Dusty B
ILLIEN
Battle Points: 38
I think ultimately comes down to what's desired - competition or learning.I also because if we were getting people pick their own samples, be hard to police who stuck by the rules.
I'm always down for the one sample theme tho... you'll likely get a lot of people sit that one out, and also, voting can be painful
Of course any battle will support both. Non theme battles are cool because it gives people a chance to submit what they think is a best that can win, but it also can hinder creativity because it influences folks to battle with beats that they think will get votes (that creates some confirmation bias). But of course these battles tend to get the most engagement because it's "easier" to compete because you can pick a beat from your portfolio.
Theme battles are cool because it forces everyone to create something new, fostering creativity by forcing a group to use the tools they have (creative constraints idea), but it seems there is usually less engagement, probably because forcing yourself to be creative in the moment is easier said than done. Theme battles may work better if there is a "commitment," maybe instead of a sign up/deadline like other battles, maybe theme battles would work better if there is a sign up followed by the deadline and theme. Obviously folks can bail but I wonder if getting say 5 or 10 people to sign up, followed by the rules and a deadline (like it's Master Chef or something) instead of an open sign up could work better to ensure there is commitment/engagement with them battles.