The TRUTH About Competitive Splatoon...

[@Coelhagrr]

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time" is a saying I try to always carry with me, it's super easy to fall into a toxic mindset of productivity = good / enjoyment = bad.

[@Fenyx_Birb]

I always hated that mindset, I just makes me feel guilty whenever i go to relax and enjoy something, like i'm "wasting" my life on pointless things. But if you don't enjoy yourself in life, why are you even doing stuff to begin with?

[@seabirdflutter]

i know this is a comment about competitive splatoon, but that saying is really helping me with balancing my classwork and my hobbies. i'm actually coming up on a project due date right now and was looking for background noise, lmao

[@eisasulemankhatri4677]

Tell my parents that​@@Fenyx_Birb

[@agentblackbird9435]

Capitalism ahhh mindset

[@dyingstar24]

But what happens when the sweaty overlords who min-max their perfect load out cause you to stop enjoying wasting that time? That's the conundrum that needs to be tackled.

[@mushroomdude123]

I wish we could ditch this mindset that being competitive and having fun are 2 things that don't go together. If someone doesn't doesn't enjoy competitive, that's fine, but they don't have to have this superiority complex about it.

[@HolyAlondite]

Exactly. Competitive and casual are basically 2 different flavors of fun. Each one is perfectly valid, but some people will prefer one over the other just due to the nature of personal preference. When it comes to 'fun', no one is better than anyone else

[@Otaku03494]

Agreed, and same thing with how being casual apparently means you can’t have fun. Just let people play how they want to play, it’s literally not any deeper than that. You’re not “better” than a casual player for being competitive and vice versa.

[@CosmicSkyes]

Idk about splatoon competitive from pubs but in other games (primarily battle royales) if your not going with the meta you just dont win, so its more of an issue of people who dont have time to learn the metas to enjoy the game playing public matches but still getting stomped

[@joshk147]

⁠@@MissingNo2k Nah fr this mindset is extremely common, especially in the splatoon community

[@joshk147]

@@MissingNo2k Holy projection lmao

[@coffee_2234]

I love that niko clip like dang his bamboozler usage is scary

[@Shuck34]

No one shall match his bambooga power

[@bungacowa3851]

in fairness, niko DOES win.

[@cielosphere]

niko wins !!

[@noahemane]

we love the nikoman

[@CocatGaming]

Niko man is the best

[@Stingrayolu]

I can’t stress the importance of the friends you make through comp enough. I joined my college’s Splatoon team a year ago and now my teammates are some of my really good friends. Even though we’re low level and not doing anything crazy, just being able to compete with them is fun

[@TGCPhilip]

I got into competitive because I wanted to be better at the game, so I watched Squid School's "How to get out of __" series and adopted a mindset of self improvement, self assessment and just a generally positive philosophy (Yeah, it impacted me THAT much)

[@Isaiah-NoelOtto]

Chara has such good background music. I love it

[@joy-anneotto2458]

I agree. The choice of music makes the videos more relaxing and entertaining at the same time

[@thebostonyears5002]

The hollow knight soundtrack is a masterpiece.

[@ChargedBonsai98]

​@@thebostonyears5002Top 3 video game soundtrack by far

[@cooperbaker6755]

Chara being a chem E major just makes sense and I can’t explain why.

[@TGCPhilip]

Arashi we need to cook

[@ShurikanBlade]

could be the editors pov

[@OliyTC]

yeah that's not chara that's me the editor :)

[@TGCPhilip]

@@OliyTC I wanna say something positive but I can't come up with anything so pretend positive vibes do something

[@BeakAtPeak]

@@OliyTCyou are really cool, positive vibes your way

[@silly_gecko]

NIKOLINI SPOTTED

[@TorayNix]

THE NIKOMAN IS REAL IN THE CHARA LORE

[@lucifer0_0]

BOOGA SIGHTING

[@perill6]

🫵🫵 NIKO SPOTTED

[@silly_gecko]

@@perill6 are you saying i am twitch dot tv forward slash nikolini

[@perill6]

@@silly_gecko no lawl i’ve been overusing 🫵 a lot,, but you might be niko i wouldn’t kno

[@desmondruhling]

This is more of a squid school-type discussion video, but I really like it coming from you, too! Being in this community is just so cool, and that’s personally my favorite part of it still

[@GUSplatoon]

There are studies about why people love games and one of the findings is that people enjoy progression. In a competitive environment, like physical sports, it creates memories. So, whenever I hear people say "just have fun"; honestly, my response is just mind your business. Let people enjoy the game how they want.

[@ShadowSkyX]

Or just have fun. They just mean loosen up, stop stressing out so much in other words. even if you don't realize you might be; self pressure to do well and all that if peer pressure wasn't already adding to it. Can't play well if you're too tightly wound up in _"needing"_ to win and taking any losses way too seriously. Real worth and value is not determined by those. Your willingness to adapt, learn from your mistakes and how to accept losses and to persevere is. _Every single player makes mistakes that cost them, no matter who they are._ Being a competitive player doesn't exempt them from making stupid mistakes and they definitely shouldn't be looking down on anyone for doing the same. We all started somewhere once upon a time, perhaps playing a different game, but we were new at it and barely knew what we were doing.

[@GUSplatoon]

@@ShadowSkyXI’m not stressed out & I don’t need someone to tell me to loosen up. Let me enjoy how I want it. Stop telling people what to do & assuming how people feel with the game. It’s pretty simple honestly.

[@justsomewheel9379]

@@GUSplatoon I think you may want to consider being more open to words and like human speech in general

[@gametugboat3985]

just let us have fun is what i say. i dont want to see great player in a casual game sweating their ass off just to claim they are having fun their way. yes you are having fun but its killing it for the rest of us who dont want to be fighting like its a malevelon creek solo run no ap rounds.

[@tarosykes]

@@gametugboat3985then don't??? lmao this game has zero communication features, you're not going to have someone screaming at you to push up unless you look for ways to play with other people, with comms

[@RoseofBattle]

I'm in low-level competitive with a goal of getting into mid-level, and mostly this is the first "shooter" game I've actually felt clicked with my brain well, and it's been so fun to play. I've made great friends through my team, we've made a lot of connections, and going to LANs always reminds me of what I love about the scene. The energy is contagious! I get bummed out some nights wishing I could get tournament results that reflected my improvement, but the community aspect keeps me coming back and wanting to learn more. I played A LOT--but noncompetitively--for most of Splatoon's life, and that was fun for a while, but I decided the best way for me to enjoy the game in a sort of Phase 2 way for myself was to learn teamplay and decision-making, which are a huge part of competitive.

[@_Helio_Art]

Props to the editor, the HK music crushed my heart

[@PiercingSight]

Fantastic video! Though I feel it misses an important part of the discussion. When top players talk about competitive, and talk about getting better at the game, there are inevitably statements like "this weapon is NOT competitive" or "this mode is NOT competitive". As if to say that, if you want to get better at the game, you need to give up your favorite weapon, or your favorite game mode, or your favorite map, and so on. As if there is only one true way to be competitive, and straying from that means you're not competitive. For me, it's this wall that leads to players like myself saying that we play for fun. I ABSOLUTELY strive to get better at the game, and I am 100% driven to win, but if someone is going to say that playing Jr as a slayer weapon isn't competitive, if I'm going to get flak for choosing it with an aggressive kit, then screw being "competitive". "I play for fun." What I want to see from the competitive scene is less statements like "this weapon isn't competitive" and more statements like "if you want to be competitive with this weapon, how could you do it, and what obstacles should you look to overcome?" Until that kind of change in the discussion happens, the wall between "competitive" and "for fun" isn't coming down any time soon.

[@blehrg8638]

In my experience, people tend to say "competitively viable" or just "viable" and what they really mean by that is if you can realistically win a major tournament with it in the current meta. Not everyone has the same goals when it comes to competing, but if your goal is to win a major tournament, what weapon you use is a very important choice as some weapons are just going to be better suited for that enviroment than others. And since being as far in tournaments as someone can is an important thing for a lot of competitive players, I don't think it's really unfair for people to acknowledge some weapons may eventually limit you once you get to a high enough level and some weapons are going to have an easier time in a competitive enviroment than others.

[@PiercingSight]

@@blehrg8638 While that is true to an extent, it only really applies to like the top 50 teams in the world. Below that, literally every weapon is viable. Some are more difficult to use than others for sure, but you can still absolutely win with them if you know how to use them well and coordinate well with your team. Playing the meta is not the only way to be competitively viable, and pushing the idea that it is will maintain this wall between "competitive" and "for fun" players, even though both groups absolutely want to, and can, win games and continuously improve.

[@blehrg8638]

@@PiercingSight "Playing the meta is not the only way to be competitively viable" I never said it was, but that doesn't mean every weapon is competitively viable if your goal is to win tournaments. Even off meta picks that are used at top level are viable weapons, just not the top meta picks. And tbh, I don't know if I agree with the idea that it only applies to the top 50 teams. Realistically I do not think a custom goo tuber will ever win a low ink tournament in splatoon 3 anytime soon without significant buffs, and that's a tournament series that's specifically designed so lower level teams can play against each other. Yes, I think that it is possible to win games and improve with unviable weapons to an extent, but there is going to be a point where your weapon limits you and that's the point people are trying to say something is "viable" or "unviable" and I don't agree with the idea that a valuable resource such as what is and isn't viewed as viable in the current meta shouldn't be stated just because it upsets some people. If I'm being extremely real about it, I don't think someone who would get that upset by that is ever really going to join the "competitive" community anyways, the reality of playing in a competitive enviroment is that there is going to be setbacks and disappointments in performance, as failure is the greatest teacher. If someone is going to be discouraged and upset by a top player saying their weapon may be unviable, how are they going to handle any of the climb to get better? I'm sorry, but I do not think this is what's causing the "wall" between competitive and "casual" players, there are a bunch of other things that will get in the way before that stuff is even mentioned.

[@gametugboat3985]

too add to this some people like me dont have anything aganst comp players but i do have a problem with heading into casual games where people just want to relax and act like its the final game of the world cup because while they may be having fun steamrolling everyone it sucks the fun out of everyone else.

[@gametugboat3985]

​@@blehrg8638im of the mentality that there is no bad weapon just people who dont want to sink time into learning a different maybe unusual playstyle. in actual war the odd stuff sometimes wins because it catches people off guard or has a nishe that was tapped into. a "meta" gun is one that is easy and unskilled since most people dont want to sink 5 hours into learning a new playstyle. however when one person proves the meta is false by mastering one of these unusual weapons it usualy shifts the meta on its head as the unusual weapon has its pick rate upped by copycats. who knows maybe one day a comp player will master the goo tube and it will become meta

[@Iinneus]

I'm reminded of something Gem said once in a Squid School video-- likely a tier list-- where he was talking about a really weak weapon and said "If your only goal is to win, you probably shouldn't pick this." ...And I thought, you know what? His statement is a lot more direct than people realize. If you think the weapon you play is something you want to bring to a tournament or X Battles or S+50 or even just high Turf War or Challenge scores, then your only goal _isn't_ to win. And that's... fine. Every single person playing any game on the planet is doing it for their own reason, their own MIX of reasons, and that's great, actually! You can be both competitive AND casual without your only two goals being the somehow-mutually-exclusive "i'm just here to win" or "i'm just here to have fun". Though what some may be surprised by is, well, the truth is that I think the competitive scene already knows this. But hey, even a number of casuals and "i feel like some other third thing"s know this, too, so I'm always optimistic!

[@clipso9061]

when talking about this, the unfun half of doing anything competitively. Is the fear of failure, the fear of stagnation and the fear of inability. its not that playing competitively is unfun, its that in enables unhealthy views of ones own self worth.

[@mariemain7351]

The information and mindset you project and present are so wonderfully fresh and sincere. That might sound weird, but essentially, it's absolutely delightful to see a competitive person who is not only enjoying themselves, but still actively encouraging and supporting the growth of the scene, while also being fantastic about speaking on the genuine issues the scene has in total earnest and honesty.

[@NorthernDruid]

From an outsider perspective, it's really easy to see only the frontmost discussions from top level about how to best and most efficiently succeed at the game. While the shared joy we're looking to connect with is harder to spot. We want to feel like we're playing the same game, ultimately, and in a lot of ways it can feel like competitive play leaves behind parts of the game that is still important to non-competitive play (like turf war). I like to see pro/competitive players play things they enjoy the idea of on occasion, to connect with the sense of "I feel like playing Brella today (setting aside consideration for how it will impact my performance or results)". I want to end on a positive note, but i'm not quite sure how. I think it's important to bond over what we have in common, so we can more easily enjoy each others' differences as well. And remember that connecting over the game we all love is a mutual goal.

[@ICantSpell]

Oliy really snuck as much bamboozler content into this one as possible lamo

[@alias_hallow]

and of course the boogas

[@ezra6490]

You were already one of my favorite youtubers lately, but the Hollow Knight music made me even happier. You got amazing taste! :)

[@RandomThingsInc.]

Pizza Rolls.

[@PowerSynopsis]

I agree

[@DanielCoffee2077]

🤝

[@moth.cinnabar]

Pizza Rolls.

[@NapaCat]

Baco' bits

[@golden_scorpion3436]

Truer word has never been said

[@DHVF28]

Lmao the editor keeps trying to sneak in boogas these last couple of vids

[@TGCPhilip]

Existential crisis arc?

[@willwunsche6940]

For me this video really hits home. I feel like I have gone back and forth living and doing both sides of playing games for their intrensic fun casually and extremely hyper competitively fun while improving with people. There's really no right thing just do what makes you happy. There are so many amazing deep experiences to have competitively vod reviewing, thinking about the game, pushing yourself to do the best, and fighting alongside friends and people. Yet at the same time I do think there is a slight risk to lose some of that blissful intrensic joy you get from games if you aren't capable of leaning into the casual side occasionally. The structure and underlying problems of a game fracture and expose themselves to you when you are playing it at its most extreme. At the same time, playing it competitively can provide some of the deepest experiences you can truly have outside of experiences with deep social connection. One of my close friends I initially taught Overwatch went on to far exceed me becoming a consistent (4400/gm1) Top 500 NA tank player on PC and I fought alongside him pushing hard at the higher ranks but didn't push as deep as he did or get as far since he leaned more into the scrim organized social competitive aspect than me. Eventually for a little while he struggled to play to enjoy games casually or some games at all since he got a little too far into it. But eventually he learned how to have fun in other games again just for awhile he lost the capability for some of that joy. At my peak of trying competitively I was a mid-high diamond flex player studying the game constantly and pushing hard. Now I am more of a casual player but I have still improved over the years and am a mid masters player and a top 5000 player in Splatoon. I still lean into my competitive side occasionally and feel like I have learned a lot from it that goes beyond just the games and I have met tons of great people. I may not play as often now but I am happy with where I am now mindset wise pushing competitively and casually; for me I am happy. Some of my competitiveness has transferred over into being a little more competitive in games like beatsaber vr or some stuff in life than I would've otherwise which I think is cool

[@meta4240]

Playing high level matches where everyone can pull their weight (aka not solo queue) is what makes this game fun for me. Becoming a comp player was my gateway to that. While I'm not currently in the competitive scene, the skill I've gained and the friends I've made haven't gone away as I've stopped doing comp.

[@n.lawrence456]

One of the best ways to escape free agent hell is to create your own team. It’s easier to respond to a team post than post into the FA void.

[@Princeton_Spl]

Thank you for this amazing video, it reminded me why competitive splatoon and just being competitive and having fun with close friends is all about

[@henrydiamond3435]

This video pretty much sums up, most of my thoughts on the game and me improving as a individual as much as possible, thanks for the breakdown Chara, your my go-to content creator for Splatoon.

[@crumbsii]

great editing from oily, really impressed, chara basicially just talked and the editing did make the video so much more interesting

[@hyper_pyro]

Coming from a fighting game player, this is actually a really great mindset to have. Focusing on improving rather than winning will eventually lead to more in the long run, especially if your having fun with the game. Good vid, chara.

[@bittybuggy]

i really appreciate this!! i competed in the juniors draft tournament recently and even though we only placed 3rd i really wanna keep going.

[@dark_moth7]

This was a seriously wholesome video and it's reminded me that being competitive in anything is more about getting better and improving yourself as a person, whether it be physically, mentally or socially. I'm really glad you made this video Chara. 😄

[@inline885]

It’s so depressing that young people today are conditioned to think their hobbies aren’t worthwhile if they can’t be monetized. Play Splatoon. Get your friends together and make a terrible movie. Pound on some drums until your parents scream at you. Live life and enjoy it without worrying about how you measure up to others or making money every waking moment.

[@camoking3609]

It's double edged sword If you monetize your hobby it's not a hobby anymore it's a job, maybe you love it, but what happens if you get bored of it? burnt out of it?

[@perill6]

this is something i’ve needed. im about to begin searching for a team, and i’ve felt like ‘oh i have to be S+, i to S+’ etc this WHOLE SEASON. i needed to hear ‘this should be fun.’ thank you chara, i needed this a LOT. niko wins!!!!!!!

[@LockyLawPhD]

Excellent points! Agree that FUN is the most important motivation! This is transferrable and relatable to anything teaching and learning. Thank you for making this video, Chara and co.

[@xpload]

Even though finding time to do tournaments (low-level ones) is more difficult, it still feels really great to get a team together and push as high as we can. Casual play is fun! Goofing around on Open is fun! Getting better at the game is also fun! It's great to look back on a result and see how far I've come in the ~4 months I've played competitively. Really hope when I have more free time I can keep playing competitively! Maybe when the next season of LUTI rolls around?

[@Jessieinkman08]

Thank you so much for getting me into competitive splatoon, I genuinely believe it made a huge positive impact on my life :)

[@roomismoor]

when you run a fun weapon that can’t win, eventually you get sick of it and it’s not fun losing anymore

[@dyingstar24]

It's also not fun when some godmaster fun-leech thinks it's okay to go on a rampage in a basic turf war match all for the sole sake of seeing a 25+ kills on their results screen

[@roomismoor]

@@dyingstar24 to be fair, it can be fun in turf war and some people just prefer it and don’t like other modes, but i do see ur point cuz normally turf war is the casual mode. just today i went into turf war with the sole purpose of getting ink and barely got any kills but it was still fun!

[@Veckle]

Oh boy! A new prochara video! And can’t wait to see what it’s about considering I’m starting to really get into the competitive side of- oh no. Nevermind, video is goated.

[@SplatzicYT]

thank you a lot, i think im going to try it out a bit because ive been having a lot of fun ranking up with my weapon even if i have a low rank, now the hard part is finding the right people to play with

[@sockzparty]

everything in my life is about a constant strive for improvement, so to have comp splatoon as a hobby that embodies that huge part of my life is so fulfilling to me. To meet people with that same mindset is everything. I never would have expected that this would be the place where I found "my people" but it is, and it's amazing.

[@Fathom732]

This needed to be said. Thank you for informing us and educating us on our perception of competitive play.

[@NOxluffy369]

The Hollow Knight themes are beautiful, awesome video btw❤🗿

[@_psyf0rk]

i couldnt agree with you more!! im only in s rank but ive still managed to get myself in some tournaments and its so much fun for me! i used to be scared of comp because i used to always think it was locked behind x rank , but i found lower skilled tourneys and i realised that isnt the case! and i cant imagine all the hard work you put into this game and community discussions and your videos are always amazing to watch! thank you and the music was amazing as always🗣‼️

[@Woomycraft1572]

I finally joined an Esports club at my school for both reasons: I wanna get better and to have fun with my kind of people. It has been a blast, and I suddenly turned from a pro-casual to a competitive player and fan! I learned how to enjoy a game better and take losses like a champ. I couldn’t agree more with your video here, Chara. Great message! 🧡

[@VTEySAG]

Whenever I hear about any sort of casual vs competitive "discussion" I'm always reminded of this one Magic the Gathering match I had. It was at a Prerelease, which for those not familiar, is a tournament featuring cards a week before they're available for purchase. Thus, no one have been able to play with the cards yet, and so, in most cases, it is a tournament in name only; as casual as it can get, and why I attend these events. I'm a casual Magic player. So here I am, up against this guy I've never met before, and it quickly becomes clear that my opponent for the round is very competitive. Which I find weird, again, this is typically a very casual setting even if it is an official tournament, but it sorta comes to a head when I make mistake: I try to kill one of his creatures, but miss that it has hexproof at the time, meaning I can't target it. Now, mistakes happen, especially when it's everybody's first time playing with the cards, so the usually people are kind enough rewind that kind of misplays. Not this guy though. He insists that I lose the spell. I'll admit, my knee-jerk reaction was contemptful. Like, really? You won't give any sort of grace while we're all learning the new cards? Alright then. Fine. If you wanna do this the hard way, we can do this the hard way. I'm gonna teach this guy a lesson. I'm the kind of autist that reads the comprehensive rules for fun, and I know that that's not how that interaction is supposed to go down. So I go full rules lawyer on his ass and explain to him that actually, because his elf was an illegal target as I cast the spell, the game wouldn't allow that to happen, and the correct process would be to rewind the game to before I tried to cast the card, leaving it in my hand. He doesn't believe me, I call over a judge. We give him the situation, the judge proceed to give the exact process I just explained. Now, how did he like that? Well, he gave me a big bright smile and said "At least I know you have that in your hand!" While it wasn't as big an advantage as he thought, in the end he still had an advantage from my mistake and in addition to that I... literally tought him a lesson. Which he appreciated. Huh. Not only that, the whole interaction clearly livened him up. I ended up giving him his favourite match of the night, because once I got in the mindset of "I'm gonna beat this guy" I actually gave him what he wanted and what no one else there that night would or could give him. It was really eye opening, especially with some time to reflect on it. What I once would've called "try-harding" he found fun. And while that's not my thing (I'm a casual through and through, in MtG and Splatoon), I can still respect that. It's all cool for other people like different stuff, that's no problem. The problem is in communication, going in to something with differing expectations and not addressing or even knowing that those other perspectives are a thing. Luckily, that's a problem that can be fixed. TL;DR: People can like that same thing you like for different reasons. Talk to other people and especially try to listen to them, try to understand them, instead of assuming the worst. Worst case you learn a new thing, best case you make a new friend.

[@laneyoh5]

Thanks Chara for this video! It was really encouraging for me as an S- player who wants to improve and get into a tournament!

[@4xzx4]

Good video. I really agree with the "self improvement/push yourself to the limit" points you made. I see it as an RPG: I wanna reach as high of a level as I possible can. I wanna grow, level up, get better. That's enjoyment for me!

[@j.corbygaming]

1:22 NIKO WINS! Memes aside, I have to agree with everything you said man. Keep up the excellent work!

[@BurnttToaster]

My main goal in this game is literally just getting better with specific weapons is really interesting, because I’m basically a very indecisive one trick

[@IamCharlotteey]

competitive is a really wide genre. you can be competitive for fun or just for the sense of winning and the pride you get from it. good point chara. (ps. that’s hollow knight music, right? i don’t know any splatoon and hollow knight fans lol)

[@jmb594]

Yes it is, at least the song at the end of the video! You can mark me down as being one both-Splatoon-and-HK-fan :)

[@TGCPhilip]

"I'm just a hero for fun"

[@meggy1162]

I would be one of those fans of both. I play comp splatoon and im working on the ascended and radiant hall of gods completions for hollow knight

[@IamCharlotteey]

@@meggy1162 honestly me too ahaha, they’re both amazing games

[@natologic]

Nice video (and nice editing Oliy) At some point I'd love to see a video on the toxic side of the community - the people - itself. It might be a hard topic to breach but it would be nice to hear your opinions on it.

[@MayomiCCz]

I can say for some like myself who doesn't consider themselves particularly competitive, I started playing ranked purely to get better mechanically at the game. It also helps me learn how to problem solve with certain comps that are very hard to deal with (even in turf war). It's help broaden my weapon scope, as well as teach me that one tricking, while not always successful, can get you pretty far. I'm a 52 gal player and it's my weapon of choice, but in comps, I usually fall back into more back line weapons like splattlings and chargers. I've noticed that I always chose the passive route, even though my main weapon of choice is very much for aggressive plays. So, after playing hours of ranked, I've come to learn that I'm very good at adapting/adopting roles. I can be good at skirmishes, as well as provide support. If I notice no one is pushing the objective, I will take the lead and try to urge my teammates to follow. I'll also look at my comp and see who I can compliment and support while playing. Bottom line is that by playing ranked and being in a more competitive environment has opened my mind and eyes to different play styles. And while not every match is successful and can be stressful, I still try to have a good game and enjoy it.

[@ACKSonic6261]

I got into comps for a while and honestly for me this isn't a waste of time, the sense of progression is something i really enjoy, i play my main weapon because to me they are my favorite weapons and i main them because you maked me want to take these weapons as mains, i play range blaster, S-blast 91 and splatana stamper and i want to improve even more and get higher ranks and power !!!

[@sleepynuigurumiamalgamation]

Great share. Feels like this thought process can be applied around.

[@Rootof-2]

Thanks chara! Had a tough day today and this really helped me detox and calm down from a stressful day

[@EchoSynthesis]

I cant wait to keep getting better at this game. Ive always been too young to join the scene even though ive been keeping up with for 3 years. Hopefully the scene will continue to grow

[@theclown2257]

I love this video. Im always seeing people complaining about "multiplayer games are just full of sweats" and "nobody just plays for fun anymore" Like, this is a way i have fun. Wanting to win and wanting to have fun are not mutually exclusive

[@arttukettunen5757]

The competitive or speedrun scenes of each game find meaning by pushing the game to its limits. The very least its existence does to less competitive players is raise the expectations of skill, like "you have to be following the meta somebody found", or "don't do x" or "this is how you should play the game". Game communities these days are more interconnected and the mindsets spread because they look like they have good reasoning. Worse cases those senitments get toxic or overly controlling. In a single player game, people can freely ignore the community and what it has to say no problem. But in a multiplayer game not looking up what the community says is often a disadvantage. Majority of players you will encounter at almost any skill level in any game these days will have knowledge from the community, what is the meta etc (this is even more significant in games whose advertisement mainly comes from content creators who are part of the community). Basically you gotta commit to the game in more ways than just playing to be on the same level with other players. And then the fact that competitive scenes require more and more commitment to enter and their strategies become even more refined when time passes. Fear Of Missing Out hits, because people can't experience the game with everyone having the same amount of knowledge of a new game. Because the early game with new mechanics to learn and so much to see is for 99% of games the best part of the game. And nobody likes to lose too much.

[@vectory674]

I'm having fun wanting to progress. It is painful to be stuck at S+0 and after asking advices all around I understand that I'm playing for myself since the start. I tried to help my team but I lost this purpose along my personal growth. So now I have more work to do and I love seeing the progress I made have a purpose no matter the game (when it's multiplayer anyway)

[@duckiivg6738]

Hey Chara! I really enioy your content as I love watching competitive or analytical things. Personally I compete in competitive Pokemon the VGC format and I really resonate with your thoughts in this video and its a really nice reminder for myself as I am currently stressing about a tournament this weekend. Thank you!

[@duckiivg6738]

Update: I got 2nd on that tournament so ty alot @ProChara !

[@Itz_YoshiMelon]

I feel like my main reasons for not going competitive are: 1. School. This one’s pretty obvious. 2. My Stupid Head Whenever I have a small obstacle to overcome, my brain decides that it’s equivalent to the size of Mount Everest. 3. Team I don’t really have an easy way to find a team, and I have social anxiety which makes it impossible to talk to even people I’ve known for 7 years. So yeah, that it. Great video Chara!

[@SirBarnaby314]

These are all really inspiring points, and it makes me want to try competitive Splatoon. Thank you. Thank you, as well, for the Hollow Knight music :)

[@MegaManNeo]

My issue with comp is that I always think *I NEED TO BE GOOD OR QUIT FOREVER.* Wouldn't it be for that very reason, I'd actually like to try comp more often with others. Had the chance to play Eggstra Work with others using voice chat - something I never do normally - and it felt amazing and refreshing.

[@dreamwastaken2069]

RiP Team. Thanks for all the content and i hope u all habe a great Team❤❤❤

[@loyaleling]

Oops I forgot to listen to the video because of the hk music in the background. Always the best background music in your vids.

[@stevenatyourservice930]

This is totally the reason I am going for it. I just want to play my weapon, and I wanna play weapons that doesn't involve me in a negative aspect with "meta" weapons. This is giving me motivation to play weapons that I feel comfortable, and this allows me to show that I like to improve with my weapons better than sticking with weapons that I have 0 fun with.

[@Cosmicmoonnight]

Ty ProChara for making this video and i fully agree with you. Competitive is not that bad tbh. Sometimes it can be fun to be a little competitive. And i'm happy with that. I know there are some players that don't like competitive. well... let them. There's nothing wrong with dislike competitive play.

[@emilianoaventura5295]

This is very similar to a conclusion I came about why I enjoy playing Splatoon so much, even outside the other factors like style and music that contribute so much. I personally really enjoy trying to get good at this game, and I like when I can play a weapon in a way I think it's good, I also like to win, so I want to get better at looking at my team composition and the other team comp, and try to figure out my optimal role, I don't play that often and only play on solo q, but I try to make the most out of the little I do play, very fun game, yes!

[@BioMetalNeo]

Yesterday I was playing an internal comp match for Lawn Bowls. It was stressfully tricky as it could go either way, but it ended with a win via a 3 point difference. Now I sure not many here know the sport but the point is that playing like this is a choice and a goal you set to play at a new level, to get even better (with others or yourself) and reach for it even if you dont win. Casuals cant quite understand this as it is a different mindset but I do see in this game at least sometimes that comp and casuals mix in bad ways but due to how this game works. In the end Its just from a lack of comunication and understanding, something I had to go through and do understand. So keep aiming high Prochara and thanks for these vids. They help more than you may think~.

[@Bujthedude]

I’m a splat one player was stuck in c rank. Splat two stuck in B rank and splat three at the current moment, stuck in a rank you can see the steady progression. It’s proof that when you play and you enjoy it you improve.

[@travisbrown6598]

I try so hard to have fun with friends on Splatoon but it is hard when your opponent is mowing you down.

[@TheCosmere64]

i just think what you said about ditching learning a weapon because it isn't winning you games, is the main issue here. you can keep playing a weapon to get better at it, so that you can win more. what you said in the beginning is basically saying that a weapon's worth is based on how many games you win/ However by quitting learning a weapon because youre already better at another one for the only reason that you arent winning as many games, is where this comes from. That's why splash-o-matic was so popular in early splatoon 3, because it won games, and competetive players just obviously dont want to have to try harder to learn a sub-optimal weapon for those returns and instead just want to win as easy as possible, despite it just making the game less fun. Obviously wanting to be competetive is valid, but if you enjoy a weapon and then just give up because its not as easy to win as another weapon, you aren't necessary "getting better at the game". Learning how to make a weapon good and using it better than other people IS "getting better at the game" i don't think you really addressed that issue in the video directly, only the actual concept of being competitive. Do what you want but its thinking like this that gets tier lists made and followed like a bible, with less than optimal weapons getting cast out of consideration and shit on

[@alrawafidengineering3864]

One thing, just losing isnt fun for some people. That is important to consider

[@Grenze_Splatoon]

The gigachad bamboo user compared to the three boogas.

[@7even10enhrubes9]

One of the best videos you made 🔥🔥🔥

[@gametugboat3985]

my problem is when you bring a comp is fun mindset into a casual round. im just trying to unwind after a stressful day not play comp but imma have to when i see a comp player in my casual lobby cause we all know turf war has NO sbmm

[@agentblackbird9435]

As someone who often plays SoloQue and is decent at the game (I was 1,090 in S2’s Clam Blitz for August 2020), I can’t thank you enough for explaining why lower skilled players want to make competitive teams, because I never understood why so many people were doing it, especially in the current S3 era. I don’t think I could be on a team though, I love strategizing but I can’t be asked to be on a team, talking to people while having autism sucks and is annoying, I kind of get pissed and have nearly sworn at my friends before over losing, and more importantly, my main drive is winning, not so much enjoying myself. It’s often why I pick certain “easier” weapons to play if I’m frustrated with my team and just want to win.

[@reazlo5911]

The first reason was kinda my big point of going into competitive besides wanting to become better. Grinding the game on my own slowly built on me and felt less and less rewarding, but when I joined my team, I started having more fun being able to hang out with people I relate with and could have never made a better decision in my life.

[@buriedinbooks881]

A lot of the problems I have with the competitive community is the atrocious attitude lots of them have online. There are a lot of competitive players online who take time out of their days to just shit on people who haven’t played in a tournament before solely based on that fact. I’ve never been condescended to more online by a group of people in my life because I can’t do tournaments, no matter how good at the game I am. Obviously it’s not every or maybe even most competitive players but it’s a real issue that has often led to the memes about competitive players you’ll see floating around from the rest of the community. These people have genuinely thought of themselves as authorities on the Splatoon community when they are *not* and *shouldnt be* just because they play in video game tournaments. Just because someone is a competitive player doesn’t mean all of their opinions are automatically correct (these types of comp. people always think so) which is an attitude we need to see change online

[@aggron1202]

I think your Video explains nearly every Team based competitive game really good and think, most people in the splat3 communities should see it. What I would add into the topic is that sometimes over time if you realize that you doesn't like the game or the community as before but still want to be competitive it is sometimes better to try out a different game. Ik it sounds obvious, but it is still an advice from me. When I was an aktive splat3 cp player for the last time, I was in an European Team until it disbanded because they left to get into an other team for the EU Championship. And I really don't wanna look out for a new team due to the EUC and with the bad experience I had with the German Community. So I tried out the Pokemon trading card game as my cp game and it work so much better with the regional community, how much I improve into the game and how many official Tournaments with big prices are (especially at my location). So sometimes try out something new, maybe it worth it.

[@catboywizard]

Casuals low key ruined Big run for me by complaining enough to get the gold badge requirements lowered. I was having a ton of fun grinding with my friends, getting well into top 10% every time and just enjoying improving our strategies together and getting hyped about getting closer to that goal, and then... I finally get the gold badge and trophy by just messing around in solo queue while waiting for my friends to join me. It took a lot of the joy out of big run for me, now it kinda just feels like another grind to get bonuses. I hate the idea that it was just "Tryhard Overfishers" getting top scores, like obviously some of them yeah, but if I as a casual player could consistently close in on that top 5% it's not entirely unfeasible for everyone else if they're just able to put some effort in. What's the point of a shiny gold badge if all you need to get it is a bit of luck? That being said I finally unlocked x battles last week, so I'm focusing more of my energy into pvp now. It used to really intimidate me but I just love playing it now even if I lose a lot, and it motivates me to use my head and think about the game more. Really hoping to play in a tournament some day, the competitive scene seems incredible!

[@OlmiOP]

I think that so long as you enjoy playing the game, be it in a casual or more competitive mindset, it's all good. But one thing that worries me is that a lot of people keep pushing themselves too hard when they don't really enjoy it anymore. I've seen people let their mental state get DESTROYED over something as small as their X power A lot of people don't know when to stop, even if it's unhealthy, and it's concerning It varies for everyone though, and at the end of the day that's a decision that the individual will have to make, or realize they even have to make it, at some point in their career

[@OlmiOP]

I think it'd be pretty interesting to see a longer video tackling the mental health aspect of competitive Splatoon honestly

[@mr.random3943]

At the heart of this - people disliking competitive players aka "tryhards" - is a mismatch in intention and what people want to get out of the game. For the competitive player, being competetive is fun. For the people who dislike them, a more relaxed environment is fun; and this the part were we have to acknowledge, that being competitive indeed diminishes fun for these people and they are valid in feeling this way (this does not invalidate the wants of competitive players). I have yet to see a game that manages to mend this problem (making modes or queues just for them does not work, since there are too many toxic people who would take advantage from them).

[@JTsmash1]

I was really bored with the game but then I joined a competitive team and I started to enjoy it more than I ever before. I struggled a year ago to get to s+ but I got it this season in the first week.

[@MandrakeGuy]

i love how nikolini is used as the example footage for "top 500 players that dont consider themselves competitive", i dont think you could have chosen a better example :KEKW: thats great

[@momors4039]

Loved the background Hollow Knight music

[@ps_poki]

Back in Splatoon 2 I played mostly alone, I was the most casual player that you can imagine. And yeah it was fun, but it wasn't enough for me to play it longer then some hours a mounth. Now, I'm a Competitive player. And ever since I became one, I'm playing this game because of the people. I got so many connections and friends because of this game and becoming better together as a Team is so much more motivative and fun then playing this game on my own. I will never forget the moment where we met at the EUC and played together, even if it wasn't the actual tornament. I think, if I would have played Splatoon 2 like this, I would love the game more then I do now.

[@camoking3609]

When i was a kid around 14 i wanted nothing more than to get good in competitive video games Now, as an adult with a job and college responsibilities ive grown tired of it and even sometimes distasteful of it

[@GenericSteve764]

"this splatfest was everything to me" Like... really?

[@TGigachad-i9y]

Because of Anarchy battles giving me so much bad luck and not having a good team or having fun, I literally rage out and broke the left sticker of my switch. At least is good that I'm going to be off for a while without playing Splatoon :)

[@superstarv.v.3810]

Its official You and i are rage buddys

[@coffee_2234]

Same the three of us ​@@superstarv.v.3810

[@wolfyspl]

It’s official part 2 Me you and you are rage buddies

[@Clover2a4688]

Its official, matchmaking sucks

[@PowerSynopsis]

I haven't broken a controller, but my chair is worse off because of Sploon rage.

[@kickitsmooth]

People will always hate on you for being good at something. Keep doing you.

[@1specified]

I don't think it is unfair to make a "competitive versus fun" argument. You had fun playing Stamper, and you stopped playing it as much because it was less competitively viable. Your competitive edge took you away from playing a weapon you had fun with. Arguably, competitive limited what you were doing to have fun regularly. This didn't feel like you were combatting the argument in that comment, it felt like you were trying to argue against completive being useless and unfun, which nobody really said it was. All that was being said was that it took you away from something else that you found fun., which you reiterated in this very video.

[@sagittariusa2145]

I think Chara's point was that stamper _became less fun_ when he realized he wasn't doing well with it, and he'd have _more_ fun if he switched to something else. It's similar (but not the same) to the idea that a weapon might get less fun if it gets nerfed. If your favorite weapon gets nerfed, and it becomes less fun, does that mean that "competitive is limiting what makes something fun"? Maybe there's a hint of truth in that, but I think it's more accurate to say that worse weapons are just less fun. In this case, Chara's weapon wasn't nerfed.... but his _perception_ of how good the weapon is for him did go down. That's why it's similar: since his weapon is worse than he thought it was, it became less fun. I don't think that means that competitive and fun have to be exclusive. edit: weird youtube formatting issues

[@boopy6430]

Fun for me is picking up new skills. I've been using krak roller for a while and i like to think ive gotten really good at it and recognizing my role in the team. I see myself as someone who plays "competitively" in that i play to win and to compete with myself. I want to get better and develop new skills. I suck at using ranged weapons like chargers, but I want to learn so bad so i've been practicing in the lobby and in casual matches in hopes that I can support my team and play a new role that is so different from the up in your face roller im used to. Thats what's fun for me :D Playing a weapon im not immediately good at is fun for me :) I think everyone should play however they have fun with, but no one is in a position to judge what others enjoy doing even if it doesnt allign with what they themselves enjoy so long as no one elses experience is being worstened (ie by throwers etc)

[@crazfamily6931]

TLDR: consider what your mindset is before you commit to being competitive I will admit, I tried to be competitive. I REALLLY wanted to be competitive, but on top of me being the age where i have to learn how to live and do things mostly alone on top of living in a family/ community where videogames arent part of it, and then on top of that going into college for a super competitive industry, and I had to realize i couldnt continue. While they played a role, I realized the main reason I left was because of my personal mindset. I realized i was too competitive to where it started to become unhealthy for me mentally and it put me in a sour mood often as I just couldn't keep up/ didnt meet expectations because of things i stated above. On top of was a nightmare for me personally and I personally was up really late for events as im est for a pst teamates. I eventually had to realize that even though i had goals of being a competitive guy; I ultimately dont have a great mindset for being competitive when i tried it and it ruined the fun for not smash bros (which i was also into at the time) and some of Splatoon.The lesson im trying to share is that even though it can be really fun and all. Sometimes you gotta stop and look at yourself and ask if you have tla healthy mindset for being competitive. It saved me more pain and grief than it had to. If you read thanks for reading all the way

[@michaeleanthonyjr]

Some of those comments complaining about competitive players/tryhards are interesting to me because some people are just better than you at a game and they may not have even needed to try very hard or be competitive. I get frustrated when I lose to a player/team that makes me look/feel bad, but I'm not blaming them for my loss.

[@bannana_kat]

Just play in your own style. I think thats the most important key to having fun

[@ShurikanBlade]

The problem with why I think people see competitive as toxic is purely because of the matchmaking. People want to enjoy this game casually but at this point in the games life most players are higher level/comp players since the huge wave of casual players mostly moved on to other games. So casual players run into more competitive players when they just want to have a casual experience but that experience they want taken away from them by the matchmaking. It's the same reason as to why casual players complain about big run and eggstra work. SInce theres no real way a casual player can win in that situation. It's set up as a competitive event and usually the highest a casual can get is top 50 or bronze. The matchmaking is truly the biggest detriment to the community imo.

[@theghostcreator776]

Except there's literally a ranking system... No one undeserving will face off against comp players regularly Don't bring up turf, comp players don't play turf consistently it's a rare treat

[@ShurikanBlade]

@@theghostcreator776 if you play with friends it tries to to queue you with other people who are playing in a coordinated setting. Meaning i can be casually playing with friends and i can get queued up against a team. Also, Splatoon 3 has the EASIEST ranking up system out of every splatoon game. It genuinely is not hard to make it to S or S+ because of it. So yes, even if there is a ranking system it still fails.

[@theghostcreator776]

@@ShurikanBlade you are in that rank for a reason. Don't wanna play against teams? Don't play open. There can't be a "okay you can play with a team but NOT competitively" mode. Sure you can get to S easily but comp players doing X battles don't play S series dude. You can't blame people for simply being good at the video game. All that does is shift blame from yourself and your mistakes to people you will never meet to stop yourself from having to reflect.

[@ShurikanBlade]

@@theghostcreator776 How am I shifting any blame? The only way you can play splatoon with friends (excluding salmon run) is in Open. So its my fault that I want to play with my friends and the devs decided to make open the new league battles? Yes, most comp players play X or series but when they play in a coordinated setting their only options are either scrims, sendou or open. It 100% is a matchmaking problem. Yes, i deserve my spot in S but that doesnt mean im on par with coordinated teams when im playing with my casual friends in open. and yes there can be a "play with team but NOT comeptitvely" that was the whole point of inventing anarchy open. What they shouldve done is left open as simply the no risk casual mode for ranked modes and then made League battles its own mode again for actual teams. Then you can "play with a team and have it NOT be competitive" Plus i literally never blamed anyone. I blamed the matchmaking.

[@theghostcreator776]

@@ShurikanBlade so... You're blaming the matchmaking for... Not putting competitive players in some magical rank that's only for comp players and only when they're with a competitive team? If you're not looking to play with people on or above your level play turf or something. No the only way to play with friends isn't salmon or anarchy, you can play turf or PBs as well. Really I don't see how this is anything but senseless complaining about not being able to have your cake and eat it too

[@blazeazuki618]

In my personal opinion being competitive depends on person. To me competitive means having the passion to push yourself to your fullest potential while, having fun with the very things you love. Whether it be in a casual or tournament setting. As long as your have fun that is all that really matters.

[@BlobRoss_splat]

I daily with my friend and my kid nearly daily for a couple hours and we are all stuck in our respective ranks. We mostly have fun but I consider myself competitive as I’m always trying to learn more and get better.

[@dznutskong]

i only play like 5 games and people will clown on me for not branching out but focusing on improving in all of them is the reason i like them so much. pvp games are awesome because they're constantly presenting you with new challenges to overcome, and every time you improve it gets that much harder to solve the next problem. gives multiplayer games basically endless content compared to single player ones.