While Super Smash Bros. might be big in North America and parts of Europe, it's far more niche in other parts of the world. Luckily, a new YouTube series is shedding light on the franchise in those communities. The show is Smash Scenes, and its latest episode takes place in one of the world's largest havens for esports: South Korea.
The episode delves into what it's like to play a console title like Smash in a country like South Korea, where PC gaming dominates. The scene has had to reckon with other interesting challenges as it has taken shape, especially related to Smash's developer Nintendo. First, Nintendo has very little presence in South Korea, which means the Smash community there hasn't had support from the game's greatest and most well-resourced advocate. Second, Nintendo didn't release the Wii U in South Korea, which meant Smash fans haven't been able to play the most recent version of the franchise. South Korean players have gotten around the latter point by sticking to Super Smash Bros. Melee, the GameCube version of Smash from 2001 that is still an esports powerhouse today.
ESPN caught up with Smash Scenes director Jason "GosuJasu" Russak and audio engineer Thomas "Toggle" Goedecke to get some insight into the series.
Toggle had his own personal reasons behind making Smash Scenes. "We always wanted to highlight our own smaller scenes," said Toggle. "Everyone knows about SoCal and Norcal and MD/VA and Florida, and even Arizona to some extent. Being from Hawai'i, no one knew about our scene and weʻre often just brushed off."
What else about the scene proved inspirational? Smash has interesting material, even among other, similar esports. "The Smash Bros. series is in a unique position," GosuJasu said. "In a world of online gaming, [Smashers] still meet locally and form communities." Because Melee predates online console gaming, and the new Super Smash Bros. for Wii U doesn't have the best online functionality, players still make a concerted effort to organize local tournaments.
But finding and documenting smaller communities can be challenging, especially when aiming for a different location in each of ten episodes. "The biggest issue has been traveling and locations," Toggle said. "The idea behind the series is to get diverse locations and scenes, but that's limited by the budget we have." The team is doing what it can to work around financial constraints, including leaning on internet communication to supplement travel. "We believe there is a narrative to be told about every scene, so we find ways to work around it," said Toggle. "Some of our workarounds have been doing Skype interviews and working with local players to get b-roll for more distant locations."
Smash Scenes is certainly not the first effort at depicting Smash's flavorful esports world on camera. Most people credit The Smash Brothers, a documentary series released on YouTube in 2013, for revitalizing the scene and bringing in new fans. Each episode focused on an individual top competitive Smasher. Viewers became attached to these players and the personality they brought to the game. However, that focus on the individual is something Smash Scenes has been trying to avoid.
"Most documentaries currently focus on the individuals and not the communities around them," GosuJosu said. "These communities are what make Smash the game it is. This is their chance to tell their stories."
"What we've learned is that no two scenes are remotely similar, and that every community, no matter our large or small, has a story," said Toggle.
Smash Scenes wants to establish itself as a staple of video storytelling in the community. Currently, the team is set to release its remaining eight episodes weekly. Then after a short reprieve, the series is hoping to upgrade its equipment and set off on finding other Smash communities all over the world.