Since this is a recurring topic of discussion during the launch of contests that do not explicitly have a Kaizo focus (i.e. contests that are not KLDC), it is long overdue that the rationale for excluding levels that are predominantly Kaizo be written up. Rather than doing this on a contest-by-contest basis, we want to broadly outline why Kaizo design is not suitable for entries to general contests.
First, a point of clarification. It’s a bit of a misconception that Kaizo, in and of itself, is a style of difficulty. For instance, Standard: Very Hard is a hack category on the site, and there are many submissions within that category that exceed a lot of Kaizo hacks in their difficulty and do not make copious use of Kaizo design tropes.
So, when a contest says “no Kaizo” as a difficulty caveat, what that often means is that it will not be accepting levels where the difficulty comes from forcing players to flex their technical know-how or perform deliberate movement through obstacles, things that predominantly make up the difficulty found in Kaizo levels. This leaves the door wide open in contests for submissions that are still quite difficult, since Standard: Very Hard levels are eligible for entry into contests. The challenge, then, is to work within the bounds of Standard level design concepts and philosophies to create difficulty for players, if that is your desire as a creator.
With that taken care of, there are two main reasons why Kaizo is outright excluded from contests where it is not explicitly sought after:
Kaizo is Not Widely Accessible
As a type of level design, Kaizo has a high technical barrier for entry and prior-knowledge requirement in order to play which limits its broad accessibility; techniques like regrabbing, controlling Mario’s momentum and speed, and item abuse like shell or switch manipulation may be found in even the most basic Kaizo hack. In other words, to play Kaizo effectively and broadly, you need to be somewhat fluent in reading Kaizo setups and knowing how and when to apply techniques and knowledge only gained from having experience with Kaizo.
So when making a Kaizo level, by design you are excluding a large portion of the player base, which in contests that are open to the general community means alienating your submission from players relative to how all other “non-kaizo” entries in a contest will be received. The base assumption for a general contest is that anyone can pick up the entries at the end of the contest and finish them without knowing much beyond the basics of Super Mario World, despite how difficult some levels get. Since a significant portion of this audience would be excluded from a Kaizo level, we do not feel they belong in these contests.
Additionally, while there are many talented players in the judging pool, the technical demands of Kaizo does even exclude some of our judges from being able to complete levels and therefore be effective judges.
Kaizo is Philosophically Distinct
To speak broadly, the point of a Kaizo level is often to constrain the player and force them to perform or think in a way that is very specific to the author’s intent. The player is usually placed under time and space restrictions with very little forgiveness in the obstacles or room to act creatively.
The strictness placed on Kaizo players is also placed on Kaizo creators, and you have less room in which to have creative expression since the rules and expectations for Kaizo are well established. So if a contest brief has an expectation of broad creativity, you may find yourself constrained by Kaizo by virtue of it being constraining, which makes it an unideal candidate for many contest ideas or themes. Which is not to say that Kaizo hacks are uncreative or less creative than Standard ones, by any means, as there is a wealth of creativity to be found among Kaizo creators, if the hacks section is any indication. It is, however, a different type of creativity that is better applied when a contest is formulated to consider the strengths of that creativity on its own merit rather than within the bounds of a general contest.
What this means in a practical sense is that, speaking to the considerations of contest organizers and judges, it becomes difficult to assess levels on common metrics when those levels have fundamentally different core principles of design. In other words, when a contest is formulated with a specific rubric or guideline in mind for evaluation, having levels outside of those makes it difficult to have an equal playing field for all contest entrants.
At the end of the day, there will always be a place for Kaizo on SMW Central, it is a thriving part of the community and is not going anywhere (in fact, if the Kaizo Level Design Contest of this past year is any indication, it’s only going to continue to grow). With that in mind, we are working to have KLDC be a fixture in the contest roster and potentially open up the calendar to more events tailored to Kaizo like future 24hoSMW or 72hoSMW contests with a Kaizo focus, etc.
Until then, we encourage creators who find that Kaizo is their comfort zone, open themselves up to participating in some of the other contests happening throughout the year regardless. Trying one’s hand at things outside of what one is used to is a good exercise in expanding your abilities and becoming a more well-rounded level designer, and contests are the perfect opportunity for that.
Thanks to BD_PhDX for his wisdom and assistance in editing this post and providing input.
ampers.am • bdsmwcentral.net
*****
First, a point of clarification. It’s a bit of a misconception that Kaizo, in and of itself, is a style of difficulty. For instance, Standard: Very Hard is a hack category on the site, and there are many submissions within that category that exceed a lot of Kaizo hacks in their difficulty and do not make copious use of Kaizo design tropes.
So, when a contest says “no Kaizo” as a difficulty caveat, what that often means is that it will not be accepting levels where the difficulty comes from forcing players to flex their technical know-how or perform deliberate movement through obstacles, things that predominantly make up the difficulty found in Kaizo levels. This leaves the door wide open in contests for submissions that are still quite difficult, since Standard: Very Hard levels are eligible for entry into contests. The challenge, then, is to work within the bounds of Standard level design concepts and philosophies to create difficulty for players, if that is your desire as a creator.
With that taken care of, there are two main reasons why Kaizo is outright excluded from contests where it is not explicitly sought after:
Kaizo is Not Widely Accessible
As a type of level design, Kaizo has a high technical barrier for entry and prior-knowledge requirement in order to play which limits its broad accessibility; techniques like regrabbing, controlling Mario’s momentum and speed, and item abuse like shell or switch manipulation may be found in even the most basic Kaizo hack. In other words, to play Kaizo effectively and broadly, you need to be somewhat fluent in reading Kaizo setups and knowing how and when to apply techniques and knowledge only gained from having experience with Kaizo.
So when making a Kaizo level, by design you are excluding a large portion of the player base, which in contests that are open to the general community means alienating your submission from players relative to how all other “non-kaizo” entries in a contest will be received. The base assumption for a general contest is that anyone can pick up the entries at the end of the contest and finish them without knowing much beyond the basics of Super Mario World, despite how difficult some levels get. Since a significant portion of this audience would be excluded from a Kaizo level, we do not feel they belong in these contests.
Additionally, while there are many talented players in the judging pool, the technical demands of Kaizo does even exclude some of our judges from being able to complete levels and therefore be effective judges.
Kaizo is Philosophically Distinct
To speak broadly, the point of a Kaizo level is often to constrain the player and force them to perform or think in a way that is very specific to the author’s intent. The player is usually placed under time and space restrictions with very little forgiveness in the obstacles or room to act creatively.
The strictness placed on Kaizo players is also placed on Kaizo creators, and you have less room in which to have creative expression since the rules and expectations for Kaizo are well established. So if a contest brief has an expectation of broad creativity, you may find yourself constrained by Kaizo by virtue of it being constraining, which makes it an unideal candidate for many contest ideas or themes. Which is not to say that Kaizo hacks are uncreative or less creative than Standard ones, by any means, as there is a wealth of creativity to be found among Kaizo creators, if the hacks section is any indication. It is, however, a different type of creativity that is better applied when a contest is formulated to consider the strengths of that creativity on its own merit rather than within the bounds of a general contest.
What this means in a practical sense is that, speaking to the considerations of contest organizers and judges, it becomes difficult to assess levels on common metrics when those levels have fundamentally different core principles of design. In other words, when a contest is formulated with a specific rubric or guideline in mind for evaluation, having levels outside of those makes it difficult to have an equal playing field for all contest entrants.
*****
At the end of the day, there will always be a place for Kaizo on SMW Central, it is a thriving part of the community and is not going anywhere (in fact, if the Kaizo Level Design Contest of this past year is any indication, it’s only going to continue to grow). With that in mind, we are working to have KLDC be a fixture in the contest roster and potentially open up the calendar to more events tailored to Kaizo like future 24hoSMW or 72hoSMW contests with a Kaizo focus, etc.
Until then, we encourage creators who find that Kaizo is their comfort zone, open themselves up to participating in some of the other contests happening throughout the year regardless. Trying one’s hand at things outside of what one is used to is a good exercise in expanding your abilities and becoming a more well-rounded level designer, and contests are the perfect opportunity for that.
*****
Thanks to BD_PhDX for his wisdom and assistance in editing this post and providing input.
ampers.am • bdsmwcentral.net
