Judging in PS - proposal

In my previous post I considered how PS can be judged in a competitive setting. Is there a more definitive way of considering PS that divides its elements in a more logical fashion?

In my post on approaching technical PS, I mentioned that spinning can be considered at various depths - on a basic level as core parameters and superficially as what tricks were done, with increasing depth of consideration as to how links complement each other to create effect, and how the ideas shown in the combo relate to other existing combos, and so on. What happens if we try this approach for the 3 ‘main’ concrete criteria - execution, difficulty, and originality? 

The first idea I had was a direct application of this to the combo itself - i.e. considering on ‘micro’ scale i.e. trick technique/separate trick and link scale, and ‘macro’ scale i.e. what each link contributes to the combo, and how the combo contributes to the other combos that spinner made, the other combos in that tournament, and all existing combos. Personally, I found this way of considering PS to be extremely useful in evolving my spinning from 2016 to 2021 when I was training seriously, and allowed me to join the dots of the abstract vision in my head to create actual combos that progressed along the path I dreamt of. The problem with this combo-based depth division for practical judging is that it obscures some basic things like ‘is the overall hardness of the combo micro or macro?’ 

The solution to this problem is to use the depth consideration on the 3 ‘main’ criteria themselves, rather than on the links in the combo. What do we end up with then?

Execution-related

Superficial: Technique perfection - whether the tricks are performed properly (in regards to the mod’s rotations, its position to the fingers, whether the accelerations and decelerations are performed well). Of course, technique level is a lot more nuanced than this: think of Hash, Noel, Dary as aesthetic-based examples; or specific ways of performing hard tricks like doing PD fl around rev with minimal hand movement, pen spinning parallel to the ground as a technical-based example. To accommodate higher level technique, higher scores can be given for exceptional mastery in this subcriteria.

Deep: Effect - how visual elements come together to create the overall impressions of the combo. Note visual elements are not necessarily what one finds subjectively appealing (or even about whether the technique in performance is better). For example, Nine's WC22 R2 and Saltient's WT21 R4 have distinct impactful use of visual elements while not necessarily having the most perfect technique. Depending on the event, less intuitive evolution of effects like Dary or Noel's JEB Spinfest 2019 that require more specific thought to implement may be considered over more intuitive evolution of effects that require less specific experimentation.

Difficulty-related

Superficial: Hardness - how hard the breakdown is. Consider the mechanics shown and the precision required (whether it be margins of error over rotation speed, position of the mod etc) or specific movements in tight timeframes (links that require control over ¼ rotations like moonwalk inverse side sonic with minimal change in palm orientation, or the fast hold-release transitions in palm down 1p2h twirl fall). Since this subcriteria only considers how hard the breakdown is, it does not penalise a combo made of filler - short hard sequence compared to a combo with same overall hardness but even distribution.

Deep: Density - how the various mechanics interact with each other and their arrangement throughout the entire combo. Are there any filler moments where the chain of rising difficulty is broken? The range of skill sets mastered and whether there are different interactions beyond those required in learning the separate tricks are also considered (e.g. pinky bust cardioid - seasick - curled pinky bak 1.5 in my WT21 R3 requires learning different mechanics beyond the separate tricks). I considered renaming this subcriteria due to the confusion and arguments ‘density’ created in the past, but regardless of what name is chosen, it still makes sense to consider the deeper elements of difficulty like this.

Originality-related

Superficial: Novelty - whether the material, or similar material, has been done before and how often it was done before. While this has a risk of judges forgetting old videos, and has theoretical risks of encouraging people to hide material, delete old content, or send subpar collab submissions etc, as the most basic way of considering originality it makes sense. The considerations in releasing material are something people of many artforms and professions deal with on a daily basis.

Deep: Conception - whether there are deeper overarching abstract ideas explored or conveyed. This is potentially the most nebulous criteria, because it deals with perceived intent, which can vary depending on the audience, the competitor’s posted explanations, previous combos. In theory, it’s possible a very experienced judge may see a deeper significance behind the combo that the competitor missed. While very few spinners or combos step into this territory (as such, the majority of submissions will score quite low in this area), the works that reach it can create new paths or new ways of considering PS - e.g. OhYeah's WPSAL 2017 1p2h for 1p2h interactions, or Saltient's WT21 combos for visual structures and alien impressions, or RPD's PSO20 multipen for creating 1p1h-like flow with 2p1h mechanics.

Some of the combos I put most work into - my WT21 R5 for exploiting the properties of power and timing-based difficulty, my WT19 R5 as a condensation of complex mechanics aimed to step into this territory. Another combo of mine that touches on conception, albeit at shallower depth, is my 2p2h combo in tag with Supawit which explored a new form of transfers. Initially, I only saw these transfers as cool visual effects rather than as a generalisable solution for ‘how do I make transfer of each pen to different hand without mods leaving contact of the hand’.

Presentation will remain as before i.e. depending on how detrimental the presentation is to understanding what’s going on in the video, up to -2 points. Of course, choice of background colour, lighting, mod colour, filming angle play a huge role in the final effects and impressions - worth far more than 0-2 points. A larger variety of material requires an appropriate choice of an ever increasing range of setups. It is worth considering whether the detrimental aspects of presentation can be the ‘superficial’ consideration, with the ‘deep’ consideration being how setup relates to choice and performance of the material. The problem with putting more weight into presentation is that out of all the subcriteria, it is likely the most prone to excusable arbitrary exploitation.

If you have read up to here, then I’m very grateful. While it’s unlikely you will agree with everything said here (it would be strange if you did), I hope my thoughts will leave an impression on you and provoke some thinking of your own.

To finish off, I'll give what is probably my favourite quote - a reply by ZUN (the creator of the Touhou project series, who is self-taught in both music composition and computer programming) when asked what made Super Mario Brothers and Street Fighter 2 notable when they released:

“Those games were revolutionary because they had things like different systems from games before them, creating new atmospheres within themselves. Later, people would say stuff like "that game engine was revolutionary" or "the characters had a lot of appeal", but at the time, no one really thought about the individual aspects because they were too busy playing. Games don't become hits because of those kinds of reasons. The systems in those games weren't just the pinnacle of all the games made up to that point, there was also a decisive difference. If I had to put it into words, I would say they "created a new world". Though it's a little different from the usual meaning, let's just go with that.” - ZUN.

Will your spinning create a new world? It's up to you.