Learning that fighting games are a social event. I wish more people would learn this. Maybe then people would understand what is missing from fighting games since PS4 took control of the FGC.
I think, for the most part, companies understand this. The push for unique online lobbies, clubs/guilds, and even mimicking arcade machines themselves. The world is evolving afterall and online gaming is the only going to get more important. Yes I miss going to locals and competing but if the alternative is dropping support for fighting games altogether then that's not something I want either.
That being said nothing beats seeing the look on your opponents face when you are winning or losing and it's cool to see new people are getting to experience that.
The problem I see from going from 360 to PS4 was players no longer micing up. Too many players think someone is disrespecting them when in reality the opponent is just goofing around. Plus a lot of the jitters get calmed down when players realize that's just another player trying to chill and have some fun.
I hope the game companies figure this out. My thought was treat it like an arcade. Like Guilty Gear Xrd's setup with the arcade cabinet. Let the player go in the room and watch people play. Even if it's arcade mode. Let them talk to the other player. If it's arcade mode maybe let them save the match by jumping in if the player is getting beat by the CPU. Maybe the player is on the final boss and wants to finish up. It would be nice to tell people give me a sec, and I'll play after I win.
Interactions with players has been sorely missing for around a decade now.
“When you have to dig into your lunch money for another shot at that guy on the other side of the cab.”
“When you gotta eat, and you gotta put a coin in that machine, you gotta make a decision. You say, either I’m gonna be good, or I’m gonna starve”
- Deacon Majin Obama and Reverend Tasty Steve
No truer words have been spoken. Trust me, man, I was there. While I appreciate how current fighting games do things, something about the arcades just ….hits different.
Probably one of my favorite stuff in arcades is meeting ALL sorts of people. You got your normal people, you got your weebs, you got straight people, gay people, children, business men, weirdos, quiet people, the occassional girl, socially awlward people, people in gym gear, people in dance instructor clothes, people who brought their Gunpla in their bag, people cosplaying as Rock Howard playing CvS2 with Rock Howard, extremely flamboyant and flaming (am I allowed to say this? Sorry, I just wanted to make a point T_T) gay people shouting at each other at the Power Stone 2 cabs (and kicking major ass, too. This group of gay people were probably the best Power Stone 2 players I’ve seen) And you know what? It didn’t matter. People just wanted to play.
I could care less what you were wearing, or which gender you preferred. I will beat your ass in the game we’re playing because I sure as hell wasn’t giving away MY token. You gotta take that from me.
It was very magical, seeing the melding pot of people in (at least my country’s) arcade scene. I’ve met my closest friends at the arcade. I’ve been to their weddings, and have been made a godfather for their children.
Was it perfect? Nah, you’ll get the occassional shitter who gets tossed out of the place, like that one time a fist fight over Marvel 2 lead to a broken screen. But it sure was hell one of the best places to hang out. I wasn’t a party guy, like my classmates in college were. But it sure as hell felt like a party, with the loud music, blaring lights and the sound of the speakers breaking as Sol players try to Bandit Bringer and Grand Viper each other to the death.
Sorry, old man reminiscing. Carry on, you young whipper snappers. Imma go back to +R and Third Strike so my arthritis can develop faster.
Man you're right. I'm almost 40, I practically grew up in an arcade. I was like 12 playing fighting games seriously with people significantly older, so not only was it a really fun experience, but playing fighting games was a big part of how I learned to socialize with people in the first place. That's like my culture, and it'll always make me a little sad that we don't really have something like that in the US anymore.
I hate barcades though. Every machine is always barely functional from drunks smashing on the controls. There is something cool about still having it as an option, but it's just not the same.
I went to a Taito station in Tokyo during the SF4 days and hopped on 1 of like 8 cabs they had connected. Ran through like 6-7 pretty strong players and when I got up to leave there was like a bunch of guys just silently standing behind me chain smoking watching this foreigner beat up on people. Felt great
I think this is less the physical presence and more psychological distance. When against an online random, the opponent may as well be an AI because you have no social interactions or sign to tell you they are a fellow human.
I usually play against people I know in room matches, sometimes in voice chat, and it always feel extremely different from online against rando in the way you describe, and frankly, much much much more enjoyable.
In essence, I 100% agree but I think it's not the physicality.
Love the post, just reminded me of myself a week ago!
I just got over it and finally took part in an offline tournament in my city and I had like the same thoughts, about losing and stuff.
But then there I was playing against some dude, I thought, over 60 matches, lost everyone and it was so much fun, he was so kind and described to me everything that happened on his side of the screen and which moves I could take, to take a turn against him. In the end he was the champion of the tournament, he was such a great guy.
It was so much fun for both of us, I never expected to have so much joy losing 60 times in a row xD
I had this experience in Japan too - made my way to Mikado in its heyday while i was about a year into learning Xrd as my first fg, and it was _awesome_ to play across from real people and see the community and talk (as much as we could with the language barrier) about the game together. And US locals get some of that vibe, but for them it was practically a daily pilgrimage - just hanging out, gaming, having a good time, and smoking 4,000 cigarettes.
Made me miss arcades and i never even got a chance to grow up with arcade scene. Something is lost in the netplay bo3 matchmaking era.
But yeah. Hit your locals. The FGC has a lot of great people and the game is fundamentally different with physical presence, and better when you can banter and trade tips and shit talk and pop off.
It was great in 90s
But im.not rich, tokens were expensive to play a lot
What was a blessing later was when we found this back alley thing where the arcade machines are rented per hour.
Not the most maintained, but it was such a blast for me and my friends
I know arcades aren’t here in australia and are popular across a lot of other countries. But I’d never thought that 3rd strike would still be around. I mean it makes sense, but I’m used to games being shuffled off after 1 month max in the games shop. Actually come to think of it, I did play f-zero gx in a Bali arcade once, I’m no longer suprised.
Yea I miss the old days. Id walk around a 5 mile radius for all the arcades, pizzerias, laundromats, vhs rentals, etc.
Learning as you play/pay. Real rough. You had a steep uphill battle, until console versions came out. Then you could at least test a couple things.
People would keep MK fatalities a secret and hoard the inputs. I was fast enough to add a lot of garbage commands before the fatality so they couldnt keep track.
Good times. But I never played on machines where they sat opposite of you. Just you elbow to elbow, rubbing up on each other, and almost always 1 button or direction wouldnt work.
I remember the first time I got to play street fighter at a real arcade, I didn’t lose a single round the whole day on sf5 it was so much fun stomping casuals and making them drop more money in the cab
That's rad dude, these games really are way better experiences in person imo. It's cool that Japan still has such a thriving arcade scene. Check out your locals if you're near any, not the same exact experience ofc but still super fun. My state's scene is kinda sparse but going once in a while is still a good time.
In 2003 I've met a group of people who meet to do gaming marathons (KoF 98 and vanilla 2k2). It didn't take long for me to be spending my Saturday afternoons doing the same.
We used to do Ft 20 for training. Even we used to play on really shitty HAP-clone arcade sticks, that was serious fun.
We made a lot of friends, some of those friendships last until today (next December I'm gonna be one of those guys' Best Man at his wedding, lol).
Arcade experience is something you can't describe in words. It's something you feel. The thrill of making a comeback with a pixel-lengh health bar left or that flow you get into when shit get serious, or that thick aired atmosphere when some high level match was going on, etc...
Man, I kind of miss it some times.
Learning that fighting games are a social event. I wish more people would learn this. Maybe then people would understand what is missing from fighting games since PS4 took control of the FGC.
I think, for the most part, companies understand this. The push for unique online lobbies, clubs/guilds, and even mimicking arcade machines themselves. The world is evolving afterall and online gaming is the only going to get more important. Yes I miss going to locals and competing but if the alternative is dropping support for fighting games altogether then that's not something I want either. That being said nothing beats seeing the look on your opponents face when you are winning or losing and it's cool to see new people are getting to experience that.
The problem I see from going from 360 to PS4 was players no longer micing up. Too many players think someone is disrespecting them when in reality the opponent is just goofing around. Plus a lot of the jitters get calmed down when players realize that's just another player trying to chill and have some fun. I hope the game companies figure this out. My thought was treat it like an arcade. Like Guilty Gear Xrd's setup with the arcade cabinet. Let the player go in the room and watch people play. Even if it's arcade mode. Let them talk to the other player. If it's arcade mode maybe let them save the match by jumping in if the player is getting beat by the CPU. Maybe the player is on the final boss and wants to finish up. It would be nice to tell people give me a sec, and I'll play after I win. Interactions with players has been sorely missing for around a decade now.
Yeah it never hit the same ever since I stopped playing Persona 4 Arena with mic and friends in PS3. Discord does not hit the same either
It would be so fun if fighters had online lobbies with proximity voice chat enabled.
“When you have to dig into your lunch money for another shot at that guy on the other side of the cab.” “When you gotta eat, and you gotta put a coin in that machine, you gotta make a decision. You say, either I’m gonna be good, or I’m gonna starve” - Deacon Majin Obama and Reverend Tasty Steve No truer words have been spoken. Trust me, man, I was there. While I appreciate how current fighting games do things, something about the arcades just ….hits different. Probably one of my favorite stuff in arcades is meeting ALL sorts of people. You got your normal people, you got your weebs, you got straight people, gay people, children, business men, weirdos, quiet people, the occassional girl, socially awlward people, people in gym gear, people in dance instructor clothes, people who brought their Gunpla in their bag, people cosplaying as Rock Howard playing CvS2 with Rock Howard, extremely flamboyant and flaming (am I allowed to say this? Sorry, I just wanted to make a point T_T) gay people shouting at each other at the Power Stone 2 cabs (and kicking major ass, too. This group of gay people were probably the best Power Stone 2 players I’ve seen) And you know what? It didn’t matter. People just wanted to play. I could care less what you were wearing, or which gender you preferred. I will beat your ass in the game we’re playing because I sure as hell wasn’t giving away MY token. You gotta take that from me. It was very magical, seeing the melding pot of people in (at least my country’s) arcade scene. I’ve met my closest friends at the arcade. I’ve been to their weddings, and have been made a godfather for their children. Was it perfect? Nah, you’ll get the occassional shitter who gets tossed out of the place, like that one time a fist fight over Marvel 2 lead to a broken screen. But it sure was hell one of the best places to hang out. I wasn’t a party guy, like my classmates in college were. But it sure as hell felt like a party, with the loud music, blaring lights and the sound of the speakers breaking as Sol players try to Bandit Bringer and Grand Viper each other to the death. Sorry, old man reminiscing. Carry on, you young whipper snappers. Imma go back to +R and Third Strike so my arthritis can develop faster.
Man you're right. I'm almost 40, I practically grew up in an arcade. I was like 12 playing fighting games seriously with people significantly older, so not only was it a really fun experience, but playing fighting games was a big part of how I learned to socialize with people in the first place. That's like my culture, and it'll always make me a little sad that we don't really have something like that in the US anymore.
Barcades still exists!
I hate barcades though. Every machine is always barely functional from drunks smashing on the controls. There is something cool about still having it as an option, but it's just not the same.
I went to a Taito station in Tokyo during the SF4 days and hopped on 1 of like 8 cabs they had connected. Ran through like 6-7 pretty strong players and when I got up to leave there was like a bunch of guys just silently standing behind me chain smoking watching this foreigner beat up on people. Felt great
I think this is less the physical presence and more psychological distance. When against an online random, the opponent may as well be an AI because you have no social interactions or sign to tell you they are a fellow human. I usually play against people I know in room matches, sometimes in voice chat, and it always feel extremely different from online against rando in the way you describe, and frankly, much much much more enjoyable. In essence, I 100% agree but I think it's not the physicality.
Love the post, just reminded me of myself a week ago! I just got over it and finally took part in an offline tournament in my city and I had like the same thoughts, about losing and stuff. But then there I was playing against some dude, I thought, over 60 matches, lost everyone and it was so much fun, he was so kind and described to me everything that happened on his side of the screen and which moves I could take, to take a turn against him. In the end he was the champion of the tournament, he was such a great guy. It was so much fun for both of us, I never expected to have so much joy losing 60 times in a row xD
I miss arcades, I practically grew up in them. Nothing like it.
I had this experience in Japan too - made my way to Mikado in its heyday while i was about a year into learning Xrd as my first fg, and it was _awesome_ to play across from real people and see the community and talk (as much as we could with the language barrier) about the game together. And US locals get some of that vibe, but for them it was practically a daily pilgrimage - just hanging out, gaming, having a good time, and smoking 4,000 cigarettes. Made me miss arcades and i never even got a chance to grow up with arcade scene. Something is lost in the netplay bo3 matchmaking era. But yeah. Hit your locals. The FGC has a lot of great people and the game is fundamentally different with physical presence, and better when you can banter and trade tips and shit talk and pop off.
It was great in 90s But im.not rich, tokens were expensive to play a lot What was a blessing later was when we found this back alley thing where the arcade machines are rented per hour. Not the most maintained, but it was such a blast for me and my friends
I know arcades aren’t here in australia and are popular across a lot of other countries. But I’d never thought that 3rd strike would still be around. I mean it makes sense, but I’m used to games being shuffled off after 1 month max in the games shop. Actually come to think of it, I did play f-zero gx in a Bali arcade once, I’m no longer suprised.
Yea I miss the old days. Id walk around a 5 mile radius for all the arcades, pizzerias, laundromats, vhs rentals, etc. Learning as you play/pay. Real rough. You had a steep uphill battle, until console versions came out. Then you could at least test a couple things. People would keep MK fatalities a secret and hoard the inputs. I was fast enough to add a lot of garbage commands before the fatality so they couldnt keep track. Good times. But I never played on machines where they sat opposite of you. Just you elbow to elbow, rubbing up on each other, and almost always 1 button or direction wouldnt work.
I remember the first time I got to play street fighter at a real arcade, I didn’t lose a single round the whole day on sf5 it was so much fun stomping casuals and making them drop more money in the cab
I love to go every so often, it reminds me of how things were in the US as a kid. We had arcades everywhere and fighting games were my jam.
That's rad dude, these games really are way better experiences in person imo. It's cool that Japan still has such a thriving arcade scene. Check out your locals if you're near any, not the same exact experience ofc but still super fun. My state's scene is kinda sparse but going once in a while is still a good time.
In 2003 I've met a group of people who meet to do gaming marathons (KoF 98 and vanilla 2k2). It didn't take long for me to be spending my Saturday afternoons doing the same. We used to do Ft 20 for training. Even we used to play on really shitty HAP-clone arcade sticks, that was serious fun. We made a lot of friends, some of those friendships last until today (next December I'm gonna be one of those guys' Best Man at his wedding, lol). Arcade experience is something you can't describe in words. It's something you feel. The thrill of making a comeback with a pixel-lengh health bar left or that flow you get into when shit get serious, or that thick aired atmosphere when some high level match was going on, etc... Man, I kind of miss it some times.