I have been part of the Smash community for a very long time, and I have seen it all from the start. There has always been a divide with how people play Super Smash Bros. Some prefer it as a party game, while others gravitated towards its unique mechanics to test the limits of their skills. There have been multiple itterations in the franchise, some more deep or technical than others, and they all played very differently. This also means that people may have very different preferences when it comes to which kind of smash game they prefer. I personally have a preference for Project M, a mod that takes a lot of its core mechanics from Melee, which is arguably the fastest and most responsive game in the series.
Over the years, it has dawned on me that whenever people ask me about the newest smash game, and I respond not really being into the newer games, I am often met with very abrasive responses. I immediately get branded as an « elitist » for merely prefering Project M and Melee over latest iterations. At this point, I haven’t even said anything negative at all. I just stated a mere preference. Often, this ends up in a heated debate about how Melee fans are horrible and stubborn and refuse to try new things… even if I played several hours of the newest game to come to the conclusion that I still prefer Project M over it. These experiences have been accumulating over the years, to the point where I am wary of mentioning my Smash preferences publicly. But honestly, this shouldn’t be happening. There is nothing wrong with having an oppinion.
The argument I often get is that by criticizing a game, I am attacking its fans by extension. That notion is preposterous, as one can dislike a certain thing, idea or concept without disrespecting those that like them. I am not very fond of mayonnaise, and have choice words for restaurants that do not disclose that there is mayo in their dish before serving it. I don’t hate people who enjoy mayonnaise. That very thought would be ridiculous. The same would be true about preferences in video games. The difference here is that scarce few people define their identity as a mayo lover, but many do define their identities through their hobbies.
Someone stating that they beleive that a game that you enjoy is « bad » should in no way affect you, or qualify them as an « elitist », nor should it annoy you. People have every right to have different oppinions from you, and they don’t have to walk on eggshells to preserve your fragile ego. This may sound harsh, but not liking a game does not mean that said individuals are in fact looking down on you. That is a mere projection that is very likely innacurate. I firmly beleive that Ultimate is not a very good game, and for many reasons; the most important one being the severe input lag. I have every right to beleive this, but I don’t « hate » Ultimate fans. I get it; it’s the shiny new game with all of the new characters. I’ve even heard someone say that they prefer the clunkier gameplay because they have to commit. I just personally think it is badly designed. During the Project M days, I would play alongside brawl players and bond with them. There was no animosity, because it didn’t matter where we came from. For healthy discourse, one must separate the game from their identity and understand that just because someone disagrees with you on something, they are not a monster.
I recall Melee players being bullied since the onset of competitive Smash. More party-oriented players would come up to us, yell at us for « cheating » or being horrible people, and then leave while we wonder what just happened. That has been going on for a very long time, and is just getting worse. Melee has become a scapegoat for elitism, while I can’t find any of these people, if any at all in the wild. When I ask for examples of elitism, they point me out to people who have legitimate criticisms of the latest game. Instead of viewing the criticism as merely being the person’s oppinion, they immediately discredit them as a lowly elitist. If anything, immediately discrediting someone is far closer to the definition of elitism. Saying that I dislike Ultimate is me criticizing the game. Someone calling me an elitist over liking Melee is a personal attack. The difference is plain to see.
It is high time we, the entire Smash community, recognize the injustices that the Melee community has suffered through, and that we stop letting insecure bullies put people down over a mere preference in gameplay. It is also time that we stop getting mentally triggered over people not sharing the exact same oppinions when it comes to enjoying a game. It is also time that we start treating each other with basic respect. I will continue saying that Ultimate is in my oppinion, a terrible game. I will never call an Ultimate fan a terrible person unless they truly do something terrible.
So no, I will not stop criticizing smash games I do not enjoy. I beleive the average person should be mature enough to not be offended by differing oppinion. What you play and who you are are two different entities.
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