eeerocketslayi remember kaidus talking on his stream about how he thought it was "cringey" or whatever that some people in tf2 were desperate for this game to become a big esport and he wanted the community to be more like the smash community or something and accept that we're small game (?)
I think the real cringe is (sorry in advance) that a lot of people really think this game is going to take off through some sort of action on valve's or our part. We have this thread 2-3x a year and the same points are brought up which are
- people would know about 6s if it was advertised and easy to get into
- the game would be popular if enough people knew about 6s
- ∴ valve advertising 6s would cause the game to become popular
but I think all of those are flawed for multiple reasons. The first assumes that 6s is obscure or unknown, which is likely true on a large scale, but 6s is definitely a known thing to anyone who plays tf2 at this point. Not even talking about MM, most players are aware that the best players in the game play it competitively in a 6s format and most oft those could pretty easily find this place if they wanted to.
The second assumes that people aren't getting into 6s because they aren't aware of it, rather than because they lack interest. This is where I think most people in this community have trouble understanding why it isn't popular. It isn't because 6s is unknown, it isn't because 6s is a flawed format, it isn't even because 6s is bad or unappealing. Most players just aren't interested in the sort of game we are. The average tf2 player simply doesn't want to play a game like tf2 in a serious way. Trying to make comp more appealing or more accessible only helps if people have a genuine interest, but the wider tf2 community simply doesn't.
idk
Tbf, it is a tad tricky to get into comp/playing 6s, despite the great efforts of the comp community. You either play the in-game matchmaking system (and in all likelihood get destroyed a lot if you're a newer player due to rubbish ranking systems), or you try and get into proper comp via joining/forming a team and joining an org. The problem again is that proper comp isn't easy for the uninitiated, and I think it's a little intimidating to get involved with initially. You've probably minimal experience of playing the format, you're likely to be up against players that are a lot more experienced and skilled, and it can even be tricky to get into a team due to your inexperience and the simple and unfortunate fact that you have to sign up to various websites and post in the hope that some team wants you, if you're not fortunate to have 5 friends who want to play.
Now, if the game had a good introduction to 6s, with guides and with newer players being matched with actual similar level players, they'd be more likely to sink time into it. Thus they'd get a better feel for it and feel more confident in going out and joining a team. Ideally, the game itself would nudge you towards the external orgs. I've been in this situation myself. You do a lot of scouring for information and posting on forums, and very little playing. And that is without ever having any decent exposure to 6s.