My intended audience for my essay is definitely Smash players and Nintendo fans in general. Of course, my sentiment towards Nintendo can apply to other franchises as they aren’t a special case of hindering their communities, but it’s primarily focused on them. Smash players, stereotypes aside, are very dedicated to the game. Basically, every tournament hosted is grassroots which means it’s hosted by the community. Grassroots tournaments are notably very hard to run, especially the annual ones, and they often bleed money. It takes a lot to host a tournament, but even in spite of that there are easily ten or more major tournaments for Melee even 22 years after its release. This independence is not something players want, but it’s almost necessary as the community is pretty traumatized from Nintendo meddling with their affairs almost always for the worse. Nintendo sponsored tournaments are rare for this reason.

In general I want people to understand that Nintendo is highly in control of Smash  as much as the community tries to be independent of them. They can cancel tournaments, sabotage circuits, and ruin Smash’s relationship with other major esports brands, like MLG back in the 2000s. Basically, I want more people to be aware of the struggles the Smash community often faces. They’re often mischaracterized due to the several controversies, but truly I believe a large majority of the community is well-meaning and just wants to play the game. Which is something Nintendo either doesn’t understand fundamentally, or simply doesn’t care. Hence, the feelings I wanted to evoke were those of a foreboding presence, as Nintendo can basically do whatever they want with Smash and face effectively no meaningful backlash. 

Initially, I had wanted to do a short comic, but I decided on one poster. Posters can be more eye-catching and appealing due to the fact that you can look at one and pretty easily understand what’s trying to be conveyed. However, a comic has the advantage of sticking in your mind more because you’re looking at it longer. Both are pretty good ideas to go with. I’ve considered other genres like making a video, but I think drawing something plays to my strengths more as an artist.