Disclaimer : The following article was written freely based on the author's opinion, and it may not necessarily represent Inven Global's editorial stance. 

A few weeks, ago, Evolution 2017 – often simply called “Evo” – took place in Las Vegas. The fighting game championship saw the best players in the world across games like Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and BlazBlue: Central Fiction battle it out, and the matches were shown not just on Twitch and YouTube, but also on cable through ESPN and Disney XD. All weekend, my girlfriend and I sat and watched fighters from all around the world compete for the top spots in their respective games, and we began to root for particular players based on the little time we had spent getting to know them. We hadn’t heard of any of them before Evo 2017 – it was almost like the Olympics, as we grew attached to athletes that we likely wouldn’t hear from again until the next competition.

But there was another aspect that reminded me of the Olympics: I have absolutely no ability to play any of the games shown off. My experience with the Street Fighter series is limited, but it mainly consists of me being relentlessly pummeled while I tried in vain to let loose at least one Hadouken. My experience with Tekken had been similarly pathetic, and though I’ve been playing the Super Smash Bros. series since the original released for Nintendo 64, you wouldn’t know it by watching me play it.

This didn’t make the games any less exciting to watch, however. On the contrary, there was a sense of mysticism surrounding many of the matches. I had no clue how anyone could react with the precision and quick reflexes of the Evo competitors, and a few select games’ final rounds absolutely blew me away. Of course, this feeling of “admiring from a distance” isn’t just limited to competitive fighting games. There are several other titles across a variety of genres that I simply prefer to watch rather than play. Here are some of my favorites, as well as a couple games that I love playing, but can’t stand to spectate.

Love to watch: BlazBlue: Central Fiction

My interest in Arc System Works is mostly related to the upcoming Dragon Ball FighterZ game, but I’ve admired the developer’s commitment to relentlessly obtuse fighting mechanics for quite a while at this point. In the Evo 2017 Grand Final match for BlazBlue: Central Fiction, we were able to see just how complex the game’s high-level play can get. The character Carl makes use of corpse-like machines to attack his opponents with sweeping strikes and ranged blasts, forcing enemy fighters to deal with an obstacle before they can even reach their top hat-wearing, bespectacled opponent. Guarding maneuvers allow for fighters to escape tough situations before unleashing their own flurry of attacks.

Much like baseball and hockey fans might love watching their hometown heroes play on television, I’m more than happy to appreciate BlazBlue from afar. To reach the level of play on display at professional tournaments would take hundreds of hours of time. The alternative is simply to watch the masters at work, and it’s just as enjoyable for me.

Love to watch: Minecraft

Minecraft is ridiculously popular, and frequently ends up among the best-selling games of the year nearly six years after its “full” release, and for good reason. Its mix of open-world, procedurally generated exploration and creative freedom paved the way for games like No Man’s Sky and countless other survival simulators. This was in no small part because of YouTube stars who latched onto the game before it had even come out of alpha testing, showing off the depth to its creation tools and the satisfying day-night gameplay loop. I found myself hooked to a few particular YouTube channels, waiting anxiously to see how they would expand their homes or which new territories they’d venture into.

But for me, part of the allure of those YouTube videos was getting to experience these creations with other people – both the person who recorded the video as well as the audience. On my own, there really wouldn’t be anyone to share it with. That isn’t to say that I wouldn’t have a good time with the game. In my short time playing a Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past mod, I found myself having fun, but I could never shake the feeling that I’d rather watch someone else play the game instead.

Love to watch: Super Mario Maker

I love the Super Mario series, and I have since I was a little kid. My earliest gaming memories are of Super Mario World on SNES and Super Mario 64 on Nintendo 64, and the sheer joy and whimsy that goes into every level is unrivaled. Super Mario Maker put the level designers’ creation tools into the hands of players for the first time, and almost immediately, clever users concocted stages to unique and infuriatingly difficult that it left the rest of us in awe. I’d never think of a Metal Gear Solid level, complete with sound effects and Snake’s famous cardboard box, but someone else did.

Playing through some of these levels can be a great time, particularly those centered around a particular theme, but a large portion of Super Mario Maker’s community is intent on destroying other players’ will to live with levels so difficult, completing them is all but impossible. They’re not fun to play, but watching someone else try and fail to complete them does give me a sense of schadenfreude. I’m not proud of it, but watching a level anger someone to the point of slamming his controller on the ground is undeniably hilarious.

Love to play: Splatoon 2

Splatoon 2 turns the multiplayer shooter into something that few other games can: a relaxing getaway. Without kill-to-death ratios to worry about and without anyone bothering you over voice chat, you’re free to experiment with a variety of ink blasters, customize your character, and take in the game’s beautiful environments. When you do get in the competitive mood, the game’s fast-paced multiplayer matches can still be intense, with mere percentage points determining the winner of a round.

After Evo 2017 had ended, Disney evidently wanted to keep viewers tuned in, as the Disney XD network began airing other competitive games. Splatoon 2 was shown in a half-hour championship event, and it was nearly impossible to follow. Though matches only last a couple of minutes as is, the edited footage cut them down to less than half that length, reducing players’ strategies and maneuvers to a mess of color and an occasional death. Splatoon 2 could still work as a televised esport, but the matches have to be presented in a way that is coherent for the audience.

Love to play: Super Smash Bros.

Though I’m horrible at Super Smash Bros. in all of its incarnations, I’ve still had a great time playing it over the years as I’ve had a chance to control my favorite Nintendo characters in high-speed battles. No other game allows you to pit Ike from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn up against Pikachu, and my fun with the series has largely come from being around my friends. It’s a game that can put a smile on your face, even when you’re getting destroyed by a competitive player. When items and other crazy modifiers are turned on, the game devolves into an all-out mess in the best way possible.

Competitive Super Smash Bros. Melee has been around for well over a decade, and perhaps that’s why it just completely fails to excite me. Play with your friends and you’ll all choose a different character, often one that reflects your taste in games. In the competitive scene, nearly every match I watched at Evo had at least one player using Fox McCloud. It makes for games that all play out almost exactly the same, and though the Wii U game features a more balanced roster, it just feels like half a game. Without the items and Smash Balls – the things that actually make the game fun – why play it at all?