In order to create a viable competitive world for Super Smash, we’ve done our best to make it really accessible. Since 2012, we’ve really tried to make it more inclusive for everybody, and one thing that I’ve had to do as a caster is to choose my words more carefully. When you work with a major competition, they’ll straight up let you know, "Hey, we have sponsors. Don't say this, that, and the other." It’s also about the fact that you just end up alienating people who could be part of the community.

I'd say between 2009 and 2012, there were a lot of words that I probably used in my casting that I shouldn't have, including slurs. We’ve really focused on trying to be progressive and omit words from our vocabulary, because everybody from different persuasions, people of different persuasions are watching and playing. We have to be mindful of them and don't want them to feel like they can't be part of this big family of Smashers. That’s just growing up. Some might see harsh language as a part of the competitive fighting game culture that started in arcades, and they feel a need to preserve the culture they love, but a changing culture allows it to survive.

We’ve had rifts in the community over different versions of Super Smash, some people like SSB Brawl, others prefer Melee. When Brawl came out, die hard Melee fans were like "Woah. Brawl is moving backward." But Brawl, overall, was a good thing because it brought in new players. I wouldn't want to blame a scene die-down on a new game. Instead of sitting back, being a bystander, you have to do something about it, which is what a lot of us started to do.

In 2013, after years of Smash being relegated as a sideshow at EVO, a competition was announced to raise money for breast cancer. The gamer community that raised the most would be allowed onto the main stage at EVO. We all got together and kept inviting people to the "Melee It On Me" podcast to try and spread the word, that it was to get inside the EVO but also that it's for a good cause. Once people realized we were doing something for a bigger purpose, they were like, "Okay, cool, why not." The two camps, Brawl and Melee players, suddenly put their rivalry aside and came together. After years of hearing Melee players basically say, "oh your game is the inferior game," Brawl players stepped up and said, "You know what, we're just going to try to help Melee get in. We're going to work together and see if we can make this happen."

We did it. We raised close to $100,000. We had this big spirit bomb and we won.

And we didn’t stop there as a community. Everyone said, "Alright guys, so we made it this far. Now you have to put your best foot forward. Let's make a good impression with the EVO team, because we've been at EVO numerous times, but never on the big stage." We put on such a good showing that a lot of people came with support. Viewership was really great. It was close. We rivaled Marvel and Street Fighter. We went Smashing at EVO. It was amazing. After that, there was a man named Sandbox who put together the documentary, First Match. When that hit on YouTube, it exploded. People from all over the world realized, "Wow, the Smash community exists." The community is changing. Working together is how we made it, and it changed a lot of people's lives.

