The Ever-Growing Mindset Of Competitive Thought And The Need To Loosen Up

[🌌☾ᏉᎬᎶᎪ☽⭐]

Hello. I've been thinking of something lately.

Competitive, while containing a very small margin of players, is noticeably big nonetheless within the community. It's this sort of "pure" way of playing Splatoon, with only the best of the best coming in to win. As a bystander, I find all of this fun to look at, see how things progress and evolve, and eventually settle down into the "optimal" way of playing the game to achieve the best results and take it all. While this is all fine and dandy, I can't help but notice this sort of emphasis put on thinking competitively and wanting to win. A good mindset to have, but I've begun to notice that at times casual players take it a little too far with it, to the point where it might even affect their outlook on the game inadvertently. I want to write this sort of essay in hopes of searching for a possible reason why many would want to think this way, and drop my two cents on why if you play the game casually, it's probably better to loosen your grip on these thoughts in hopes of maybe having a better time with the game.

Here's a little simple one to get started. As many a ProChara viewer may recognize, whenever the topic of competitive gets brought up, there's always the disclaimer that "you should play what you want and it doesn't matter what a tier list says," or something to that omen. It's something that I think is a very crucial thing to understand, and yet it's one of those things that I realize gets a bit disregarded in favor of "This thing is the best because the list says so." In terms of tierlists, it's important to note that these are very flawed ways of viewing the game, as while they do provide good general insight into one's thought and maybe even the state of the game, it suffers from the fact that it must boil everything down into the most simplest of terms possible. A tierlist cannot recognize depth within a weapon outside of giving it a place where you can consider it a low, mid, high, or top tier weapon. While there will be explanations within these, and reasoning for why a weapon would go somewhere, it lacks the ability to talk about options; what a player would want, and other multi-faceted ways you could play the weapon. Let's take the Snipewriter for example. Infamous weapon known for painting the map, having Tacticooler, having a combo number at 68 damage, and not receiving a single nerf within a good few months reminiscent of Crab Tank. Many will say that it will only stay in the back doing its own thing as a backline, similar to what Jet Squelcher did in Splatoon 2, and while I could argue that Snipewriter is a far more healthier weapon than Jet Squelcer ever was back then, there's no scooting around the fact that it's still a problem because it does what Jet Squelcher used to do. But that play-style both Splatoon 2 Jet and Snipewriter have are merely the "optimal" way of playing the weapon, at least from a competitive standpoint. These are the "pure" ways of playing the weapons, and as such disregards the idea that players don't have to abide by this. Not every lobby needs some sort of competitive player forced to slave onto Snipewriter and stay back the whole game in order to have fun, because it then disregards that player that got forced to do so. In terms of solo queue matches, Tacticooler is still pretty strong. Maybe not the strongest because of the lack of team coordination, but solid nonetheless. I feel as if many people forget this sentiment, because they only know Tacticooler for being the top special in competitive, when casually it's a different story. You can pick up the Snipewriter sure, but you don't have to stay back and stay alive because you're free from at least some shackles. Nobody can really force you to play in a manner that benefits everyone. With the liberties of casual you can say, move up a little more, try doing some cheeky stuff that competitively would give you a few looks; why not use your Tacticooler as a shield in the frontlines to block shots while getting a few of your own off? Stuff like that. Sure, this definitely isn't the best way of playing the game, but it can be fun to some, which is why being in the competitive mindset in a casual setting is likely to leave you more empty and even a bit angered with the game if anything.

Now this isn't to say that everything competitive related should be ignored completely. There are objective truths to be held with the setting that can definitely be applied casually. Competitive information is indeed helpful to improving yourself as a player, but it can be equally hurtful if you know this information, and retaliate on it instead of incorporating it. There will be some sort of hate to the sort of thought process that casual and competitive players have, evidenced by the rift caused by the community. You know the "Don't listen to us casual players. We have no idea what we're talking about" meme that circulates every once in a while? This is one such example of these two mindsets clashing with one another, and such a meme serves to only promote the fact that those who play the game in a non-competitive setting do not deserve their voice to be heard. This isn't exactly a good look all things considered, as it could lead to people feeling shut away or left out because they think something like the Aerospray RG is the most overpowered thing on the planet when in the eyes of a competitive person, it isn't. Maybe a theory that could be proposed is that casuals would like to fit in with the competitive community and thus adopt these opinions and ways of thinking in order to appeal to a much smaller audience in the hopes that maybe if they echo their sentiments, they too will become a great player. Unfortunately, such a thing cannot happen because the casual player might likely never find their wings to get into competitive. There are multiple places you can get started with if you do want to dip your toes into competitive (notably SendouQ and the Splatoon Stronghold) but most will never find them. This competitive echo chamber in turn, gets louder and louder, to the point where stuff competitive players say begins to be held as gospel and objective truths without the realization that they are in fact, opinions. Views on the game that were molded by an experience maybe 1-2% of players will experience, which rounds back to the disclaimer of "you should just play what you want and it doesn't matter." This sentiment is largely ignored because people start to get lost in the sauce and forget that they're allowed to make their own judgements and opinions on the game. You're allowed to take information how you will. Even reading this right now, you're allowed to listen to this and respond to it with your own thoughts, and I feel as if that gets thrown out the window the minute competitive is mentioned because "It's top level. Clearly they know what they're talking about." This is still true to some extent though. I can't deny that data will show that the competitive meta has given rise to midliners and Tacticooler, but I can understand that sometimes people use the sentiments of competitive in the wrong context. Casual and competitive are two entirely different ballparks, and the diluted thought of needing to appeal to many has in turn begun to lose identity within one another.

The reason I say you should loosen up is because there's too much depth within Splatoon to get significantly worried about what competitive is at the moment, because while there are things that you can't deny in competitive (such as Snipewriter being overpowered or Trizooka being a menace to society), it ultimately doesn't matter. These are still pieces on a board you bet with, but how these tools are used largely depends on the user, and a casual player is likely to be less skilled than a competitive player, but that doesn't mean they suddenly aren't able to win due to this. Any one can make the Clash Blaster or the Undercover Brella look godly in comparison to the Slosher for instance, and it's these sort of learning experiences and teachings we pick up on the way that lends itself to opinions to be made. Even if the Clash Blaster sucks, there's still going to be a crowd that either thinks it's a good weapon or it's just annoying. In such a case, maybe competitive information on the Clash Blaster might help you come to terms with it, and that it might not be the tall mountain you thought it was. Information like this can even help you combat it, and maybe you won't find the Clash Blaster annoying again but rather something along the lines with everything else; just another weapon in the rostor. Casually, it doesn't matter if the Clash Blaster sucks because if you're having fun with it, that's perfect. It's this sort of thing that allows players to open up and in turn give identity. The ability to loosen up on competitive thought as gospel that must be prayed upon every Sunday and instead weaving it in with your knowledge and turning it into a positive force is something I think could benefit a lot of people. Sure a competitive player can say that the Glooga Dualies for instance suck, but ultimately, who cares? This information can help you learn the weaknesses of the weapon, how you can be exploited, but also how you can mitigate this and even play to your strengths. It doesn't matter that Tacticooler is the best special in the game, because the narrative gets flipped on its head the moment you give it to players less versed with it. They may know of its use and how it can be the best special in the game, but that doesn't suddenly make it good overnight. You still need to practice with the weapon, understand it, eventually master it, but all of this can culminate into you becoming a better player with more understanding. In terms of casual play, don't just think of the high and top tier competitive weapons as something you pick to be a "meta slave," but something you choose because it's fun. It's something you wanna learn. If you're scared of picking up the Squeezer for instance because everyone thinks of it as a "no skill weapon" with "no losing matchups," don't worry. Give it a shot anyway because you want to use it and have fun with it. Not everything is built to be competitive. It's only a small fraction of the community that many players have directly or indirectly begun to echo.

My overall takeaway with this is to serve as a message to you people reading all the way to say that you shouldn't worry about everything that is heard. Some of these things might be harsh truths to accept (even I as a Snipewriter main still struggle to accept that I have arguably the best weapon in the game), but that doesn't mean that it should be all doom and gloom for these things. Some weapons might still be dumb. Some changes should still happen, but the opinions of a competitive community shouldn't mean you should indirectly shackle yourself to these views. Competitive information should be taken the same as casual information; stuff to be learned and eventually incorporated into yourself. It shouldn't be the end all be all to what you think the game is but rather an extension of what it can become, because whether everyone realizes it or not, we still have a lot to learn, even if it appears as if we've figured it out.

So that's what I've been thinking about today. I hope that my ramblings at least get heard by someone or that maybe it helps someone realize that they might be holding onto some unintended vitriol. Please feel free to comment, criticize, and all that jazz. For now, I'm out.

 

[Flango]

Isn’t this a competitive forum, so the people here would largely be the people who actually should listen to competitive advice (mainly just tacticooler and trizooka being good and finding weapons that work with their comp that have those, your comp might also be built around your carbon deco fan, because they like the weapon and it’s decent on some maps)

Then in solo queue, you still play those weapons because you need to practise with them even outside of a team setting (stuff like aim and movement) because the time you have with your team is too valuable to spend on stuff like that.

Also, I’m not sure what you mean when you say that competitive information should be taken the same as casual information, firstly: what casual information are we talking about, I don’t think I’ve seen a guide from that sort of perspective. And secondly, some of that casual information might just be wrong, like the Aerosprey being annoying, that’s just because the information doesn’t take into account aggressive pushes or out ranging it.

And lastly, if that really is how you enjoy playing the Snipewriter, wouldn’t it be more fun to play the heavy edit or the Snipewriters other kit, both are much more suited to that playstyle. (Also, could you give me an argument for why Snipewriter isn’t the best weapon in the game, I’d say that’s a pretty settled case from how you can replace a Vshot, Range or Stamper on your team with other stuff but outside of a small number of maps you’re not replacing the Snipewriter)

 

[AdphæeXD]

I would argue that this is not actually the "mindset of competitive thought," and instead just bandwagoning. As a comp player, I definitely say your issue exists here too. Not every comp player is good, my team isn't bad, but I wouldn't beat even a Mid level team.

The main difference, I would say, is that this bandwagoning doesn't come from a desire to win, but instead a desire to play whatever is best. That may sound weird, but if you wanna win you should play whatever weapon you know the best.

I didn't mean to post this, but I'll leav it up just cause. Also, it is unfinished and will stay that way for all of eternity.

 

[🌌☾ᏉᎬᎶᎪ☽⭐]

Isn’t this a competitive forum, so the people here would largely be the people who actually should listen to competitive advice (mainly just tacticooler and trizooka being good and finding weapons that work with their comp that have those, your comp might also be built around your carbon deco fan, because they like the weapon and it’s decent on some maps)

Then in solo queue, you still play those weapons because you need to practise with them even outside of a team setting (stuff like aim and movement) because the time you have with your team is too valuable to spend on stuff like that.

Also, I’m not sure what you mean when you say that competitive information should be taken the same as casual information, firstly: what casual information are we talking about, I don’t think I’ve seen a guide from that sort of perspective. And secondly, some of that casual information might just be wrong, like the Aerosprey being annoying, that’s just because the information doesn’t take into account aggressive pushes or out ranging it.

And lastly, if that really is how you enjoy playing the Snipewriter, wouldn’t it be more fun to play the heavy edit or the Snipewriters other kit, both are much more suited to that playstyle. (Also, could you give me an argument for why Snipewriter isn’t the best weapon in the game, I’d say that’s a pretty settled case from how you can replace a Vshot, Range or Stamper on your team with other stuff but outside of a small number of maps you’re not replacing the Snipewriter)

My apologies for not realizing what category this was. I thought this was something for general discussion about the game and whatnot.

Anyway, in terms of casual information, I could define it as not knowing any significant ins and outs that the game has, such as datamines for weapon data or techniques you could learn about with weapons (such as learning to flick with Slosher). This definition isn't perfect by any means and is probably even fundamentally flawed, which is why I say you just kinda have to get a feel for it; a "you know it when you see it" kind of business. I'm not sure if I could quantify Aerospray being annoying as casual information, since this is a standpoint of not liking the weapon, rather than the weapon being objectively not great. Casually it's whatever but you're definitely not seeing this perform well in competitive.

As for the last point, I want to clarify that what I was describing was merely something you could do with the Snipewriter. It definitely isn't optimal for it and you might have better luck on the Heavy Edit and other kit, but it can work. I'm essentially saying you have options. For an argument on why Snipewriter isn't the best weapon in the game, I can't give you one unfortunately. Right now it's almost mandatory everywhere and it does everything you'd want out of a backline (with the added benefit of Tacticooler thrown in there). While I struggle to accept this fate and the fact that I know this weapon will be nerfed at any point, I know that what has been shown throughout competitive is true, and that I'm simply too blinded by my own love for the weapon to really want it changed. The Crab Meta with Splash specifically led me to not really like it all that much until later, and now that there's another new weapon on the block that has taken the role as best weapon, and said weapon happens to be one I main, I now realize just how much pain Splash players went through. All they wanted was a good kit, and when they got it, everyone hated them for it for a good while. Same thing with Snipewriter. It may have had the kit, but nobody believed in it at first because it got trampled by Crab and everything else, but now that everything has been tuned, and Snipewriter already had the pieces put together, it went from being something people were glad got its time to a very similar hatred towards it the likes of Splash.

The game has settled now, that I can agree with, but I do hope in the future when changes happen we see other weapons rise to the occasion along with just having more options in the kits because despite how diverse a competitive meta is, it in turn loops on itself back to being constricted. (All of this really doesn't affect casual play truth be told but I think holding onto those ideals a bit too much as a casual player might be detrimental since anything works and sometimes it's viewed as, not that.)

 

[youre_a_squib_now]

My apologies for not realizing what category this was. I thought this was something for general discussion about the game and whatnot.

Well, it is... but quite a lot of players here have a competitive mindset, even if they don't all compete in tournaments. (I don't want to say it's a majority but it's certainly a much greater proportion than in Splatoon players overall)

Casual and competitive are two entirely different ballparks, and the diluted thought of needing to appeal to many has in turn begun to lose identity within one another.

In one sense this is true, and in another sense it is not. And this is what I think causes a lot of confusion and frustration between the casual and competitive communities.

Basically, yes, anything can work if you push it hard enough, but that doesn't mean it's good relative to other options. Competitive players will generally choose better strategies because their goal is to win, so a more effective strategy is better. But for casual players, using a worse strategy doesn't really matter because that's how they have fun.

So when Chara says that you can play whatever you like and anything can work (see basically every tier list video ever) and Gem says that better weapons are better at every level of play (see this video in particular) they aren't contradicting each other. Both are true.