Somewhere behind screaming fans and some of the most talented gamers in the world, a camera captured the beautiful accident that is Super Smash Bros. eSports.
Unfolding over nine free episodes on YouTube, The Smash Brothers is one of the best eSports documentaries of all time. The entire world of Smash Bros. is illuminated. No one has ever done a better job of communicating why competitive players love this game.
Smash Bros. (the video game) was never meant to be an eSport. It’s a Nintendo title, after all, designed for a gamer as casual as your grandpa. But the freedom and depth that players found proved irresistible, and the franchise has become one of the unsung foundations of competitive gaming.
Travis Beauchamp’s The Smash Brothers paid its way on a Kickstarter two years ago. Released earlier this month, it’s getting rave reviews across the board. The documentary tells the story of the franchise, starting with the discovery of wavedashing, the glitch that would change the way the game was played, and extending to incredible spotlights on the world’s best players.
Most of the great eSports films—such as Fr@g, Run It Back, and Beyond the Game—were released pre-2008, in another era of competitive gaming, making this new series even more valuable.
How do we put this? If you like eSports, you’ll love this. Give it a watch, highly recommended, two thumbs up, tour de force. If all Kickstarters delivered this sort of quality content, eSports would be forever grateful.
