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Bassem [Bear] Dahdouh: Esports Event Manager and Tournament Director Résume/Experience

Greetings! My name is Bassem [Bear] Dahdouh! 

I stream pretty regularly on twitch with games like Mario Kart, Ring Fit Adventure, Super Smash Bros., horror games, and more:

For those wondering how to contact me for business inquiries, feel free to contact via

Here’s my bio:

Bassem [Bear] Dahdouh has been involved in competitive gaming for nearly his entire life, starting at the grassroots level at an early age in the Middle East where he learned about fighting games at the arcade and helped organize tournaments for his friends. Over the last five-plus years, Bear has been at the forefront of the competitive esports events industry, organizing everything from local 20-person tournaments in Las Vegas to the world-renowned Evolution Championship Series (Evo), where he served as Tournament Director, featuring a pool of more than 10,000 competitors.

Bear gained invaluable experience across a variety of games and genres, including Fortnite, PUBG, Hearthstone, League of Legends and Overwatch, while working for the esports platform smash.gg. He has also made a name for himself in the fighting game community as Tournament Director for Genesis (largest Super Smash Bros. winter major), CEO (Community Effort Orlando), COMBO BREAKER, DreamHack, GameTyrant, and a number of other regional and national esports events.

2020 (COVID-19 delayed or cancelled many events)

2019

2018

2017

2016

2014 & 2015

long time no blog

big little bear

greetings folks!

it’s been a while since I wrote anything on here. A whole lot has changed for me the past 6 months and especially since Genesis 5. It really was filled with ups & downs, with probably my lowest points emotionally at times doubting myself in a lot of ways but thankfully I’m in a much better place now than I was in July 2018. I try to keep my personal life out of business but I’m just going to say that it’s extremely hard to not have your professional life be effected if you go through a breakup in a relationship, a divorce was something else I wasn’t fully prepared for emotionally or really financially. In all I’m in a much better place now and I have to thank all my friends and coworkers who supported me throughout the summer and fall.

Anyways sad stuff aside I wanted to dwell a bit more on why I’m back with smash.gg and what I want to accomplish in 2019 in esports and especially in the competitive Super Smash Bros. Ultimate scene. So by now Genesis 6 is over and we had an overall great event with no major hiccups. Genesis means a lot to me as Genesis 3 was my first supermajor as a Tournament Director in 2016. I really loved what our team delivered at Genesis 6 but there are definitely things I’d like to improve for Genesis 7, which I’ll talk about later on throughout the year but main points are better scheduling, more space in the venue during Pools, seeking 3 streams for Ultimate, and tightening up backroom access to Sunday for Top 8.

The rest of my year I would love the honor of another year of my favorite summer FGC events like COMBO BREAKER, CEO, Evo [game lineup not announced yet but I’d always love working Evo so I hope I can either way]. Specifically for those events I’d love to reprise my role again as a Tournament Director [or Co-Director as there are lots of good people I work with tag team at these events for many different games]. I’m really excited to say I’ve been hired by Beyond The Summit as the Tournament Director for Smash Ultimate Summit in March. I’ve worked with BTS in the past as a smash.gg Customer Success representative for Summit of Power [DRAGON BALL FighterZ] and a few Smash Summits [Melee], but having the role of Tournament Director for their first Ultimate event is wonderful.

One big thing I want to do for any new events that approach me for the rest of the year is to be more of an underling to help them rather than be the lead Tournament Director for Ultimate.  I give all I got to Genesis, COMBO BREAKER, CEO, and Evo. I would rather be able to take a step back to see everything to both help and learn from other events. I’m also planning on just attending some events to be a Spectator, Volunteer, &/or Player. I’m really looking forward to that.

Anyways I’ll be doing a blog every couple weeks as for me vlogging is hard at the moment and I prefer writing. Thanks for reading and cheers to 2019.

PS
2018 sucked until August when I met knives ❤

 

Reflections on 2017 esports events I’ve worked with that hosted Smash4: the great, good, and bad

Botox
I remember looking at my phone sometimes in pure anxiety & fear but my dog Botox had this face and it made me feel way better so I made it my background for a while.

It’s been a wild year of Smash4 for many events. I had the pleasure of working with many good folks who had great aspirations and intentions for their respective events, including myself. Although I think most folks don’t see it in my perspective on things so I thought it’d be better if I actually wrote how I felt for each event, explain what I was accountable for, what I do, what I do not do, and what the hell it means to be part of the core staff for some events. The crappy part is that every event is different in regards to how things operate where duties and hierarchy isn’t as fluid. A lot of decisions get made then as the TO of an event you are responsible for them even if you didn’t solely make that decision. This is part of the job and it’s something I think folks should be ready for when decisions get made and take the criticism that goes with it to grow into a better career organizer for the next event.

Anyways I think it’d be important to line item each event I worked with in 2017 and about how I honestly feel about each event + 2017 as a whole so strap in. Also I feel this is my own reflection for each event so that each Event Organizer can learn from my experiences and have their next event be WAY better. I’m checking my ego out as I write this so I hope those that do read my raw experience with these events:

  • Genesis 4 smash.gg/G4

    • Role:
      • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Tournament Director & Social Media Manager
    • Reason for hire:
      • Genesis 3 was my first major I ran for Smash4 aside from the old DVDA tournament series I ran in Las Vegas. I wasn’t known nationally but I worked my ass off from working with the team in preparing and execution the weekend of Genesis 3. I was really proud of what the G3 team produced.
    • Duties:
      • Planning Smash4 schedule, side events, and marketing around G4
      • Putting together a seeding committee with Zan & TLTC at the helm to help seed Singles and Doubles [these guys are saints and really know how to properly balance an event with the recent results of players while seeding an event]
      • Coordinating with Commentary Director to help with selection & talent placement timeslots
      • Setup of G4 venue on Thursday
      • Leading Smash4 Friday, Saturday and Sunday
      • Helping with breakdown Monday
    • What went great:
      • Putting together the commentary team went fairly well with the budget we had
      • Setup of the venue was great and everything seemed fairly fine from the previous year’s smaller space
      • Seeding committee led up by Zan and TLTC are godlike
    • What didn’t go well:
      • to start off 0.9 was the biggest learning experience I’ve ever had & also the most embarrassing. There’s much that could’ve gone differently but I don’t want to go too long about it than just ensuring no other event has to deal with this kind of situation ever again and to always clear all gamertags off a system along with setting up a system + taking pictures before every Top 8, which I have consistently have done since G4 & implore any TO to do the same.
      • The bracket mixup; some shit went down where folks played each other in double jeopardy where a judge ran a bracket and some confusion among what was correct happened among players & some judges [smash.gg was showing something different than paper brackets; in general always trust the paper brackets and just come to the TO Command Center if that happens at any event]
      • Not double checking that our stream time had to cut stream by 10:30pm at 9pm Saturday; lesson learned to always double check when stream needs to close in cas union/venue jams you
        • I was under the impression we had until 12 but in the middle of Top 16 I was told otherwise so we had some Top 8 qualifying matches played off stream, which absolutely sucked for those players and for folks at home
        • Learning experience: DON’T FRONTLOAD STREAM QUEUE. WORK BACKWARDS. Always be sure to make time for Top 8 Qualifiers and assume the worst. It’s what I’ve been advocating to anyone who works with me for Stream Running to avoid having to cut matches late
      • Crew Battle
        • Wow what a shit show; to be honest I thought it’d go decent but in reality Crew Battle format was ass and I take responsibility for an ass format. I was told we had to do a side event but in all honesty I’d much rather have more stream time for Singles since we had such great talent and had limited stream time
        • Learning experience: don’t do shitty formats. If you have doubt for a side event, don’t do it. Ask players, ask for more feedback from people. Ultimately structured fun is only fun if people want to do it. Forcing a side event to an already stressful day for top level talent sucks so don’t do that.
    • What can be better:
      • More detailed assigned roles for staff for everyone to know
      • Better marketing towards Smash4 folks earlier with more trailers early with an actual marketing strategy for Genesis as a whole
      • Actual trailers for people to get excited for
      • And problems should be dealt with in a less hasty manner
      • A better emphasis on catering to communities within 4 hour driving distance

  • Frame Perfect Series 2 smash.gg/FPS2

    • Role:
      • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Tournament Manager Assistant
    • Reason for hire:
      • MVG & Vayseth wanted me on board to help
    • Duties:
      • Help in Smash4 schedule and marketing
      • Putting together a seeding committee with Zan & TLTC at the helm to help seed Singles and Doubles [again these guys are saints and really know how to properly balance an event with the recent results of players while seeding an event]
      • Helping with Smash4 over the weekend
    • What went great:
      • Florida came out to support the event for Smash4
      • A lot of Japanese came through since 2GGC: Civil War was the following week
    • What didn’t go well:
      • Stream for Top 8 had a 40 minute delay due to some production complications that killed the momentum we had on Sunday.
    • What can be better:
      • Being at the airport was a bit odd but also convenient for those flying in but very inconvenient for locals and drivers
      • A better emphasis on catering to communities within 4 hour driving distance
      • Production was not as clean I’d like it. Cameras needed to be upgraded for a cleaner smoother look.

  • CEO: Dreamland smash.gg/CEOdreamland

    • Role:
      • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Tournament Director
    • Reason for hire:
      • Leading the CEO 2016 team with the Kelly, Alicia, & the CFL Smash Bros scene was a great success so Jebailey wanted me on again for his next Smash Bros event.
    • Duties:
      • Help in Smash4 schedule and marketing
      • Putting together a seeding committee with Zan & TLTC at the helm to help seed Singles and Doubles [again these guys are saints and really know how to properly balance an event with the recent results of players while seeding an event]
      • Helping with Smash4 over the weekend
    • What went great:
      • I think overall it was a great event for folks there
      • The CFL Smash Bros scene as a wonderful team and folks like Alicia & Kelly are treasures to the region who put in a lot of work + underappreciated
    • What didn’t go well:
      • The stream went down mid Top 8
        • This sucked but literally nothing we could do since even then that venue had dead zones for WiFi Hotspots.
    • What can be better:
      • Not be on a holiday weekend
      • Better timed to be during Spring Break for folks in the Southeast
      • In all honesty this was the start for over saturation in 2017 and it was the first event I saw where we saw a trend of a ceiling of uniques able to attend a few number of events in a year

  • DreamHack Austin 2017 smash.gg/DHATX17

    • Role:
      • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Tournament Director
    • Reason for hire:
      • Jebailey and I have a great working relationship at this point.
    • Duties:
      • Help in Smash4 schedule
      • Putting together a seeding committee with Zan & TLTC at the helm to help seed Singles and Doubles [again these guys are saints and really know how to properly balance an event with the recent results of players while seeding an event]
      • Helping with Smash4 over the weekend
    • What went great:
      • My first DreamHack I’ve ever worked and I thought it went pretty well given I was expecting a Con like feel to the event but there was some flaws
      • Having Friday be Doubles only day was great
    • What didn’t go well:
      • I feel like the DreamHack events as a whole didn’t have a great marketing program behind them and I didn’t know what the message or theme was. I kept telling folks they should care about DreamHack but a majority didn’t realize the scope & scale of esports entrenchment DH has.
    • What can be better:
      • A better marketing strategy for DreamHack Smash as a whole with earlier lead times
      • A better campaign to reach local scenes
      • Ensuring folks knew from the start it was a 24 hour venue all weekend long for fiending

  • Combo Breaker 2017 smash.gg/CB2017

    • Role:
      • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Tournament Director
    • Reason for hire:
      • Rick and I have a great working relationship along with being there as a smash.gg representative as well.
    • Duties:
      • Helped with Smash4 schedule
      • Seeded Smash4 with Jaaash + local input
      • Leading Smash4 over the weekend with delegating to Jaaash
    • What went great:
      • I think overall Combo Breaker is one of the best events for Smash4
      • Smooth event with a great schedule and overnight venue
    • What didn’t go well:
      • not much here just turnout was low but about the same as 2016
    • What can be better:
      • I think in general this isn’t much of a what can Combo Breaker can do better as Memorial Day weekend is very busy with Momocon the same weekend and probably many other events
      • What I think is important is the impact of the event as a whole for fighting games and the coverage of the event can benefit many other scenes looking to get more attention

  • CEO 2017 smash.gg/CEO2017

    • Role:
      • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Tournament Director
    • Reason for hire:
      • Jebailey and I have a great working relationship.
    • Duties:
      • Helped in Smash4 schedule
      • Putting together a seeding committee with Zan & TLTC at the helm to help seed Singles [again these guys are saints and really know how to properly balance an event with the recent results of players while seeding an event]
      • Leading Smash4 over the weekend
    • What went great:
      • Smash4 was in the main ballroom all weekend with the ring nearby
      • As usual the CFL Smash Bros scene has a wonderful team and folks like Alicia & Kelly are treasures to the region who put in a lot of work + underappreciated
    • What didn’t go well:
      • Top 8’s timing was unfortunate as being the game with the most entrants and first on Sunday didn’t bode well with the CEO 2016 crowd + feel with the Top 8 last year with ANTi winning at the end
    • What can be better:
      • probably have doubles back for Friday only

  • Evo 2017 smash.gg/Evo2017

    • Role:
      • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Tournament Director
    • Reason for hire:
      • Evo 2016 was the most intense event I ever worked for with running a 2662 person tournament in 1.5 days was quite daunting. I developed a good relationship with the Evo team and have much respect for them. I also have been helping relay feedback from Evo 2016 for Evo 2017.
    • Duties:
      • Relayed feedback from Evo 2016 early on to heads
      • Putting together a seeding committee with Zan & TLTC at the helm to help seed Singles [again these guys are saints and really know how to properly balance an event with the recent results of players while seeding an event]
      • Lead Smash4 all weekend from Friday pools to Sunday Grand Finals
    • What went great:
      • Overall Evo 2017 was a great improvement from 2016 and really delivered for Smash4 in general with just only just having Sunday but the space, schedule, and 4 our format felt better as a whole
      • Having Smash4 Sunday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center along with DisneyXD / ESPNU was surreal & phenomenal
    • What didn’t go well:
      • not much to complain about to be honest; the event as a whole was very smooth for Smash4 and I was very pleased with the end result
    • What can be better:
      • A bigger turnout

  • Shine 2017 smash.gg/Shine2017

    • Role:
      • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Co-Tournament Director
    • Reason for hire:
      • I was able to successfully help the Shine 2016 put Shine as a staple event for Smash4 with the GOAT Eduardo
    • Duties:
      • Helped with Smash4 schedule and marketing
      • Putting together a seeding committee with Zan & TLTC at the helm to help seed Singles and Doubles [again these guys are saints and really know how to properly balance an event with the recent results of players while seeding an event]
      • Helping with Smash4 over the weekend with Edurado
    • What went great:
      • Shine 2017 was one of the few events that grew for Smash4 from the previous year; 483 Entrants in 2016 to 659 Entrants in 2017
      • Event as a whole went smooth from the Crews to Doubles to Singles
      • Schedule was great as well
    • What didn’t go well:
      • only problem was the result of double jeopardy that occurred due to the way phases were setup; something the team and folks at smash.gg took in consideration as well to have better measures to ensure folks have warnings for higher chances of double jeopardy
    • What can be better:
      • Overall marketing could be better and earlier for the event
      • Earlier outreach for sponsors
      • A better production team for Smash4; it was lacking a bit compared to current standards
      • I think more thoughts on making Sunday more special

  • GameTyrant Expo 2017 https://smash.gg/GTX2017

    • Role:
      • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Tournament Director
    • Reason for hire:
      • sought out from experience with other majors
    • Duties:
      • Helped with Smash4 schedule
      • Putting together a seeding committee with Zan & TLTC at the helm to help seed Singles and Doubles [again these guys are saints and really know how to properly balance an event with the recent results of players while seeding an event]
      • Lead Smash4 over the weekend
    • What went great:
      • First time a Smash4 event was at a NBA arena for all 3 days
      • Production was nice and stadium felt like the event had more meaning that just an event with a fat prize pool
    • What didn’t go well:
      • If the event had more people it would’ve been too crowded floorplan wise that would have made the experience a lot less enjoyable
      • Overall the event’s marketing plan hit its stride to late tell folks that this is the event to be at rather than focusing on it being one of Utah’s first major events in a while along with some unique fun items to do for folks to actually visit the event
      • Salt Lake City as a whole wasn’t favorable to late night folks and if you’re not 21+ it’s worse that Las Vegas to be honest [you needed to be 21+ to eat dinner past a certain time because only bars served food after 9pm]
    • What can be better:
      • More things for folks to do aside from just a massive prize pool
      • More marketing around the people that make an event great and the fun aspect of things that can be done
      • More original content used to market the event
      • Less about you need to go to the event and more about you should come to this event along with a list of things to do during the event that’ll make it a more enjoyable experience for everyone

  • The Big House 7 https://smash.gg/TBH7

    • Role:
      • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Tournament Manager Assistant
    • Reason for hire:
      • I did a decent job with the team at TBH6 & Vayseth wanted me on board
    • Duties:
      • Helped in Smash4 schedule and marketing
      • Putting together a seeding committee with Zan & TLTC at the helm to help seed Singles and Doubles [again these guys are saints and really know how to properly balance an event with the recent results of players while seeding an event]
      • Helping with Smash4 over the weekend
    • What went great:
      • smooth event overall for Smash4
    • What didn’t go well:
      • numbers went way down in general
      • it felt like the local and regional community had no real reason to be at the event
      • the new venue was massive with a lot of empty space that could be used for other means
    • What can be better:
      • Local & regional marketing
      • More things to do & see at the event aside from just the normal event as most of the people I talked to in midwest that chose not to go say little value in TBH7
      • Overall better schedule announced early as well with Friday doubles all day + Saturday Singles + Sunday Top 8

  • DreamHack Denver 2017 https://smash.gg/DHDEN17

    • Role:
      • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Tournament Director
    • Reason for hire:
      • Jebailey
    • Duties:
      • Help in Smash4 schedule and some marketing
      • Putting together a seeding committee with Zan & TLTC at the helm to help seed Singles and Doubles [again these guys are saints and really know how to properly balance an event with the recent results of players while seeding an event]
      • Helping with Smash4 over the weekend
    • What went great:
      • My second DreamHack I’ve worked; everything went smooth
      • Having Friday be Doubles only day was great
    • What didn’t go well:
      • I feel like the DreamHack events as a whole didn’t have a great marketing program behind them and I didn’t know what the message or theme was. I kept telling folks they should care about DreamHack but a majority didn’t realize the scope & scale of esports entrenchment DH has.
    • What can be better:
      • A better marketing strategy for DreamHack Smash as a whole with earlier lead times
      • A better campaign to reach local scenes

  • TGL & PG Present: Too Hot to Handle https://smash.gg/THTH

    • Role:
      • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Tournament Director
    • Reason for hire:
      • Panda Global event
    • Duties:
      • Help in Smash4 schedule and marketing
      • Seeding Singles and Doubles along with local input
      • Helping with Smash4 over the weekend
    • What went great:
      • Pretty smooth schedule along with decent talent
    • What didn’t go well:
      • Honestly not much didn’t go well; it’s more just lack of enthusiasm among populace with 2017’s burnout
    • What can be better:
      • announced well beforehand for folks to plan to come out

In general I had a really busy year and felt like after Evo 2017 I was really satisfied with the work I was able to accomplish. In 2018 there is more I’d like to do behind the scenes & I’d love to be more involved in bringing bigger & better produced events to Las Vegas [my local scene like I attempted to do in 2014 – 2015 with the DVDA tournament series]. In 2018 I’ll likely only be working a select events that I really want to be involved with via constant communication & in person presence; these include Genesis 5, Combo Breaker 2018, CEO 2018, and Evo 2018. I’d consider a few contract events but overall my priorities in general have shifted more towards my main full-time job as Partnerships Lead at smash.gg and I have a lot of things to take care of in Q1 / Q2 2018 with moving houses. I’d love to aggregate more folks on my referral TO list as more events spring up and reach out to me for any leads, please fill that out here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScEiwVYnS0VNMmXStHUN9TggXuVvZNw4a1VCPgLFf6QFnmwYw/viewform.

Overall I saw 2017 as mixed emotions year and hope that 2018 has a better direction for many grassroots events that cater more towards the fun people can have at events and let TV ready esports production team do their high level big budget productions. The lack of developer support along with other brands with deep pockets is a damper overall to be honest. There are so many instances that more liquidity could’ve solve the many problem and blockers I face when folks have higher and higher expectations of what an event in person & online/stream should look like. If there was developer support for Smash4 & the next iteration, events would have to adhere to more rules yes but that opens the doors to many opportunities for better production, better treatment of commentary & staff, better benefits for volunteers who put in the hard work at events, and the possibilities of new initiatives like an actual analyst desk with correct production equipment and talent.

A few criticism points for myself especially:

  • I need to do less overall in 2018 to commit myself to contract projects so I can give proper attention to the ones I have full heart into with talking to Event Organizers with proper marketing campaigns that works for each communities they’re targeting.
  • I need to learn to let go of past mishaps and take them as learning lessons for myself and teach them to others so that they don’t make the same mistake as well.
  • I need to make sure an Event Organizer’s expectations is realistic and let them
  • I need to not promise anything that can’t be delivered.
  • I need to enjoy the events I commit myself to, which the ones I plan to work with again I am really looking forward to rocking it with the team.

Best wishes to everyone for 2018.

Love y’all.

✊🐻❤️️

Past Esports Events Worked as Core Staff

Past Events

2016

January
Event: Genesis 3
Location: San Jose, CA
Date: January 15-17, 2016
Information: smash.gg/g3

drawing-a-crowd

May
Event: LVL UP EXPO 2016
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: May 14-15, 2016
Information: http://lvlupexpo.com

LVLUPEXPO_BearUNLV

Event: Combo Breaker 2016
Location: St. Charles, Illinois [Chicago, Illinois]
Date: May 27-29, 2016
Information: http://combobreaker.org IMG_20160423_225743

June
Event: CEO 2016 [Community Effort Orlando]
Location: Orlando, Florida
Date: June 24-26, 2016
Information: https://ceogaming.org/ceo2016

BearUNLV_CEO2016

July
Event: EVO 2016 [Evolution Championship Series]
Location:  Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: July 15-17, 2016
Information: http://evo.shoryuken.com

EVO_BearUNLV

August
Event: Shine 2016
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Date: August 26-28, 2016
Information: https://smash.gg/shine Bear

October
Event: The Big House 6
Location: Dearborn, MI
Date: October 7th-9th, 2016
Information: smash.gg/TBH6

TBH6 Smash 4 TOs
The Big House 6 Smash 4 Wii U T.O. Team

The Big House 6 Moments Video
A collection of memories and highlights from The Big House 6, an international Super Smash Bros. tournament held on Oct 7-9, 2016 in Dearborn, Michigan.
Video produced by Symeon Platts http://symeonplatts.com/
Event organized by Robin Harn http://www.umsmash.com/

November
Event: #SmashTheRecord 2016 – Super Smash Bros. & Speedrunning Charity Marathon
Location: Orlando, FL
Date: November 11th-13th, 2016
Information: smash.gg/str2016
STR2016_TOpic

December
Event: UGC Smash Open
Location: Collinsville, IL [St. Louis, MO]
Date: December 2 to 4, 2016
Information: smash.gg/ugc

2017

January
Event: Genesis 4
Location: San Jose, CA
Date: January 20th-22nd, 2017
Information: smash.gg/4

FINAL ROUND 20
Atlanta, GA
March 10th-12th 2017
https://smash.gg/FR20
https://twitter.com/BearUNLV/status/840354469275656192

Frame Perfect Series 2
Orlando, Florida
March 18th-19th 2017
http://smash.gg/FPS2

CEO: Dreamland 

beep boop

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My love letter/thank you to everyone for Smash 4 Wii U @ The Big House 6 #TBH6

bassem-bear-dahdouh-bearunlv-smashgg-the-big-house-6

I know I am 2 weeks late but I forgot to publish my love letter to y’all.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who worked with me at The Big House 6 for Smash 4 Wii U. I appreciate any event I am able to work for, but being this as my first Big House and working it as one of the Smash 4 Wii U TOs was absolutely humbling and I really appreciate Robin “Juggleguy” Harn and Alex “Vayseth” Varga for bringing me on from Las Vegas to do all I can to assist the marvelous TOs of the Midwest. I loved working with the core Pulse Gaming TO squad; Vayseth, Ori and TheAgedOne were all wonderful to work with and it was great to see them again. Y’all were phenomenal and everyone from the volunteers to the main staff did a great job. Also Jaaahsh was one of the best Volunteer Coordinators I’ve ever worked with for Smash 4 Wii U. Without Jaaahsh being able to juggle and be lead on volunteers, it wouldn’t have gone so smoothly with Pool Captains being informed and on time.

I really appreciate everyone who took time out of their busy October to come out to the event for The Big House 6. This was one of the most jam packed skill talent for a Smash Bros major since Genesis 3, CEO 2016, and Evo 2016. The Big House 6 was a wonderful event and had great sets to see and amazing people to meet. I do appreciate y’all for watching at home.

I do want to take a moment to say thank you to all the volunteers at The Big House 6. Without you guys who volunteer your time to help with check in, be a Pool Captain, and just offer help, many major events wouldn’t be as successful. Massive kudos to all of you who helped volunteer and I the perks we gave helped make it worth it. But you all who volunteered were lowkey MVPs who I really appreciate your time and effort.

The stream team at Unrivaled Tournaments did a great job with the production. Sage, Blind, Xyless, and many others who helped like Grace and many more people who assisted with the stage production. Nigthwing did a great job with reporting off stream upsets to the stream and aiding the stream team as much as possible. Austy provided some sweet Austy Stats and helped the stream whenever he could while also being a great asset in the periscope front to provide viewers at home some off stream matches to watch. Gooshi from GooshiGaming  did a great job with running the recording stream. I really appreciate that he was there to record many of matches that didn’t have time to be on stream, and it was great he was able to upload the match immediately after the sets. I really appreciate the #PGstats team who provided many vital info for commentators and the public. The integration was great with the stream and I really appreciated the seeding committee’s help with ensuring TBH6 Smash 4 was as smooth as possible; Dom + Juddy + suar + Zan did a phenomenal job and the #PGstats team are great assets to any event in Smash 4.

There’s so many more I may have forgotten to say thank you, but honestly anyone who was an integral part of The Big House 6; thank you. I’m looking forward to seeing y’all again soon enough.

All the best,

Bassem “Bear” Dahdouh

Allowed Controllers at Genesis 4 for Smash 4 Wii U

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Championship Sunday Theater

Hello everyone!

I haven’t updated this in a while but before I do my thank you post for The Big House 6 & a full ruleset release for Genesis 4, I figured I’d make sure to list out the controllers allowed for Genesis 4 for Smash 4 Wii U as I have had many ask.

I listed them out in a series of tweets, which I will list below:

I hope this is accommodating to everyone who wishes to compete in Smash 4 Wii U. Very similar to how I did things at CEO 2016 and Shine 2016, the ruling will essentially be written out as:

  • Allowed Controllers:
    • GameCube Controller
    • Wii U Pro Controller [wired method with battery removed and bring your own USB cable (model WUP-018) to plug into Wii U to play]
      • How to play a Wii U Pro Controller with the wired method [source: http://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1732/~/how-to-remove-or-replace-the-battery-in-a-wii-u-pro-controller]

        • Notes:

          • Turn the Wii U console power off and disconnect the USB cable if it is connected to the controller.
          • Use a crosshead style, size #00 screwdriver to avoid damage to the screw or threads.
          • Do not use any battery other than the Wii U Pro Controller rechargeable battery, model No. CTR-003.

          What to Do:

          1. Loosen the screw and remove the battery cover.
            • The battery cover is designed so the screw can be loosened, but not fully removed.

          2. Remove the battery by inserting the stylus from the Wii U GamePad under the battery and gently lifting the edge.
          3. After 10 seconds, insert the new battery from the right.
          4. Replace the battery cover and tighten the screw, being careful not to over tighten it.

    • Wii Motes & Nunchuck [batteries must be removed immediately upon completion of set]
    • 2DS/3DS [must be responsible of having a fully charged DS along with your own working charger]

Hope to see many of you at Genesis 4! We are less than 100 days away! Register today at smash.gg/4!

A Native

This is a piece of poetry from my wife. It really resonated with me.

💜🐻💜

ECW Poetry

This place, this now, you can see it

you can see what it is too, beside

the quiet border you trace around it

this is a home town too, among other things

among everything else. I was born here,

in this empty lot, that was a hospital

in a room with one rectangular window

packed with people I would never see again,

including my mother. Cities are cruel that way

but not all together so, there is a mother here

in the rubble and the dust, and as far

as I ever got I came back to it,

I learned to love it

to love myself in it.

The west was won in a saloon

over a poker hand

and a screaming slot machine.

This place remembers even the drinks that were spilled

the out turned pockets, and moment before

the wheel stopped turning and any number

was a winner…

View original post 72 more words

Thank you everyone for Smash 4 Wii U @ #CEO2016

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I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who came out to the event and thank you to everyone for tuning into #CEO2016. This was probably one of the most stacked tournaments since Genesis 3, and I certainly most delivered a magnificent show. There was a few things I will most definitely recommend as improvements for next year to Jebailey, but overall the tournament was the most exciting I’ve seen in the short history of Smash 4.

I do want to take a moment to say thank you to all the volunteers at #CEO2016 who put in work for brackets on Day 1 Friday. There was so many pools to cover and some overlap between Doubles & Singles, and I’d much prefer having them separate days at any future events I’m involved with. I really appreciated everyone’s patience at the venue with the heat & lack of wireless network.

Really appreciated the patience y’all had with MKXL’s Top 8 as they had a delayed start time as a. It was great to meet and I had the pleasure to be your Smash 4 Wii U TO for the weekend. I hope to improve any way I can for any future events I may be your TO for.

Greatly appreciate every single volunteer at #CEO2016 for giving your time to help make this a success. Without you, we couldn’t have done it and I hope Top 8 Sunday in the ring was a great reward of itself.

Thank you to Jebailey for believing in me & giving me the responsibility of Smash 4 Wii U. I’m very humbled to have accomplished this and looking forward to seeing y’all soon enough better improved as well at #EVO2016.

Safe journeys back home everyone,

Bassem “Bear” Dahdouh

Welcome to Bear’s Cave of Wonders!

Greetings! My name is Bassem [Bear] Dahdouh! 

For those wondering how to contact me for business inquiries, feel free to contact via

Here’s my bio:

Bassem [Bear] Dahdouh has been involved in competitive gaming for nearly his entire life, starting at the grassroots level at an early age in the Middle East where he learned about fighting games at the arcade and helped organize tournaments for his friends. Today, with a passion for video games as strong as ever, Bear is the Esports Manager at Esports Arena Las Vegas where he oversees programming at the first dedicated esports venue on the Las Vegas Strip and the flagship location of Allied Esports’ global network of properties.

Over the last five-plus years, Bear has been at the forefront of the competitive esports events industry, organizing everything from local 20-person tournaments in Las Vegas to the world-renowned Evolution Championship Series (Evo), where he served as Tournament Director, featuring a pool of more than 10,000 competitors.

Bear gained invaluable experience across a variety of games and genres, including Fortnite, PUBG, Hearthstone, League of Legends and Overwatch, while working for the esports platform smash.gg. He has also made a name for himself in the fighting game community as Tournament Director for Genesis (largest Super Smash Bros. winter major), CEO (Community Effort Orlando), COMBO BREAKER, DreamHack, GameTyrant, and a number of other regional and national esports events.

Bear’s Building Blocks: Staying Healthy as a Traveling Esports Athlete

BearUNLV Workout Building Blocks

Bear’s Building Blocks: Staying Healthy as a Traveling Esports Athlete

Disclaimer: Always consult a medical professional before starting a new diet & exercise regime.

I used to be a personal trainer in Saudi Arabia, but this is a modified version of my workout regime so that any traveling esports professional can stay healthy.

General Tips:
+ Drink plenty of water; you should be drinking a cup at every meal and every few hours. Sip throughout the day. You don’t need to be that guy/gal with a gallon; just ensure you’re always hydrated.

+ Take the stairs instead of using an elevator or escalator. Always remember that the little movements you do and don’t do will determine how your body performs.

+ When you wake up, fully stretch your body and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat a few times to get your blood flowing. Try a yoga sequence of Mountain to Downward Dog to Plank to Cobra to Mountain; repeat that for 10 minutes, go slow and exaggerate your stretches to maximize blood flow & workout.

+ Never go longer than 3 hours without eating something; meal or a snack. The more frequent you eat; the more engaged and activated your metabolism kicks in.

+ Track your pedometer on your phone; go for walking more than 10,000 steps a day. Try to go out of your way to walk while maybe say texting or tweeting; you’ll be surprised on how much you walk of you safely tweet (like in your house or around a room; basically pacing back & forth)

Food:
At home
+ Your main focus should be the following:
Protein > Fats > Carbs; your main goal is to ensure you are eating plenty of dense protein items, healthy fats, and complex carbs

+ Groceries List:
Eggs, skim milk, Greek yogurt, whole grains, veggies, fruits, nuts, chicken breast, turkey meat (low sodium), dark green leafy veggies, protein bars (20 grams of protein minimum; make sure they are about 200 to 300 calories each! no more than that!)

Recommended Protein Bars: Quest Nutrition http://amzn.to/25Teu6T

Daily Food Routine

1st meal aka breakfast
eggs, whole grains, fruit; do not skip this meal!
Think: hearty carbs and protein

2nd meal aka snack #1
Choice of:
Greek Yogurt or handful of nuts (about a cup) like walnuts, almonds, or a nut mix (make sure they are dry roasted) or a protein bar
Think: I don’t want to starve this morning and I want a healthy snack.

3rd meal aka lunch
veggies, chicken, whole grains, and fruit.
Think: protein packed whole grain sandwich; skip the dressing!

4th meal aka Snack #2
Choice of:
Greek Yogurt or handful of nuts (about a cup) like walnuts, almonds, or a nut mix (make sure they are dry roasted) or a protein bar
Think: I don’t want to starve this afternoon but I want a healthy snack.

5th meal aka Dinner
Go for dark leafy greens and other vegetables, lean meats or fish
Think: Steamed meat + vegetables

6th meal aka Snack #3
Choice of:
Greek Yogurt or handful of nuts (about a cup) like walnuts, almonds, or a nut mix (make sure they are dry roasted) or a protein bar
Think: I don’t want to starve the night but I want a healthy snack.
Workouts:
If you don’t have a gym or time to go to one, here is what I recommend at home:

20- Minute Circuit (2 or 3 times a week)
Make sure you do this as a circuit, and you should rest a few minutes between each. After each circuit, rest 2 minutes then you should repeat it 4 times.

EXERCISE REPS
Bodyweight Squat 30
Incline Push-Up* 20
Burpees 20
Walking Lunge 20 total (10 per leg)
Standard Push-Up 20
Crunch & Leg Lifts 25 each (50 total)

*Feet up on a chair or couch.

You ideally want to combine this with a gym somehow where you can workout your 3 core movements: push, pulls, and legs

Meaning all you need to do when you go to the gym is alternate each day of Push (any machine where you push away from your body), Pull (any machine where you pull weight towards your body), and Legs (any machine that focuses on legs).

As for what machines and reps? I’ll list them below:

Push:
Bench Press 4 sets of 15 reps
Shoulder Press 4 sets of 15 reps
Dips 4 sets of 10 reps
Push-ups 3 sets of 20+ reps (to exhaustion)

Pull:
Lateral Pulldown (wide) 4 sets of 15 reps
Seated Row 4 sets of 15 reps
Lateral Pulldown (narrow) 4 sets of 15 reps
Pullup 3 sets of 10+ reps (to exhaustion)

Legs:
Leg Press 4 sets of 15 reps
Seated Leg Push 4 sets of 15 reps
Wall Sit 4 sets of 1 minute
Burpees 3 sets of 20+ (to exhaustion)

This may not be the most full proof plan for staying healthy but it’s important to just have a healthy mindset & ensure you strive to find whatever works for you.

Thank you for reading and lots of love & luck from Vegas.

Best,

Bear