The TRUTH About Competitive Splatoon...

I have a love/hate relationship with this game... And I have accepted that I am addicted to this game.

Many times I have wanted to quit this game but just can't, even when I have multiple times found myself in the negative point.

And now I just have to accept I need to "git gud"... Changed my weapon from clash blaster to luna, not much of a change but it does make me better.

I can play in S+0 now... When just last season I can only play in A+ rank.

I still hate this game from tine to time... But I just can't quit it😅

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

if competitive splatoon wasn’t fun then why would people do it?

the wasting time thing is really something i don't get

with anything competitive, id say around 60% will probably never make a penny off of it, but they do it because its fun and they enjoy doing it, its only a waste of time if your not enjoying what your doing, its why I pivioted away from competitive and just enjoyed having a good time

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

I like anarchy series because it motivates me to get the last 2 wins with one life left. Competitive intrigues me….

For me it’s The elitism that makes competitive not fun. So what if somebody likes to play lower tier weapons that’s no reason to Ostracize and mock them for that if they want to improve with that weapon sure they’re not gonna be world champion material but I don’t understand why people belittle others for not useing top tiers and meta picks in non-tournament settings.

People constantly talk about how kind and inclusive the Splatoon community is but that has never been my experience with it. Either you have to love squid partying or you have to constantly be playing like you’re preparing for a tournament. It’s either one or the other and if you’re neither of these there’s just no place for you.

But that’s just my two cents

I feel like people just generally aren't good at realising that different people are allowed to play the game in a different way, they don't always have the same goals in playing the game as other people, its ALL subjective and thats okay! You gotta play the game in a way that's fulfilling to you

Nooooooooooooooooo not the satisfying clips

Playing splatoon for fun is time spent better than grinding out that seasonal battle pass in other games. I can have fun in splatoon while I try and get good, but in other games, I feel like I have to get good before I can start having fun

I don't care about the competitive scene. I only want to try things out, experimenting with weapons and gear, what works for me, where with what am I good at (or just enjoy to play with) and how those weapons work on the maps. I don't care about the maps quality, for me it's only a single puzzle piece in my experiments with the game. I will find ways out to deal with the maps.

It's very much possible to have fun and be competitive at the same time, and even it you're not using the best strategy/weapon you can, that doesn't mean that you can't be competitive. Of course, there's also nothing wrong with being more casual either.

I don't play much splatoon anymore, so my example will be the yugioh card game. What I find to be fun is actually a mix of both things. I'll choose to play the best deck I can to win, and I have a ton of confidence in my skill.

On the other hand though, I do also play the game more casually as well. Occasionally I'll choose to take a weaker deck for the hell of it. I may not win much with Amazement, but any games I do win will be fun to have won.

I did once get first with Amazement, it was hilarious and very stupid.

For comparison, that's like winning a tournament using undercover brella.

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.

I agree with the original comment. The competitive sweaty try hards have completely ruined this game

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!

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

Ooh hollow knight music in the background

I guess I’m a competitive player then??? I don’t have a team and I don’t grind the game that much but I’m always trying to improve and pick out things I could be doing wrong. I also feel the same way with Splatana Wiper as you do with stamper. I use it as my “competitive weapon” but when I get tired of it I play either Krack-On or Dynamo and not only do I play better because I have experience with them but they just feel more enjoyable to play and subsequently I win more.

Playing competitively can be fun in most degrees. However, there are drawbacks which I consider can leave a negative impact on some players that take games too seriously.
Some competitive players usually strive to be full-fledged masters of the game. If one of them wins, they feel proud and poke fun at players they beat, leaving them demoralized to continue playing the game, or worse, cause them to act the same way. Back when I was playing Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, opponents who beat me mocked me for sucking at the game after they'd won, which was disgraceful, down-right bullying. And just like a leech, the moments come back to me the next time I play. In theory, they act this way because they don't enjoy the game at all. That's the thing when it comes to playing games. Such players can act like if they're an anime character, which can lead to bad-mannered acts. For example, I received a death threat from a player I won against in a game of Halo Reach, but that didn't faze me one bit.
I'm not saying this to scare anyone. I'm saying this to raise awareness. There are some players you face in competitive games such as Splatoon 3 that go to great lengths to weigh you down out of frustration. Take no notice of them, or if you feel threatened, report them. You're fine the way you are if you give it your best. And if you ever feel frustrated if things don't go your way (like I sometimes do), taking breaks can help. As the saying goes, "If the fun stops, STOP.".
Despite this, I do enjoy playing Splatoon 3 and other games competitively. It's what got me into making friends and creating content in the first place. I'm glad to be an Inkling in such a fresh community and I hope you feel the same way too.

Maybe if everyone stopped eating glue maybe we could win a game

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.

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.

The people claiming to o ly want to play for “fun” while degrading the competitive community as “tryhards” who are ruining said fun, ARENT PLAYING FOR FUN, they’re competitive, and hence are only having fun when they win and are upset when they lose. It’s just they’re also not that good at the game and can only have “fun” against people they can win against. Fun isn’t dependent on winning? Then why are they mad? Projection methinks

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!

NIKOLINI⁉️

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.

Good video!

I just did rage quit 🥰

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.

How will nikolinii respond to these allegations that he is a sill non-competitive booga?

I think that the main problem is that casual players (like myself) have trouble determining the difference between players who are playing the game competitively and "competitive" players who use meta-defining weapons to basically be a scumbag to players who aren't as good as them.
Like I can understand wanting to improve yourself, but if you're being a jerk in Turf War with Crab Tank/Trizooka spamming, ELiter/ZF Charger camping, killing people the frame they superjump anywhere with no opportunity to react to it, etc, people aren't going to like you.
"Competitive" players constantly complain about Turf War being too casual of a gamemode, yet they continue to play it and spawncamp "noobs."
I rarely even play any of the PvP gamemodes anymore because of these type of jerks.

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).

Yes! I was playin since splat 1 main gal deco. And when splat 3 came i want to make a change, and now im main squiffer. Plus, thx you chara now i wanna play the game you finally made me feel like is not boring, is just that ive been doing the same thing foreveeer.

Great video! However I do have some criticisms. TL:DR Warning

Now I for one am not interested in competitive Splatoon, nor do I have the patience to be into competitive play. I adore Splatoon for its lore, unique gameplay, and characters. I play how I want, and use my favorite weapons or any just to try them. I have much respect for people like Pro Chara, Chase247, and Squid School to name a few who have much better patience than I do when it comes to Splatoon competitive play! They are passionate

However my criticisms is mostly the fact that ProChara has not touched any of the bad sides competitive players can be at times. My gripe is mostly that some players can be WAY TOO serious in video games that just ruins the fun for me, some of my friends do that with other games (Not all act like this of course) and not to mention on Twitter I have seen other players bully others simply because they enjoy a special/weapon in the game. I’m sorry but that is a huge pet peeve of mine, people should be allowed to play what they want, which is why I like about ProChara, he always did say play what you want, we need more people like that IMO and its not just Splatoon any team based games will have players like that.

The other thing too about competitive stuff is the tone of voice, like do I have to play certain weapons because the pros say that it is the best weapon or avoid what they consider the worst? Do I have to improve in the way they want it? Do I have to use motion controls because Chara or other people say it is the best? It things like these is what I find questionable in the competitive side. Like IDK gamers can be some of the best with the skills I can’t do or they can be the most obnoxious people on the planet which is why I am mixed.

I am certain ProChara does know about it’s annoying side cause no community is perfect, especially with a game that relies on nerfs and buffs, nobody will ever be satisfied in these types of team based games.

Great analogy overall and it shows why he is passionate as a pro Splatoon player. Everyone is passionate about something, hell my interests is more EDM/Dubstep music more than the competitive side of Splatoon. A lot of people may not understand my music taste but it something I defend like what Chara is doing with the competitive side of Splatoon. It would be nice if he touched the negative sides more cause competitive players (NOT ALL FYI) can be very toxic. Hell ProChara also have proved a point that it can be a great journey, meeting up with people that have similar interests in all. So not everything about communities is a bad thing! He did shed some light on some of the positives. It is important to understand both sides good and bad IMO which why I am disappointed he didn’t tackle some of the bad players can be at times

Unless you’re getting paid to play ranked you’re wasting your time either way. Even more so because try hards will sit there for part time job hours just to rank up. TldR enjoy the game how you want and anyone trying to roast you is just an insecure loser

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

Ive alqays felt weird about the competitive/casual community split since it always feels like there are always a good amount of vocal casual players who put down people who perform at a high level, be it salmon run, ranked, or competitive tourneys. It's a game. Let people enjoy it how one wants to. I don't know why people like to put down what is such amazing efforts to be skillful at something, especially in a game like splatoon which is so mechanical and fast-paced.

While yes, competive is nice, its when it progresses into absolute pub-stomping and going for the "sick, epic 25 kills" that it becomes toxic. Solution: give comp players their own separate turf war lobby set (like they do during splatfests) where they can be competitive without stomping out the youngsters and 9-5ers that play the game at lower skill levels. OR nintendo could implement proper skill-based matchmaking.

Well honestly the original point I think is a valid one, how I think it’s perfectly reasonable to find being competitive is fun, and the satisfaction of winning a stressful game is worth the stress. So play the sword if it’s fun, or move on if you feel like it’s holding you back. The real takeaway is to get from the game what you want out of it.

I personally am both competitive and casual, as I love pushing uncompetitive builds as far as it can get. I come from card game background, so in a game like yugioh, I play rogue and often lose, but my fun is pushing these worser options as hard as I can.

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.

my take a lot of competitive players take it way way too seriously and rage way too much to the point where it scares new competitive players off.

Personally, i will never play Splatoon competitive, and not because i dont like it, because the people is so annoying and they literally set you on flames just for playing casual, im glad you aren't like that people

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

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!

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

I’m just here to have fun on splatoon 3

Hey Chara you might not see this but I want to make it to x rank this summer do you think you could suggest a weapon maybe duilies class or shooters

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