re in their 50s? Are they expecting retirement options through Nintendo?
I understand how big esports are, but it’s still violate.
When you have professional athletes who struggle with money after they retire, you should possibly reconsider a future in esports.
It’s a hobby with the option of making some money, don’t view it more than that. If you’re aspiring to “make it big” playing smash, you have a better chance hitting the lottery.
I work with a lot of teenagers. I talk to them regularly and there’s a handful who want to be esport gamers. One kid was saving for a plane ticket for California last year to join a team, but wasn’t given a deal. These kids refuse to pick up shifts, or open up their availability to start saving for college like what I remember my friends and I doing in high school. It’s all about making time to get better playing their game of choice.
It’s ridiculous.
@Old_Man_Nintendo I never mentioned unsanctioned tournaments. I'm talking about official ones.
@JohnnyC That logic is why my country is currently killing all its ill people because nobody wants to pay nurses and doctors well, so nurses and doctors disappear. They don't go somewhere else, they just disappear.
So do patients (they die).
It's not about being out of touch with reality. Keeping the competitive scene alive is incredibly easy for Nintendo - they just need a proper prize pool at official Nintendo stuff.
It's like telling an engineer that because there's nothing going on right now, this engineer needs to become a photographer instead.
No. That's not how it works.
@AcridSkull Says someone who had no counterargument.
@Old_Man_Nintendo that says more about how messed up traditional sports are than it does eSports. Some eSports are profoundly difficult i.e. Starcraft
@Old_Man_Nintendo what’s more obnoxious is it took him until the third paragraph to give us the information suggested in the headline.
I know the internet has killed journalism, but you know they’re not professionals when they can’t stick to the inverted pyramid.
Nintendolife, when you’re reporting the most important information should be given to the reader in the first paragraph. You made it your third paragraph. You’re wasting our time.
@jockmahon Where's the benefit in tournaments with huge cash prizes though?
Do we have any numbers on how many people actually watch those tournaments? How many people see a tournament and go "Cool, i want to buy that game now"?
@Blizzia
Nintendo doesn't host official Smash tournaments
Wow, some of these comments...
These people and their "real jobs" (yes, I have one in case you asked). Face it, there are a lot of professions in the year 2020. Smash bros isn't always the only job for these people, they might stream games or have a "real job" too.
There are different ways to play these games. Some of you might enjoy the randomness, others want to take each character to their limit. Seeing that at tournament level is exciting for me and should get rewarded more. I'm not trying to get everyone into competetive games, I'm just so damn tired of these "real job" and "I play only for fun so everyone else should too or they're idiots" comments.
It’s funny because for the last thirty plus years I’ve heard that Nintendo needs to be more like Sega. Or Sony. Or XBox. Ad Infinitum. And now they need to be more like Epic Games??? Hilarious. 30 years from now, Nintendo will still be making great games as well as hardware on which to play them. And Epic Games will be nothing but an asterisk in the history of gaming.
This comment section is stunning, wow
@Jayofmaya if you want to discuss about anything, just express your arguments, otherwise you're just talking nonsense.
@Luffymcduck it's good to know they'd have to rewarded more in your opinion. So why you don't just pay them or offer them some kind of wage instead of telling people what they're supposed to think?
@Gamesurfer "Get a clue."
The irony.
@Blizzia Sadly, that is reality. Sometimes there isn't demand for a particular profession. And it is sad when it affects jobs like doctors and nurses, as you mentioned, although that is more a tragic failure of the running of a country as a whole than a company choosing not to support a particular form of entertainment.
@ChompyMage There's a difference between "I don't believe pro athletes should be paid exorbitant amounts of money" and "I don't believe pro athletes should be paid, period, for what amounts to playing a game." But I'm glad to see you have some consistency in your beliefs.
@Godlike_Virus I did, and it's clear you haven't put as much thought into it as perhaps you should.
@Ludovsky You bring up a good point. There's no reason for Nintendo to invest heavily in tournament winnings if there's nothing in it for them. Fortnite, Rocket League, Street Fighter V...these games have very different business models from Smash.
@MathGeekDave
Still doesn't mean there aren't areas where Nintendo couldn't improve and be even better.
@MysticX well true, i not saying they should give lots of money away but a few grand , so what doesnt hurt the co.
@AcridSkull Says more about you than me.
@JohnnyC Sometimes, there is demand, but not support.
That's the case here
@Dr_Corndog uhhh now it's clear what you meant, that totally made me change my mind. You meant exactly nothing, thank you for clarifying.
@Blizzia err mate, I do understand the bitterness of finding out that sometimes investing somewhere doesn't pay back, but it's really something that happens everyday. A lot of people end up on doing jobs they didn't study for.
It definitely DOES work that way everywhere in the world, although you might find it unfair.
As for public sanity getting wrecked, it happens because that's supposed to be paid by your government. If nobody wants to pay taxes, that's how it ends.
On the opposite side, why doesn't people want to pay taxes? Because they don't see any benefit. On both sides nobody does anything for free.
@Blizzia At the end of the day it's a commercial decision by a private company. Sometimes those decisions are things we like, sometimes they aren't. The price of a capitalist society. It's a bit daft to set your sights on a job that doesn't exist though, hoping that someone will invent it because you want it to exist. I'm still waiting for the day when someone will pay me a fortune to build and play with Lego, but I don't resent Lego (much) for not making it happen.
@Gamesurfer idk about bitterness, not feeling any of that
And nah, it doesn't. Sure, you might go work a supermarket job for a year or two, but you're still going gungho for what you studied for. That's pretty much how it goes. Haven't met anybody who said "you know what? There's not enough demand so I'll just do nothing, or do something completely unrelated forever" unless it's a profession that has literally been 100% obsolete for years.
Not sure what the taxes bit is all about, but cheers. People do pay taxes here big time, and we get a ton of neat benefits because of it (like free health care).
@JohnnyC You do know that people ARE getting paid a fortune to build and play with Lego, right?
The guy next to me in my shared office space literally has a fiancé who does that xD Hired by Lego to, yup, build and play with it (and of course come with creative input).
Not that that kinda job just hangs around for anybody to grab (I just wanted to point out it's actually an existing job, and somebody has your dream job, so go for it).
Also, professional tournament competitor is an existing job - it's done by tons of people. Every eSports game not made by Nintendo has sizable prize pools designed to keep the community healthy and reward hard workers with talent, because that keeps their franchise alive.
Expecting the company that created a game to cough up prize money because you got good at playing it should be what he finds embarrassing.
If eSports were a real and respectable sport, they would be able to generate the prize money at a league level, just like every other sport. The fact that they can't speaks volumes about their legitimacy.
Maybe Blizzard, Epic and everyone else should stop artificially inflating the value of esports, find some advertising sponsors and sell some tickets.
@Blizzia Not professional Smash player, according to the article. And re your friends who build and play Lego for a living, respect to them. That's living the dream!
@Blizzia Nobody is asking the person who invented Baseball or Football or Soccer or Hockey or Olympic Wrestling to pay them because they got good at it.
They created a league and got sponsors and advertising and sold tickets.
Demanding the creator of your sport pay you because you got good at it does make you a man-baby or the female equivalent, whatever that is.
@KcebEnyaw you took the words I was going to say right out of my mouth. If an audience/sponsor is willing to pay you to play games, be it Tennis, Bowling, Basketball, or COD, that's great. But it seems to me a little weird to attack the company that makes a game for not making it lucrative enough to make a career out of playing it.
Most of eSports stared with PC games and most of the "sponsors" were hardware & peripheral vendors using it to promote hardware sales, not games vendors trying to build a franchised entertainment industry.
@Caryslan Would I tell a Football player who wanted more money that he can go shove it and play in MLB or the NBA? Absolutely I would. If you haven’t noticed, different games pay different amounts of money. A professional curler or darts player generally won’t make as much as a NFL player (though on the bright side, they have a non-zero chance of living a dementia-free life). Even most Olympians have to get a real job.
@MathGeekDave Epic games have been around since 1991. I highly doubt they are going anywhere.
You're acting like they are some startup that got lucky with their first game. No, Fortnite is the latest in a long line of hits they have made which include the Unreal and Gears of War series.
Plus, they make this little thing called the Unreal Engine that you know, nearly 99% of commercial games run on!
So yeah, they are just as important to gaming as Nintendo. They have been around for 29 years, they aren't going anywhere.
@AcridSkull what is your damage?
@PickledKong64 @Gamesurfer @Godlike_Virus @Bunkerneath Ya'll want everyone to get "real jobs"? Fine. Say goodbye to
Indie developers
YouTube creators
Twitch streamers
Indie music artists
Authors
Sports
Artists
Etc.
Congratulations! Looks like you just destroyed about half of the entertainment industry and blotted out a ridiculous amount of creativity and talent!
@mystman12 bruh except indie developers authors and sports and artists are a real job. Also smash competitive people like zero or alpharad have no creativity. And competitive smash is not talent. It's not creative. And does not contribute to any of that. Real competitive players do need a real job.
@PickledKong64 "And competitive smash is not talent."
I... I'm sorry?! How on Earth is competetive Smash anything but talent? You think people win completely randomly? You need to be extremely talented at Smash to be top player.
Also you'd be surprised how many people wouldn't consider those things "real jobs." The fact of the matter is, if a person can make a living doing something, it's their job, and it's no less "real" than any other (Unless it's illegal or something). If a Smash player can manage to make a living playing Smash, that's a job they have.
Sorry, if your esport is good enough to exist then charge admission, get sponsorships, have a participant pot, or if your are big enough do a pay-per-view. This sounds mostly like sour-grapes because Nintendo declined to sponsor a third party company's tournament.
@PickledKong64 If you honestly think playing Smash Bros or any other game in a tournament takes no talent, then go play in a tournament and see how far you get. I'm sorry, but that attitude is like me saying "Anyone who plays in the World Series of Poker is not talented!" and then trying to play those players when I suck at Poker.
I think Golf is the most boring game in the world and I don't care about the sport or watch it on TV. But I also don't sit around saying those players don't deserve their money, endorsement deals, or fame just because I don't like something. It does take talent and creativity to play Golf, it's just not my cup of tea.
I certainly don't think I can waltz onto a Golf Course and play in the PGA Tour. Forget Tiger Woods, I'm nowhere near the level of the lowest-ranked player. So, I have no right to mock them or question their skills.
My point is, just because you don't think its a talent does not mean other people view it the same way. There are people who think tossing a football or coaching a team in the NFL requires no talent and they know better than the owners who pay millions to those players and coaching staff because they think they can win them the Super Bowl.
But now, I'll touch on another thing you said that bothers me. Smash requires no creativity. Really??
Do you know why Melee is still played to this day, and remains a staple in tournaments all over the place? It's not because a bunch of old gamers cling to the Gamecubes and refuse to change with the times. Its because the game rewards being creative in matches and thinking outside the box.
Many of the strategies and common techniques like Wavedashing came from players who pushed the boundaries of the game and created things even the developers never thought of.
Melee is not alone in this regard. Super Street Fighter II Turbo is still a staple as well in tournaments, and despite coming out in 1994, players are still creating new strategies for characters who were once written off.
Hell, this can apply to pretty much any game.
But I think Smash rewards being creative a lot more than other fighting games. In other fighting games, you movement is much more limited and combos, even if they can be custom made by the player, many follow a defined string.
In Smash, many combos are more freeform, allowing a creative player to string insane combos that should be impossible. Also, because of the freedom of movement and ability to move freely off the stage, this requires the player to think fast and be creative.
Any competitive game requires players to be creative if they want to play at the highest levels. Going back to my NFL example, Quarterbacks are the highest-paid players on the field because they are the ones driving the offense. What defines a Legendary Quarterback from even a good one is how creative they can be, and how they can combine that with their own talent to beat defenses and score points.
Playing any game, be it Chess, Golf, Smash Bros, or anything else requires not only a player to understand the rules of the game, but they see past their own limits of that game and push the boundaries of what is expected, which takes both talent and creativity.
@mystman12 playing smash competitively is not a real job tho. Same could be said with sports. But you see at least athletes are active a d put REAL training into sports. These competitive smash people are terrible human beings with zero life skills. Go ahead and play smash and only smash. See how well that gets you. Come back to me when your making millions.
@Caryslan I must have alzheimers cuz I dont remember asking you
I doubt that esports has truly moved near the same amount of copies of game as a regular commercial has. The average consumer could care less what Smash Bros Ultimate looks like on a flat map, with no items on and characters restricted from use. They want to know what the full game looks like as it was intended to be played. Full items, full map rotation, all the characters.
@PickledKong64 It's an open comments board. I as well as anyone else here has every right to reply or offer our opinion to any comment we want to.
I fail to see the problem here.
@Caryslan no they shouldn't tho. Nintendo doesnt need to pay us for playing their games. Theirs a reason why we buy their games.
I think the whole esport scene is ridiculous and it's honestly just kinda crazy. Most people don't seem to realize this but it's become this thing where kids are taken from their homes and made to live with other kids where they just train at competitive gaming all the time, and that started a long time ago.
I just don't like that scene.
@JanoschTS that's life tho you cant live it how you want a d playing video games is not a real job.
Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma needs to get a real job and stop with the crying
Late to this, but anyone decrying popular streamers and players...that might be your opinion, but it's going to be a downright ridiculous opinion ten, twenty years from now.
The casual person agrees that, say, college athletes deserve compensation, given how much money they bring in to the institutions that surround them. People who bring in ad revenue for a video game are absolutely no different.
Did you click on this article? Are you interested in Smash Bros. and Nintendo? Guess what? These players just helped someone make money on something. For those who make content and bring in crowds, it makes absolutely no difference that the medium is something you personally think is unworthy.
Nobody is paying me to throw around a football. But if I were super good at it, they would.
@deafswin37 it was literally mentioned earlier in this thread he's an engineer
@DockEllisD heh, that NintendoLife for you 😑😑😑
Shame on us for expecting any better 🤦🏼♂️
@Pandaman That’s quite the leap. Some people clicked on a click bait article, so professional Smash players are justified in begging Nintendo for money? Lots of dads come and go over the course of 20 years once people realize how pointless they are (see: MySpace). College athletes already do receive compensation in the form of a free university degree, something many people go well into debt in order to obtain. As always, those who aren’t happy with their compensation package are welcome to choose a different game or a different team.
@Gamesurfer Try again, kid.
Which is why Smash and Nintendo will never really be big players in the competitive pro gaming scene.
If that works for them then i don't see a big deal.
Smash at Esports is so small that they could not do it and it wouldn't effect the event at all.
@PickledKong64 "no they shouldn't tho. Nintendo doesnt need to pay us for playing their games. Theirs a reason why we buy their games."
^ when the entire concept of competitive pro gaming flies over your head 😂😂😂.
I wish life were as simple as "just because you're good at it doesn't mean you need to be paid for it"...
Companies aren't required to invest in esports, especially if that wasn't what the game was designed for. Also they aren't required to give somebody six figures for winning a gaming tourney.Trying to shame them into giving out more money comes off as pretty desperate to me.
I have mixed feelings about Esports. I truly do not get the fascination with Twitch but I understand competition being a draw. When I competed there was very little money involved and only at certain points like a regional, semi national or exhibition. I did get an all expenses paid ride to a regional and it was a great time but the stress levels are no where near what it seems like today. We competed for high score and getting your name out there.
Esports, in my opinion, have taken something pure and enjoyable and created a corporate like feel where the game is a job and the expectations too high to really enjoy yourself. Also young kids are dealing with situations they are not prepared for.
I think it is fine if companies want to promote games and offer prizes but taking individuals who are socially reclusive due to the current state of gameplay and throwing them into a forced environment that may be socially challenging is not right.
A lot of silly arguments here about whether pro gaming is a valid profession and deserves to be paid.
Showing a huge lack of understanding of economics. I see it as exactly the same as the sports industry, albeit professional sports is a far more developed market . It goes like this:
1. People play a game (sport or video game, whatever)
2. Other people get interested in watching good players
3. A business taps in that interest and uses it to generate revenue from tickets, broadcast deals, apparel, merchandising etc
4. That revenue (eventually) trickles down to the players, whether by the organisation/business/league looking to attract the best players in a competitive situation, or the players forming a union and demanding a bigger share of revenue.
That's all there is to it, and it applies to traditional sports as well as esports.
And nowhere in that model does it demand that a company like Nintendo must or even should participate. It's all a question of business strategy i.e. do they believe they can make a new and profitable revenue stream out of esports? Yes? No? Completely up to them.
@Blizzia believe me, I do share your feelings, but I'm 100% sure that's the way it works. I saw it, I felt it on my skin, and although it sucks, it's totally real.
About taxes, I still have to try the feeling of living somewhere people are happy to pay taxes but anyway well, if it isn't evaders' fault, then it must your government's lol
@Dr_Corndog try what? Seriously, this is getting really childish, and I'm in my 40s, so go call kid someone else. Still, two replies and no argumentations whatsoever anyway.
@mystman12
I hope your comment is ironic. Indie developers, youtube creators, twitch streamers, authors and artists get paid only when somebody wants to pay them, so those are totally wrong examples. You might be misled by the fact that some sportsmen are billionaire but, as I said very clearly, most sportsmen are poor and those who are rich got so because they are paid by big entertainment companies. They don't get paid because they are sportsmen, they get paid because they entertain (paying) fat people who pass their sorry lives on some couch.
Considering that Smash Ultimate has become the best selling fighting game of all time, I feel like Nintendo does a pretty d*** good job of promoting Smash already.
@Gamesurfer It's called entertainment, because it keeps people entertained, much like eSports. Even if it's less people than sports. You clearly love your own opinion way too much to discuss, so I don't see why you bothered to ask, though.
Epic is making crazy amounts of money off fortnite. Sure smash is bringing in money but not like that. And they are not the esports company. Sure pros want big money like they make in some other games but it is not happening at least not now. Seeing how Nintendo once with after mobile and is now making money on mobile they could change their minds one day.
Why don't organisers offer up prize money based on sponsorship and ticket revenue. Just a thought.
@Gamesurfer You've given me nothing to respond to. I asked you a question, but you were more interested in mouthing off than having a conversation. I've learned not to waste too many words on your type.
Getting childish? That happened some time ago. If you're really in your 40s, then start acting like it.
@Jayofmaya I've never done any comparison between sports and esports, and still don't get where hypocrisy is in my comment. So let me ask, since there are so many poor sportsmen around, why is an "eSportsman" supposed to get paid just as such? If he can find somebody who pays him, fine, otherwise why am I supposed to care?
@Dr_Corndog there, now that's hypocrisy.
@Razer except it didnt fly over my head. What crap are you talking about? I'm just opposing the idea of competitives being PAID for playing
Why should they? Who thinks its their obligation to do so?
I don't believe in esports anyway. Sports require some degree of athleticism. Just call yourself paid players and fund your own bloody prize money. The only professional gamers are the paid game testers I guess.
I hope they never get funded by big companies. Especially considering the way they act. This just further proves that these "professional gamers" are nothing but a bunch of spoiled twits.
@MarcelM I'm not a sports fan either, but professional athletes do in fact have a real job, they hafta bust their butts financially, physically and time wise for years to get picked up by a professional team.
@somebread Yeah so the guys a loser end of story
@PickledKong64 “that's life tho you cant live it how you want a d playing video games is not a real job.“
Yeah... you keep saying that. I did not realize that you are the authority on what is a “real“ job and what is not. My mistake.
But in all seriousness, who are you to decide how other people should live their lives? If they want to play freakin' video games to make a living, that's their own decision.
But maybe I just didn't get it right.
So being a professional football player is a “real“ job, because at least you “put REAL training into sports“. Being a professional esports player is not, because you're only training your muscle memory in your thumbs and your mental skills like strategy, reaction time and whatever. Got it.
Having a boring office job is when you have a “real“ job, because that's what everyone else also has. As a professional esport player you obviously don't have that, because games are for the free time and how dare them chasing after their passion and wanting to do something fun for a living.
On the other hand, if you have a small start-up is actually having a “real“ job, because yes, it is maybe not exactly successful now, but it might skyrocket in a few months, because it's your passion project and a really really promising concept. I don't even know what esports is compared to that, but it definetely can not be something that makes it a “real“ job.
@JanoschTS do you hear how sad you sound? I feel sorry for you. You genuinely disgust me. I'm just gonna leave it at that
@PickledKong64 It's called sarcasm. But whatever makes you happy, man.
@deafswin37 ???? you said he needed a real job and he has one, the hell do you have besides calling someone a loser on a european nintendo news site's comment section?
Its not embarrasing. Its very honourable. You just dont get it kid.
@dew12333 yes me too. They are honourable. The guy who wrote this article it is not.
@PickledKong64 I'm opposed to the idea of Athletes getting paid to do sports on TV but because of certain advertising contracts, I'm not stupid enough to argue against it.
Same with competitive gaming.
@somebread get a life loser and stalking is not for you child..Blocked ya on my twitter..I don't deal with crybabies Goodbye!
@somebread you are a loser
@somebread also i have a job..Not the one living in his parents basement..keep trying trooper
@deafswin37 should i "eat soap" too?
@JanoschTS eSports has been around for quite a while now and people have been able to make a ton of money off of it. I do agree that people put more work into sports such as football or soccer, but you can't just discredit eSports as "not a real job or career" just because you see people playing video games. There are people who will literally record a video on their phones, do about less than an hour's worth of editing in iMovie and post it to YouTube and earn a ton of money from it (Vloggers if you will). In my opinion, Vlogging isn't a job but looking at the profits they make, I'd say it works out for them in the end.
Chess is also considered a sport and the top 50 players make $100,000 a year, that's a decent salary for just playing a simple board game and it will take YEARS of patience and practice to master Chess. Any sport comes with that, eSports included. No matter what game or sport you play, you will have to spend years of practice in order to even remotely have a chance at hitting the big leagues. You can't deny the dedication a Smash Bros player has when it comes to learning the character they wish to main, how matchups work against their main, what attacks combo into other moves, and how to train their muscle memory in order to have the reflexes to react in time during certain situations.
eSports, like any other career or sport, requires an insane amount of dedication to even remotely stand a chance during competitions and that's something you can't overlook. To the average person or casual player, they'd probably say what you're saying right now and I'd say that's a little unfair given how much time they've invested into making this into a career. You don't have to like the idea of video game competitions being a profitable career or job, but you can at least respect the people that work hard to get where they're at.
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