Feb 7, 2014
Some of you guys know this, some of you don't , or don't care. But I'm pretty seasoned in competitive fighting games. A lot of the influence in both life and designs come from my experiences growing up in the fighting game community.
I wasn't really aware how long I'd been playing and going to events until an interview and some old match reviews fairly recently,and it kind of threw me to think that I've been at this stuff for close to two decades! Ha, I'm getting old!
At any rate, I don't talk to much about games too often on here as the designs and a majority of our social media bleeds all of that stuff out daily.But, for a moment, I'd like to.
You see, the reason I originally started any of this came from a place involving a lot of hardship that was spawned but also nurtured from games. I can't really recall a portion of my life without games.I think we had a Nintendo since before I was born,and the first game I was really in love with was Duck Hunt.
I didn't actually enjoy Duck Hunt.I liked that you could control the ducks with the second player controller.I had a cousin that considered himself very good at the game and he got on my nerves (even though I really liked him).Everybody that tried to play games when I did kind of bothered me for some reason.I wasn't really familiar with the idea of competition, but there was something satisfying about moving the ducks in the opposite direction I thought they would shoot.
The dog that laughed at you (not really "you", but in my mind, that's what it was at the time) when you couldn't hit any ducks always made me crack up.I considered him a close friend and would do whatever I could to make sure he could come out and laugh at every and anybody that had the audicity to pick up a Zapper and shoot seemingly innocent ducks for entertainment.It was really epic when you think about it.I was a passive animals rights activist and didn't even know it! Ha!
Anyways, no one believed me when I said you could move the ducks,and they didn't for years to come, so basically me and that dog in the bushes had quite a few laughs together until anyone caught on. No one could outmanuever my masterful duck escorting (okay, that sounds weird if you read it aloud, but I'm going to leave it because it's that awkward,and it may never be typed again... ). I was unstoppable.
Fast forward to Super Mario Bros. 2, that was probably the first game I can recall identifying with.You could pick whoever you wanted (all 4 options at the time was overwhelming for a toddler),and for a while I would fluctuate tastes and pick whoever,that is until I found her.That's right, the one,the only, well, not "only", but the most awesome one out of them: Princess.
The cool thing about Princess was if you held down a button, she could "fly" or hover over a bunch of crap super gracefully.She was like Marilyn Monroe singing and dancing over a manhole cover-grate-thingey ,but she was grimey enough to still pick up vegetables out of the ground and throw them at strangers.That's my kind of girl.I was in love.
Every day...I mean EVERY SINGLE DAY, I would tell people the wonders and mysteries of this strange woman who somehow knew how to float over cliffs,deserts,and glaciers while grasping locally sourced foliage that she released at will on unsuspecting neighbors.And if you chased said projectiles, you then had a chance to see the gore en masse if jettisoned with proper care.
This is probably what kids felt like hawking lugees (sp?) from roofs and skyscrapers.But, the cool thing about this was you couldn't get in trouble for it.I went to Catholic School for Christ's sake! We couldn't even wear low socks until like high school or something, so outside of a really boss lunch pail, there wasn't much room to be troublesome,give or take repeating a joke from The Simpsons or Cool World (don't ask) ,there just wasn't an opportunity for creativity.You had to work hard to do messed up stuff,so Princess and I were friends for a longggggg time.We still are.Don't make it weird.
Super Mario Bros. aside, I always played a crapload of games.My mom was always super supportive of anything indoors that kept me out of trouble.Grandma too.So, I had just about any game you could think of if my grades were up and it wasn't a sports game (never really knew anything about sports until really late in life and having a bunch of gambler friends, I can read you a spread or Gold Sheet, but anything else I'll have to Google, sorry!We can still drink beer and eat hotwings though, just tell me when to clap!).I probably had it or knew more than the average person about it.
In hindsight, I actually never enjoyed games the way I believe the average person does.I always stared at the artwork and thought about the way certain elements married overall.I was never familiar with game design, but I always looked at an experience I considered unique or memorable and wondered how the rest of the world responded to it.The interest lied in originality,conception,practicality,and execution.
When I read GamePro, I would always love hearing insights about the editors,writers, and designers.It was cool to see the influences of the guy that made the cover or even the kind of hopes they had for the fans playing their game.I just really enjoyed that.Still do.But rarely have I been into anything "just as a player". It's boring. I'd rather watch you play.Seriously.We've all got our issues I guess.
So how did I get into Street Fighter? Well, that's it's own story.But I'll give you the fast version.
Every summer I would visit Texas.My grandma owned a boutique down there..and I had to spend a ton of time there.The saving grace? It was by an arcade.Almost every day after waiting patiently and telling customers what I thought about their outfit and color choices (sound familiar to anyone?).I was rewarded with a trip to Tilt in Northcross Mall for 2-3 hours to decompress.That sounds pretty first world now, but back then it seemed right.I had to get paid somehow right?!?
My grandma is quite the talent when it comes to slot machines and just about any gambling game, so she took to video poker to collect tickets for my designated "summer prize". You see, my grandma doesn't think small, she's about consistency and reward over the long term, so you couldn't walk out with the average stuff like bubblegum,frisbees,or miscellaneous trinkets, you had to get something good! That made sense to me, but I couldn't stand the ticket games, there was no real "design" in video poker or skee ball, so I couldn't pay attention to it for more than 4 seconds without being enamored with something else. Now here's where we get to Street Fighter.
The funny thing about the Street Fighter we had is that the first summer it had these super huge buttons you had to "punch" to play.My grandma wasn't much for violence,so I wasn't really allowed to play it.It actually wasn't super popular and not a lot of people played it, but it didn't really make much sense to my mind,so I was kind of into it.Weird right?
I've always had an uncanny obsession with things that don't make sense or just aren't really "right" in my head. So,despite playing everything and doing the usual assessments, this weird broken game always had a bit of my attention.Not all, but some.What caught me is kind of an oversight now, but also a bit funny.The game "changed".
I came back a summer later to what I thought was the same game,but something was different.The controls were changed,there was a girl,and most importanly : people were playing it.That made the draw that much stronger.A weird game that I didn't understand in the first place,made some trivial changes and all of a sudden it was the belle of the ball. To me that was crazy.What could they have done?
I stared at the game for the larger part of the summer trying to figure out the difference in layout,how people were making "things happen" and trying to throw a fireball.I could NOT THROW A FIREBALL.I know you guys can't see my face right now, but I'm still mad about that one.It took years...but enough about my personal issues, I'll share those with a therapist or a taco truck,back to the story.
So, random random randommmmmmmmmmmmm thing is this arcade I went to had a strange air about it.The game was great, but the people there were the greatest entertainment I've ever had without tacos,cupcakes,caffeine, or a leg injury involved (once again: don't ask).They all took on the persona of their character.
There was this tall buff red-head dude, he looked like the radioactive dude from Captain Planet (I forget his name, but I think it was actually Duke Nukem liike the video game character I wanna say..) ,but he wore this wonky tank top and stonewashed daisy duke lookin' shorts.He smoked Malboro Reds and his hair was the same color as the red pack that peered out from his questionable trousers.He only played Blanka.He literally would bite his teeth down when Blanka bit someone.It was wild.
There were a ton of Ryu and Ken players, but there was one who stood out from all of the others.He was doing these moves that would knock Blanka guy in the sky if he tried to bite him.Blanka guy ALWAYS got hit by them.He would cringe when this gentleman walked into the arcade.I don't know how many cigarette breaks Blanka guy went on, but I'm pretty sure he would have smoked 3 packs less a day if this guy didn't exist.But this guy wasn't the best,the best was the "Ghoulie player".
Oh,that's right, I didn't mention this part, but I read all the names wrong.I was a spelling bee champ,but phoenetics were not my strong suit at this point in my life.So it was "Chun-Lie , Blank-uh, Ry-OOh (you guys know you still do that one),and I don't even remember how I said Dhalsim's name, but I'm sure that was wrong too.You couldn't have told me otherwise then, though, I was too focused on trying to throw a fireball before I grew out of my biker shorts (think Sha-nay-nay and Terrio,but with a flattop,less teeth, and an 8th grade reading level,give or take a name pronunciation of course...and you got a pretty good picture).I was stuck in the game.
I tell you all this for a reason.It's obvious I've always been around games.But I don't think before playing competitively was I ever enamored with an outcome.Sure,it was cool to finally throw that fireball and air throw everyone with Chun-Li (I said it right around SNES release time).But I really didn't give a darn about anything in the gameplay.I was really good enough and honestly , it didn't really matter. The instruction manual and box were more important to me than your cruddy booms and 2-hit jumping roundhouse into sweep combo.
Now that I've bored you with a telling of my life from inception to pre-pubescence, I can finally tell you how I got into tournaments.Dancing on plexiglass of course.
You guys are familiar with Dance Dance Revolution right?Lights,arrows,hitting said arrows in time to the beat,worldwide phenomenon,yadda yadda...well, I played that.My childhood friend and I would save our lunch money and borrow his dad's car to hit the arcade and eat Wendy's after school.
Nothing out of the ordinary for 15 year olds, outside of the no license thingey of course.But, hey, you gotta live somehow right? Those high socks and crewneck sweaters wear you down after so many years!! Back to the story though... we played there and thought we knew everything about games.
Street Fighter was hard because the computer had good reactions, but if you just threw fireballs (yes, I could finally throw fireballs, it was a half circle forward, duhhhhhhhh) and blocked everything, you'd probably win. It was all up to luck after that, in Marvel Vs Capcom ,it was about the same, just you jumped higher, and you threw more of them.But you would probably win if you blocked, nothing special, all in a days work for our then hero selves.We had the world in our hands.Or so we thought.
Enter Mike.Mike was 5'6 and all of 110 pounds.He was a darker fellow, but he accented his features with contrasting accessories, namely pink bows, Hello-Kitty watches,and a really cute purse he put his gum in.That was interesting and all, but remember, I grew up in a boutique,so unless his stuff wasn't matching or he was using the wrong eyeshadow for his skin tone, the majority of his choices didn't resonate much,what did however was his gameplay.
Mike used all of the characters, but he had a really good Benimaru.This was around the time Capcom Vs Snk 1 was out and he for lack of better wording, "mopped me and Matt up".Not only did this man have an above average mastery of wardrobe pairings and the color wheel, he also knew how to do all of the "cool kid combos" as I called them (still do), that was worth my attention. Where did he learn all of this from ?
A few weeks later after many a quarter sacrifice we talked to Mike.The thing about it that's really funny to me is that all of this is interesting, but my motives were very practical at the time.You see, I didn't particularly feel a need to talk to Mike, not to gain knowledge at least.A lot of it was a bit of survival instinct.I'll explain this in a way that makes me sound less shallow or gluttonous, actually, there's no way to do that,so I'll just tell you guys: Mike was biting into my Wendy's money.
The first time I couldn't get a Frostee to dip my fries into, I knew that couldn't happen again.So, I started listening to everything this man said intently for the sake of maximizing my food intake.I liked peanut butter sandwiches from home as much as the next man, but something about that being your 'only' choice after a hard workout on the plexiglass an then losing while heading out to get a lesser value meal? Ya'll know I couldn't take that.
So, after that we played a ton.Mike would come over, talk about these mysterious players at another arcade,and then we would go get Wendy's , the good kind with the Frostee to dip my fries into.That was the life, new revelations, learning something I didn't know and was interested in, plus food? Unblockable.Haha, once again, back to the rant though.
So, after Mike, there was the Folsom Gameroom.I had went to an event there and run into all these people that knew a ton about games.They were a bit closed off, but to be honest, it didn't matter.Weird people have always been easier to get along with, they're usually more direct and a bit more literal, so you don't have to guess their intent or act a certain way, that's really good if you're awkward and don't know how to read people well (which I didn't ).
We would play there a ton, people ended up coming to the house often, we'd just learn a bunch of stuff and keep going at it until my Mom told me to wrap it up.That was cool, she didn't really ever say anything,but she probably knew it meant something to me as she really let us play super late into the night and would go to work without much rest the next day....(she actually did that for years, so remind me to get her something awesome for Mother's Day you guys).
Somewhere into playing I started to get really good at games.The more linear games I was always pretty good at.Capcom vs SNK 2, Virtua Fighter, anything like that was really boring, I played them to keep my friends entertained, but I didn't really enjoy them.Nothing to look at or think about,at least not then, keep in mind what I told you guys about my adolescent self, now refine and mature that, no good box art , no great character art,no care. I would rather stare at that than play usually, but then who would talk to me? So, I kept playing, usually did pretty well in tournaments too, but the game that had my attention really was Marvel vs Capcom 2.Let me explain.
The funny thing about Marvel vs Capcom 2 is that it doesn't make a lot of sense.You've got a random space pirate, these characters from different universes,and these poorly meshed 3d/2d stages all with a jazz soundtrack just to make it that much more random.
I didn't know a lot of the characters, my execution and grasp on the game was god-awful, and I couldn't figure out who I wanted to play...except Ken.But that's another issue for another day still...(I wish I knew how to quit youuuuu!!). This sounds like a losing combination,and if you look at it from a competitive standpoint , there's no doubt it was, but remember what I said about art? The art was killer.I was there.
I grinded to be decent in Marvel.That was where the big boys played and it was my first game in a sense.I had to learn everything.Interactions,assists, magic series (that's harder than getting into law school if you have my hands), it was probably one of the larger undertakings in my teenage life.
I struggled to be anything in the game,and when it all came to fruition and started yielding results, I couldn't make a friend in the world.You see, I never understood the concept of maintenance based interactions, what I mean by that is, sometimes people may talk to you out of necessity, this is probably most native to school and work settings, but it can also be prevalent anywhere natural and frequent interactions occur, like an arcade.
I spoke a lot.I cracked jokes, they weren't all funny, but I geniuniely tried to make friends.The magic of being so entanlged in simultaneous interactions is that you overlook many of the ones relative to your own existence, like being liked.I was cool, but outside of the people I came with, no one really liked me.
Now this was around the time Seattle was blowing up in Marvel.They had really good teams and weird outlooks on stuff that people would come home and tell me about .There was this guy that literally didn't do anything and would win, then there was another one who did too much and would win, then there was ANOTHER ONE who was better than both of those guys, but only if it was at his house and no one was there. It was too much data to comprehend and an exciting observation prospect that couldn't be overlooked , I had to go to Seattle.
Push a few weeks forward, everyone is in talks of going to Seattle, myself included.We didn't live in an era where footage was readily available, so you had to imagine what these people looked like, what their hidden techniques looks like when implemented (sounds like Naruto or some old Asian-movie,but it's really true), and I was R-E-A-D-Y.Ready (notice I spelled it out, told you I was a champ,haha!).
Nobody really had the heart to tell me they couldn't stand to be with an awkward preteen yapping in a car for 12 hours,so they just kind of didn't say anything at all. I remember thinking someone would come late to pick me up, or that it was a joke, but it wasn't they just went and "did the damn thing" without me.You can imagine what this was like for me, if you think I get bummed over stickers or vendors that don't answer their emails/events we get kicked out of....times that by infinity.Passion hurts. Remember that line.
Anyways, it didn't work out. I made a joke out of it when anyone did something cool I didn't really grasp completely or had to imagine instead of see in practice ...I would say, "WE LEARNED IT" and smile.I think everyone knew the joke, but it was so awkward and well timed, you couldn't help but laugh.Oh, and I called myself "Lar-dolfo" after this player they had, it was a mess.
I think about 2-3 months later, this event called EVO was coming up.Normally it was held at the arcade I frequented, people came from near and far to play, the Taco Bell had a really long line and Burger King was kind lower in quality during those weekends too, nothing memorable outside of that, just lots of ill-fitting polyester shirts and white tennis shoes trampling a generic carpet for two days. But this one was in Pomona, it was "different" they said, and it was, but not in the way I expected.
The thing about EVO is it really wasn't the over the top event you see today.It was held in large venues with a ton of arcade cabinets,but really, it was just a really long arcade room, almost like the auctions you went to when you want old comics or Magic Cards, but with less variety and the same people you see all the time, but don't really know well enough to say...actually, I guess that's still within the means of that first reference, it was a long room wherever an arcade machine fit.Simple.
The most memorable thing about this event would probably have to be two things, 1. They had this really awesome Tapioca pudding downstairs, 2. Hunger: the first time I felt hunger.
Let me tell you a messed up awesome story.I was bitter about not going to Seattle, so I played with the intent of proving my worth.The person I ran into was actually the guy that "didn't do anything and won" from Seattle, Kuan.He beat me pretty sound by, you guessed it, not doing anything.We played the same team usually, so he decided to play a different team and it threw me for a loop, lack of information has always been a weakness of mine as a player.I can assess situations better than most, but if it's obscure data, I just don't function well(which excites the observationalist,but doesn't do well for yielding a positive outcome in tournaments).
After losing to Kuan, I didn't sweat it too hard.He was a good player, he played me a team I wasn't familiar with,and he was even nice about the win.Besides, I was out of my pool in losers anyway, so what's to worry about.Remember the rant I gave about lack of information? Let's bring that full circle.I wasn't out of my bracket , a new challenger had entered and he was someone I had heard about, but never really had the experience of playing or seeing.It turns out he hadn't entered or registered for the event, and he was put in last minute, he had made it far, but also lost once in our pool, I had to play him to make it out now.What his name you ask? Duc Do.I had to play Duc Do.
For those unfamiliar with Duc, let me frame it for you.If you don't play Street Fighter, he's like, the Seattle Seahawks Defense but withColin Kaepernick's ability to run and make plays, if you want a Pokemon reference, Mewtwo or Growdon,if you want a food reference, that big bowl of pho that you can't finish and even if you do,there's still the broth,I can go on forever describing him...but he was really good in his time.
The biggest deal about Duc in my mind was not the fact that he was a strong opponent, it was that I had no data , I mean "0" data to work with.So not only was I not mentally prepared for this, but I was a bit disoriented, he wasn't even in the tournament! I remember him literally saying that and here we were.Not fair.But neither is life, so I did what anyone would do, I tried to even the odds.
The thing about Duc's team is it's a team he made famous , but no one played as proficiently as him.His defense is impeccable, but the familiarity was the biggest issue, I was from an era where his team had been phased out and all of the weird copycats that come along when they see something good (*cough* streetwear *cough* knockoff Yeezys *cough* VR-Troopers! ),they'd been phased out as well.So there wasn't any tangible reference, I had to really think.And think I did.
The cool thing about all of these events back in the day was before people thought they were awesome for being able to hold a joystick and were worried about viewship,sponsorship,CPM, exclusive this and that, we were all players.Everyone was a bit weird and to be honest, they couldn't get away with not talking to you or being weird without someone making them feel the same later on (unless they were the "really good" players and/or it was a regional rivalry,them maybeeeee),but usually you talked, people answered.
I had been seeing and meeting all of these players for the first time, and the coolest thing was happening, they were all really nice.The east coast guys were the toughest, and they all had the most experience with all the matchups,with Southern California being a close second in my opinion.
There was a guy named Larry, Sanford, and another one named Desmond.I had seen them play and they all had really good experience with all of my characters.So, I hit them up for advice before the match.
"Can you play Thrax?!?" , Desmond asked me. I shook my head in disdain.I remember the look on his face and also the shame that had to show across mine.I really loathed myself at the time."Well, play Sentinel first, and you have to take out his Spiral with your Sentinel,then you got a shot from there".Sanford echoed the same and told me to "not let him build meter" and "watch for the counter".This was a bit unfamiliar at the time as I came from a school of thought that embodied playing one character extremely well, that was Cable, not Sentinel, " I didn't have a Sentinel" , is what the current me would've said then.It didn't matter, I was about to make one anyway.
Fast forward to the match. The reason I enjoy the match so much is , that was probably the first time I can recall wanting anything.Most things were boring or easy to contemplate, this was an unknown play style, with a character I was not adept or familiar with, and a matchup that was not only not easy to prepare for, but shouldn't have happened in the first place.I was forced to pay attention, I actually had to give my all to make this work.
I look back on the match, and the thing about this is that was 2003.I was doing fast fly everything.Once again, translation, I was wearing Jordan 6's when everyone else was on 2's and 3's , I was Baja Blast when everyone else Fruitopia, I was the Power Glove while you were playing Rad Racer on pad trying to see your parents in California (it's so bad). I can't recall many times in my life that had more adrenaline involved.For once I really wanted something.
Needless to say.I lost. My Sentinel actually did really well and he even looked like he knew what he was doing for those two matches.But I really didn't know what I was doing otherwise and missed a lot of crucial stuff back to back.Kudos to Duc, he was the better player that day and he took it fair and square.
The reason I mention all of this however doesn't have to do with the outcome, it's the desire.It's to share a bit of where I come from and some of the things that inspire me.Had they never occurred, you probably wouldn't be reading this rant.
That was many life lessons I learned, even the unfair, and the obscure,they have a purpose.Give your best to a challenge and it may give you more.I don't recall believing my own hype before that or really wanting "more" before that.So, that served as a lesson and experience in practice.
There will be times in life where messed up things happen,and you may not know what your plan is or what you're doing at all.But, I urge you to not stray away from those moments, close your eyes, commit to the moment, and when you open them, attack.You may not always win, but you will leave a mark, I'm sure of it,and hopefully it will be on yourself.
I'll probably ramble more on this one another day, maybe even extend it.But for the meantime, just stay hungry for me. ..well, not for me...unless you're a zombie or something.You know what I mean... -h_h-
Try Hard,Never Settle,Stay Hungry -h_h-
P.S. Google "Larry vs Duc" if you want to see the match ^_^
