Doubles is messy - Hard to see and follow characters, not streaming or spectator friendly

Doubles does not have healthy competition - Teams aren't consistent tournament to tournament and therefore, doubles play is sloppy

Doubles is dying anyways - Only about half of singles entrants will enter Doubles



Doubles can be a blast​

Doubles Origins

Doubles could be run early, before singles, giving players time to get the venue for the 'main' event if they were delayed or traveling a long distance Doubles was another tournament - it meant players could come and be guaranteed at least 4 matches instead of two Doubles was half the size of singles, so it could run in about half the time - usually completing around 1PM, in time to start singles, and when not completed, enough players would be eliminated to start singles anyways Doubles let 4 players compete on a single setup - maximizing both setup efficiency and attendee play time Doubles let players play with their friends - encouraging players to bring a friend or to get to know another player at the tournament - there is no better ice breaker than "I need a teammate!"

"Without the TO though, there is no tournament, there are no entrants, there is no prize pool, and there are no people sitting at home watching a stream." ​



Smash TOs need enough people to show up to cover the venue​

"There will be over 1,000 live Smash tournaments in 2014" ​

Why Doubles (Maybe) Won't be Around

What Does it all Mean?

Day long, single Smash game event

Two day long, 2-3 Smash game event

Day long, multi-Smash game event

Two day long, 3-5 Smash game event

Day long, single Smash game event if an alternative like Low Tier or Items Smash is offered in Doubles place that would add more to the tournament for potential attendees

Also, this happened in Doubles​

This week, Christopher “Wife” Fabiszak came out with an opinion piece that Smash tournaments should no longer feature Doubles. The general thesis being that Doubles is hurting tournaments and the Smash communities growth.Fabiszak may be right - Doubles may be on the way out. However, he is looking in all of the wrong places and citing all of the wrong reasons. To fully understand the situation, you need to know the history of Smash tournaments and where Doubles came about.The story of Doubles goes all the way back to 2002 when Smash tournaments were just beginning. Back then, Smash tournament organizers took inspiration from the traditional fighting game community (FGC) which ran strictly Double elimination, best of 3, and with prize splits as harsh as 70%-20%-10%. This works in the FGC because players show up to an event to compete in 2, 3, or even as many as 5 different games. Smash was viewed with disdain by the FGC and was not held at their tournaments. Therefore, Smash events were exclusive to Smash games, and so organizers needed another tournament type that made traveling worth it for players. Who would travel for hours only to be guaranteed two singles matches, after all?Doubles was born to draw attendees and create a better Smash tournament. For tournament operations, Doubles hit on all cylinders for Super Smash Brothers Melee.The necessity of Smash Doubles is, or was, rooted in how tournaments operate and grow. Following Fabiszak's piece, many have focused on the spectators sitting at home, streaming needs, and the new interests in the Smash community. As the thesis goes, if something isn't very watchable, or easy to understand, then clearly it must be hurting the growth of the community and should be canned, right?To understand why there is nothing wrong with Smash Doubles you have to understand what makes Smash different from eSport tournaments. League of Legends, Starcraft 2, Dota 2, and other games can operate tournaments, or league matches,. The rare tournaments that occur in person are often held or funded (subsidized) by the developer, publisher, or a major eSports organization like Major League Gaming. eSport tournaments will succeed absent success on the ground and in many situations the operation of the event itself is at a operational loss.Live Smash tournaments are decidedly different. Smash tournaments all occur without any infusion from an outside source - they exist because TOs convince enough players to travel to their event and play in person. To enter and pay a venue fee that covers that cost of the venue. TWithout the TO though, there is no tournament, there are no entrants, there is no prize pool, and there are no people sitting at home watching a stream.Covering the venue is what causes TOs to work toward running a great event, and a great event is what grows the community. It is why years ago they made sure players had multiple Smash tournaments to play in. It is why Doubles came to exist. Doubles improved the experience of the tournament for most players and gave an extra reason to spend an entire day going to a Smash event. If TOs stop holding Doubles, it will be for a different reason than arguments about the 'spectator friendliness' for those people sitting at home watching a livestream.Despite the historical need for Doubles, the format is on the way out at some events - or at least it should be. 8 years ago, aside from Singles, Doubles was the main alternative format. Brawl didn't exist, Smash 64 wasn't being played, and the FGC held Smash in the lowest of regards. In 2014, TOs are now running Project M, Brawl, and Smash 64, and by 2015, will likely have two additional games to consider in Smash Wii U & 3DS. Simply put - there isn't room in the schedule at a tournament that is already holding 3 or 4 Singles tournaments, to also hold Doubles. These different Smash Singles games accomplish and fill the gap that at one point was best filled by Doubles.In addition to new Smash games, how Smash tournaments operate has also changed. Singles stopped being run in the FGC double-elimination only format around 2005 and transitioned to a pools > seeded double elimination bracket format. Running this Singles format, plus Doubles, for just Melee, wasn't difficult. Add just one other game at a day long tournament though and the entire schedule becomes burdened. Some would say to move back to a double elimination only format. As it stands though, there will be over 1,000 live Smash tournaments in 2014 and Smash is, arguably, the most played video game. This is a huge amount of success and it is partly due to a welcoming tournament structure through thousands of Smash events with trial and error.Organizers should probably run Doubles in the following circumstancesOrganizers should maybe not run Doubles in the following circumstancesThe "watchability" or the "spectator friendly" aspect of Doubles only matters as a residual effect. About half of the Singles entrants will enter Doubles, if Low Tier, or Items, or another Smash game (Project M) would grab more entrants, then Doubles should be replaced, but not simply if viewers at home aren't fans. Remember, without people showing up and paying to play there is no tournament and there is no stream. Not fun to watch does not mean not fun to play - and the latter is what gets players to show up to a tournament and what keeps TOs paying their venues and holding events.