TF2: Why Should You Play Competitive TF2?

New videos will happen when I get new ideas!

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Competitive Team Fortress 2 Player and Commentator
Snapchat - slinB

[UncleDane]

There are two major things that I believe are keeping most players from playing Competitive TF2:

1) The Casual game and the Competitive game are like night and day. You could play 500 hours of Casual Mode, learn the in's and out's of every class, and feel like you're generally pretty good at the game... then join a 6v6 game for the first time and have no idea how to play correctly. There's a huge divide between the two game types that no other moderately successful Competitive game has an issue with. Every other game with a ranked matchmaking mode features both a casual and a competitive option, but in both environments, the same basic strategies apply. Pub TF2 and Competitive TF2 are almost like polar opposites in terms of tempo and atmosphere. I think if Valve is serious about wanting to break down that barrier, they need to make Casual and Competitive as similar as possible. (I would suggest things like removing random crits and random weapon spread, adding stopwatch mode back into Casual, and prioritizing the weapon balance around Competitive Mode. But maybe that could be a discussion for another day.)

2) The current Competitive community is comparatively very small and so tight knit that they are reluctant to the idea of widening the skill pool in Competitive TF2. As a result, a lot of new players experience toxicity stemming from the current Competitive players' frustrations with a (completely understandable) lack of knowledge or skill in what is essentially a completely different game than what 95% of TF2 players are familiar with. It's very difficult for curious players to fall into their correct respective roles on Competitive servers, as well as too easy for VERY new players to jump into Competitive with very little understanding of the core game to begin with. Once again, this is something Valve could potentially fix by making the Competitive mode more appealing to everyone - not only people who have been playing competitive TF2 for years and want their scene to grow (yet are somehow resistant to the changes that are required for that growth to even happen in the first place - which confuses the fuck out of me) - but also the pub players who will ALL be experiencing Competitive TF2 together at the same time and can build a competitive mode meta game of their own, on their own - basically pushing out the vocal minority that stems from the old-timers complaining about "noobs" who don't run the meta. (OR, people could... ya know... stop being dicks and just play video games with good sportsmanship. But I think that's, more or less, impossible. Toxicity is a gaming culture thing that practically every Competitive video game deals with. So I think the latter is more realistic.)

tl;dr - Basically, if we want more people to be interested in competitive, two big things need to happen first. We need to break down the giant wall that's been up between the two communities for years by encouraging Valve to change the game in a way that creates very little differences between the two game types. And we need to be more open to a wider skill pool, shut down the toxicity that is being directed towards players who genuinely want to learn and get better at Competitive TF2, and in general be more open to progressive change. I do not think Competitive TF2 will grow if neither of those things happen.

[Whenthewhenthewhen]

played the game for 3000+ and is still literally shit at it
feelsbadman

[youssh]

i love tf2, basically because is the most skill rewarding game, i've ever played. Is like one of those mmo rpg, where you have a tree of different skills to unlock, but in tf2 that skill tree is in your mind, you learn what every class offers. Play tf2 is easy, master it, is not. But boy is it fun, epic and entertaining.

[damneasyYT]

What the fuck? Why would you need a reason to play comp in any game other then to play for fun? Yeah, if you want to make money while playing GREAT, 99% of the people who are going to play comp will never make money.

[faultyfive]

" I was getting my ass kicked, and that was - REALLY EXCITING to me. "-Slin

[sangan]

slin its never too late to spen 10K hours in GYM and still enjoy your youth you know :)

[DeityBladeGaming]

The game is dead as an ESport yes, but I am sure there is a way to revive it.

The game is currently the 4th biggest game on steam, and some games have a fraction of that but a booming esports.

[vinko]

i actually feel like most people who've installed tf2 have on average at least like 500+ something hours in the game just because theres so many different game modes and stuff to do. at least that's the impression i got

[nathanael]

I'm liking these style of videos: I see your emotions and your body language to better understand what you are saying, they are quick and to the point being only 15 minutes long (unlike others like thorin's which are waaaay to long to watch or listen to all the way through), and its about tf2, and esports in general which, I think, is super interesting :D. Also, the comment section isn't complete trash.

[NotBigSurprise]

Ok, I'm going to see all of your points, and make my arguments as a casual TF2 player.
1) Yes, you could spend your time in TF2 making something more productive, but let's not forget that TF2 is a game, made for you to rest and enjoy some time. TF2 is a way to entertain yourself. Let's not forget that it doesn't matter if you win, if a match is casual (and by casual I mean not serious), what only matters is that you had fun. Sure, it can be fun winning, but is it fun playing this only set of stuff, this meta, and not being able to choose something else because your team will complain if you decide to experiment a little? Is it fun to be yelled at for switching items?
2) Getting bored? So, you got bored of the casual community and matches, yet you decide to go to a worse community who can't distinguish between pubs and comp? Wow.

[Kwatsch]

The TF2 Competitive Scene is the only Community out there who simultaneously hates their stale Meta and rejects every change Valve makes to it.

[AutoSugaR_]

Actually one time i got off of competitive pugs and queued for valve comp because there weren’t any lobbies open and valve comp was the next best thing

The amount of whiplash i got was insane. Valve comp honestly makes me sad

[pensivethought]

Ofc Arnold didn't think he'd be the most buff dude in the world if he started lifting weights. In fact, he knew he wouldn't be, that's why he started taking anabolic steroids.

[rdbro]

I actually don't play competitive TF2 because I actually don't have any time to play, and also this is actually one of the reasons why people don't play competitive TF2

[DARKMATTERYOLO]

Before I watch: because bigger audience=bigger interest. Bigger interest=possible professional esport which means bigger prize pools. Bigger prize pools means winners like you receive more money

[DasMxD]

Valves competitive isn't fun. (at the moment)

[coolmatt]

Some odd reason there's a trend where tf2 players has a better chance of becoming famous in the overwatch community. It's like the overwatch community is cheering you on for abandoning tf2

[VictoryCN]

Damn, your video inspired me to stop procrastinating and start prepping for tomorrow's lectures

[NitrossGaming]

Hello! I have a quick question about in game competitive. Why do you think it is so dead and what advice would you give valve to improve it . Thank you so much for the videos btw!

[-gheist-]

His teeth shine brighter than my future