Support your community!

10 MORE YEARS! 10 MORE YEARS!

_{[Recently over Discord, Lawman has been mulling over getting Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for PS3 since he owns the Vita version. Despite any opinions about how a community is dead, we both agreed that as long as there are players, there will be a scene. So along comes Virtua Kazama with an eerily timely post about supporting your fighting game’s scene, whether it’s as old as Melee or up and coming like Pokkén. ~Strider]}

I’ve seen this happen before on multiple occasions, and I think this topic needs to be addressed. Have you ever witnessed someone tell you to play a better fighting game? Or better yet, tell you to drop a game that has a dead scene?

If you said yes to all of these, you are not alone. You’re just trying to show support for your own community within the FGC, and at the same time you got haters trying to dis that same community (or game) that you represent.

I have stated multiple times that I play Dead or Alive on a competitive level. Whenever I try to talk about competitive DOA on EventHubs for example (or any other fighting game/non-fighting game website, Facebook, etc.), they don’t care about that. They are just going to call it a “hentai fighter,” “that one game with boobs,” “fanservice/fetish game for perverts,” etc. And it’s not just happening online, but also offline. When I was in college, I had two guys who only play anime fighters and Japanese games that disliked DOA and Virtua Fighter. And yes, they used the same insults. I didn’t care about what they said because I was too busy focusing on getting better and support my scene.

Now let’s get one thing straight: I’m not telling haters to stop insulting my game or the community that I represent. I’m too old for that nonsense. I mean, there are people who hate Street Fighter because they hate to deal with fireball spammers. There are people who find Smash Bros. more like a party game than a real fighter. There are people who feels that Tekken is a juggle-fest, or it is a button-mashing game that takes no skill. There are people who find Virtua Fighter boring and not flashy. Same thing with Marvel, although people find it boring. SoulCalibur has that similar fanservice as DOA except not as much. Hell, there people trash anime fighters like Guilty Gear, Blazblue, and Persona 4 Arena by calling them “weeaboo fighters.”

Yes, people will talk mad crap about your game and your community. Is it possible to change people’s minds about it? No, it’s not possible, but you have to remember that everyone has an opinion. Opinions can either change, or stay the same. However, there are things that I want both sides to understand. And by both sides, I mean the pleasers and the haters.

PLEASERS: YOU CAN’T PLEASE EVERYONE

I remember Paul Heyman used a quote about wrestling fans trying to please non-wrestling fans. Mind you, Heyman is the most controversial, outspoken pro-wrestling manager and promoter in the business, so he doesn’t hold back on his comments. He says:

“Wrestling is an art form. I don’t worry about those who don’t get it; I worry about satisfying those who do.”

Although his quote was about professional wrestling, he still has a point. Don’t spend too much of your time trying to please the non-fighting game fans who don’t like the genre, or the haters who spend too much time hating on your scene. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a little explanation here and there, but save it for the people who are curious about the game or the scene. Most importantly, you gotta stay focused on supporting your scene and getting better at your game.

If you are playing on stream, you will not be able to read the messages from the Stream Monsters. You should be focused on your opponent instead of what random scrubs on the Internet say about you. Ignore the haters and the Stream Monsters and just do you.

Remember, everyone has an opinion. You can’t get people to change their minds 75% of the time. Haters come and go.

HATERS: THINK ABOUT THE SIDE EFFECTS

I remember when Rugal B., an O.G. Capcom vs. SNK 2 player from Maryland, made a comment in relation to why games like Melee for example are still playing in tournaments. And I quote:

“Players that say drop a game that is dead… I’m not sure how they are saying that while they play that Melee game STILL…. Let me and my O.G.s have our old stuff. People still play them. Just like your game, which I don’t think is a very good game. But, respect it since it carries your franchise.”

He has a point. I mean, games like Virtua Fighter, Skullgirls, Street Fighter x Tekken, Vampire Savior, Divekick, and Arcana Heart doesn’t have the highest numbers in tournaments, but there are people who support those communities no matter how small it is. Let them have their community. I can say the same thing for games that have a higher turnout such as Marvel, Melee, and Killer Instinct for example.

Like I said previously, everyone has an opinion about a certain fighting game they don’t like. It’s fine if don’t like that game, and it’s okay if you have constructive criticism about the scene that is behind it. But I’ve seen too many people have this obsession over a hating a fighter, or a top player getting his recognition.

Here’s the thing: I’m not here to tell the haters to stop hating on other people’s communities. If you have a personal vendetta against the community, I can understand that. However, I want you guys to think about the side effects behind it.

Now I’m not going to beat around the bush with this one. When you have this obsession on focusing your hate on the scene that supports the game, you tend to lose focus on what’s in front of you. Case in point: you drop your combos, using unsafe moves that would get you punished on block, etc. Maybe you should focus on leveling up instead…

You tend to develop that Stream Monster personality where you spend your time talking shit about the game, the community, or the top player. In case anyone doesn’t know what a stream monster is, they are the type of people who never show up to tournaments and/or never have any skill in a fighting game, but they hang out in the chatrooms on streams critiquing on other players thinking that they can do better.

I’m not gonna stop you guys from hating. By all means, go ahead and voice your opinion. Just don’t forget that you are trying to get better at the game you are playing. You can’t let your obsession become a distraction. However, if you do decide to try the fighter that you hate the most, go in with an open mind. Who knows, you may have a second opinion on it.

TO BOTH SIDES: REP YOUR COMMUNITY PROUDLY

I’ll be honest, I do enjoy watching tournaments for other fighting games that I usually don’t play because I want to see how each player know how they use their character and adapt to the mechanics. Basically, I want to see how these players support their scene.

In the end, we are all part of the Fighting Game Community. We got to come together and show other gaming communities who we are and what we represent. Represent your community to the fullest, no matter how big or small the scene is.

Also, if you guys aren’t doing anything next weekend, be sure to check out Final Round 19. It is the first stop to the Capcom Cup with Street Fighter V and Battle Royal 2016 for Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (although Naotora will be banned at the event because she is coming out on the same week as the tournament). Tekken Tag Tournament 2, SoulCalibur V, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Mortal Kombat X, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Killer Instinct, Under Night In-Birth EXE:Late, and Ultra Street Fighter IV will be on the main stage, with side tournaments for Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Capcom vs. SNK 2, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 appearing as well. Also, Final Round 19 will be the first American playtest location for Tekken 7: Fated Retribution. Be sure to check it out!

Until then… keep training, fighters!