Chapter 1

A. Background of the Study

  

    According to Campbell.C 's article entitled "Well Borrowed Gameplay Elements pushes 'Shadow of Morder' to the Top", some games that has been publicized successfully borrowed gameplay elements from other games or different genres of games. Not only specifically for this game, but a large quantity of developers has been doing  this since the past. This is of course not to blatantly copy them but to build upon the mechanic and evolve it further to fit their very own style.

 I quote from Campbell "If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, then Monolith Entertainment has just written one heck of a love letter to Rocksteady in the form of 'Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor' “. (http://www.stripes.com/military-life/games/well-borrowed-gameplay-pushes-shadow-of-mordor-to-the-top-1.307609)

      Various gaming genres borrowed gameplay elements from Fighting games. The Fighting game genre is one of the pioneering genres which started videogames. Since games in this style has been developed since the dawn of video game creation, many games has largely used gaming ideas from this genre and integrated them into their games or even used it as a basis for making gaming titles. As the genre itself kept on evolving throughout the videogame history, the gaming industry prospered with it creating more ideas and giving birth to newer types of games that takes this genre as basis for their new gaming mechanics.

                "Every once in a while comes a video game that claims - or is claimed - to 'revolutionize' its genre, to bring it beyond what it used to be, or to 'evolve' it, defining a new step along the generic road it is treading".Taken from Arsenault.D's article that goes with the title of "Video Game Genre, Evolution and Innovation“. (http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/viewArticle/65/125)

  The Fighting game genre is a largely evolved genre  filled with educational materials for the c  reation of newer and more complex gaming elements. Fighting games has been around since the very early stages of the video-gaming world’s rise to the industry. Numerous trial and errors, breakthroughs, and discoveries of never before used gaming mechanics has all been seen by this particular type of videogame making it not only the one of the eldest but also one of the most successful types of game that ever graced the industry.

Fighting games gave birth to competition amongst different communities. Dargenio.A  has stated in his article titled " History of Fighting Games" about the birth of competitive gaming with the introduction of this genre.

  "But, the huge popularity spike that the fighting game genre and fighting game community has seen in the past couple years has set some pretty phenomenal changes in motion. " (http://arcadesushi.com/the-history-of-fighting-games-part-1/)

               

      The genre in its early stages, despite its nature of pitting more than one player to another, didn’t started as a competitive game. It only did when it has evolved enough to incorporate strategy and technique into its gameplay in games like Street Fighter II where the real competition began. The games by then has been largely designed to favor the player who have honed their skill better than their opposition. The said genre is also one of the biggest reason the arcade community has risen to its peak.  But nowadays, due to the advancement in technology, consoles are able to connect players from all over the globe to compete with each other. But it is largely agreed upon by many players that the offline scene the arcade community gives still gives the best experience in terms comfortability and stableness of framerate which online matches fail to deliver.

     Despite the dwindling interest on the genre, because of newer genres being born, Fighting games continues to bring people from over the world together. In a recent article by Lambert.K of Powerleveled, moves done by developers could definitely kill the community by choosing exclusivity in their games.

      "If I could give one word to describe the state of the current console war, it would be exclusivity. To me, that is a dirty word which only serves to hurt the gaming ecosystem."

"Street Fighter IV is one of the best fighting games ever made and completely revitalized the dying genre. It was released in 2009 on Xbox 360,  PS3, and in arcades (2008) and enabled more people then ever to fight each other thanks to Xbox Live and PSN. Not only that, but since this was the first major fighting game to be released on the current gen consoles of the time in an era of amazing communication, the fighting game community was able to grow and share information exponentially."
(http://powerleveled.com/capcom-exclusively-killing-fighting-games-with-street-fighter-v/)

    This only proves that Fighting games connect people over the world even with the recent difficulties the genre has been experiencing. Although these difficulties exists, fighting games is still one of the pillars to video gaming and a main attraction in world of the rising entertainment industry known as E-Sports(Electronic Sports).It is not a genre to be ignored. As the one who introduced competitive gaming to the masses, fighting games is one of the largest featured games in this rising entertainment industry. The sheer number of players still supporting the Fighting game community in prestigious international events like EVO proves that fighting games still garners interest even with the booming success of MOBA’s(Multiplayer Online Battle Arena).

Taken from an article by a player in the guise of AFliXTioN entitled "Fighting Games- A Dying Breed". He speaks of the current situation the genre is facing.

              
      " I think the main problem with fighting games is staying relevant, Publishers won’t take the risk on producing a new fighting game as no one might play it no matter how good it is and it’s hard to make a fighting game with unique game mechanics. This is why fighting game series such as Street Fighter and Tekken have lasted so long they are tried and tested formulas and they already have  a great fan  base, so what is the point In making a new game where you need to gather a whole new community and to be honest the fighting game community isn’t that big." (http://www.6aming.com/fighting-games-a-dying-breed/)

     With the current flow of events where players and viewers commonly  follow the most popular games to date and where the prevalent issues surrounding the genre continues to haunt it, fighting games has been forced to play a submissive role and give way to more popular kinds of gaming despite  its contribution to the industry and to the unique challenge and thrills it gives to players and enthusiasts that venture in this type of game.To sum it all up, knowing what unique challenges this genre bring to the table will encourage new people to try it out .Therefore saving the genre and keeping it relevant to the current times which will  then greatly contribute to the ever evolving industry that is video-gaming as it always does since the beginning.

  This paper shall pinpoint the factors as to why the Fighting Game genre is considered to be dying so that it could be remedied before it is too late to revive it.

B. Statement of the Problem

This research aims to answer the following questions:

1.What are the factors regarding the difficulties surrounding the Fighting Game genre?

C. Significance of the Study

Players- Gaming is of course primarily targets its audience. Saving  this exceptionally competitive genre will keep diversity in the gaming  libraries of each players. Learning the discipline needed in different genres will grant more skills to its players such as hand and eye coordination and reaction times.

Game Developers- Developers should be able to use the information for the purpose of revolutionizing the genre so it would be more appealing to the community and the industry.

E-Sports Organizations- The world of electronic gaming entertainment is only starting to take off and will be a very prominent type of entertainment in the future. Having more competitive types of game will attract new players and viewers alike furthering the rising popularity that this industry is receiving right now.

Future Researchers- This study will be a very informative piece of research that will aid the future researchers in their quest for finding newer and better solutions to whatever they may be after that will touch this grounds of research. Their research can be built upon this data or be used as a basis for future research purposes.

D. Scope and Delimitation

                This research focuses in the unique gaming elements present in only the most relevant game titles and game mechanics in this specific genre of gaming  but will use older games as basis for some information gathering. Although the topic will touch on competition elements that is universally present in all competitive games, the study will only focus on the elements that are largely involved with the Fighting game genre only. This is due to the span of time allotted for this study.

                In any case a topic which is not in the boundaries of the research is touched upon, they will only be used to support the study and will not be given any emphasis.

E. Materials and Methods

                 The researcher will make use of the already available information available on print and online credible articles. But the researcher will still conduct live interview s amongst players in the community that is readily available for data gathering in the immediate vicinity of the researchers study location.

F. Definition of Terms

Video games -  is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device,[1] but it now implies any type of display device that can produce two- or three-dimensional images. The electronic systems used to play video games are known as platforms; examples of these are personal computers and video game consoles. These platforms range from large mainframe computers to small handheld devices. Specialized video games such as arcade games, while previously common, have gradually declined in use. Video games have gone on to become an art form and industry.
Fighting games-  is a video game genre in which the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as blocking, counter-attacking, and chaining together sequences of attacks known as "combos".

E-Sports(Electronic SportsGaming Community-  A term used to refer to the collective of players who share a common video game interest and culture. They can be an organized group that shares information between its members and hold official events

Multiplayer Online Battle Arena(MOBA).  A rather new gaming genre that has taken the gaming world by storm. Also known as action real-time strategy (ARTS), originated as a subgenre of the real-time strategy (RTS) genre of video games, in which a player controls a single character in one of two teams. The objective is to destroy the opposing team's main structure with the assistance of periodically spawned computer-controlled units that march forward along set paths. Player characters typically have various abilities and advantages that improve over the course of a game and that contribute to a team's overall strategy. A fusion of action games and real-time strategy games, players usually do not construct either buildings or units.

Chapter 2
                                                                               

 Discussions

I.                    The Current State of Fighting games

             The Fighting games genre has been one of the pillars of gaming early on in its rising process.

The Fighting game genre has arguably started what we know today as competitive gaming. It is where players go against another in a competition level where their skills are tested and only the best would rise to the top of the competitive rankings. These phenomenon would start gathering more interest in gaming all together where communities are born. Players from the same genre share valuable informations and discoveries everyday and they are tested if it has any value in the current state of competition level or what we call the Meta game.

             But due to the rise of other genres rising to competition levels, the Fighting game genre has been more and more neglected in favor of trying out newer forms of competitive gaming. For the past few years, the genre has been active in international level events like EVO. But the problems is that the arcade scene of fighting games are considered to be less and less active and local sessions can be scarcely found in most places. Affecting the gaming community all together. Meaning there are less players active in the community.

                “If I could give one word to describe the state of the current console war, it would be exclusivity. To me, that is a dirty word which only serves to hurt the gaming ecosystem.” (http://powerleveled.com/capcom-exclusively-killing-fighting-games-with-street-fighter-v/)

                A statement made by Lambert.K regarding the current decisions that will largely affect the current state of Fighting games in his article called “Capcom Exclusively Killing Fighting Games with Street Fighter V”. CAPCOM, one of the biggest developer and publisher of Fighting games struck a deal to keep Street Fighter V, one of the most well known Fighting game, to be an exclusive title. Effectively cutting the community into half.

“ Obviously this moment is greatly enhanced by the fact it’s in a tournament situation, but you can still get that buzz when you are playing in an online environment. As demonstrated here by one of my favorite youtubers Maximillian”

                A statement by Sean 8-bit, which testifies to the fact that online gaming is now favored by a number of players.This again, lowers the numbers of participants in the offline arcade scene where the genre is made of and started from.

              

                But nowadays,  franchises like Street Fighter , Tekken and Mortal Kombat are gaining more and more popularity. Newer titles like Persona 4 Arena, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Blazblue are trying to revive the genre. They are trying to reactivate the hype and return the genre into it’s former glory giving a chance for success after the genre’s dark days of the past a couple of years ago.

II.                  The Unique Challenge Fighting Games Possess

We can say that Fighting games is a forefather of competitive gaming with a sole reason that it is build to be competitive that has a mechanic unique to itself. Most of the Fighting games revolve around fundamental mechanics that rarely or cannot be seen elsewhere. This makes the competition in fighting games very unique and losing the genre entirely will be a blow to the industry and the whole community of players and enthusiasts that follow this genre.

First of all, fighting games requires skills that can be acquired through training and hardwork. A good player should also possess knowledge of the game’s mechanics that are unique to a very diverse game library. This has been largely believed by the players who have reached the top of the competitive scene currently.

“Unfortunately, it’s this brutal difficulty that drives so many people away from a beautiful, strategic, and amazingly fun genre.”I (http://geekti.me/wp/2012/02/mastering-fighting-games-turning-a-dan-into-a-ryu/)

                Stevenson.S’ opinion over the state of matters regarding Fighting games in his article entitled “Mastering Fighting Games: Turning a Dan into a Ryu”. To be able to enjoy fighting games, it is imperative that you are ready to train and study to be able to have atleast a fighting chance. Mastering and understanding mechanics in this genre is key to taking it to an enjoyable and competitive level.

III.                Factors to why Fighting Games are said to be a dying genre

A.      The Online and Casual Gaming Phenomenon

       The Fight game genre has been born and made to be played in an honest offline session. This is where the genre is most problematic even with the implementations of better netcodes in many of the existing fighting games that are currently released. Losing the arcade scene means losing the home where the genre has prospered and skyrocketed to popularity in the past.  A game made to be played with deadly precision will be greatly affected by the current situation of online and its issues.

    “Casual gamers. That's the other big group that gets attention from game makers. Inside gaming culture, "hard core" and "casual" are tribal divisions.

     "For the hard core, gaming is the passion. Casual players enjoy games, yet they don't steep themselves in gamer culture rites like midnight openings. Still, as the gaming population grows, and gets older, exactly where those two tribes begin and end gets a little blurry.”A statement from Kelley.K regarding the division of the community between hardcore and the casual players from the article entitled “Hard-core and casual Gamers Play in Different Worlds”.

(http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/11/29/246747168/hard-core-and-casual-gamers-play-in-different-worlds)

                One of the biggest problem of the biggest problems of developers of Triple A titles is the boom of casual gaming. Hardcore gaming lost customers and potential customers to casual gaming. Of course this took effect on Fighting games which is considered to be a niche game in the past.

               

B.      The Inert Difficulty The Genre is Built Upon

The genre is built upon the usage of simple but hard to master fundamentals to complex gaming mechanics.

“Unfortunately, it’s this brutal difficulty that drives so many people away from a beautiful, strategic, and amazingly fun genre.” As Stevenson.S stated in the article “Mastering Fighting Games: Turning a Dan into a Ryu” (http://geekti.me/wp/2012/02/mastering-fighting-games-turning-a-dan-into-a-ryu/)

     Since the genre is made to be competitive, it is only natural that the learning curve for it is very steep. Players are asked to learn the fundamentals and mechanics and improvise from there so that they may have a chance as the top ranks. This is the kind of game that players need to invest a certain time to be able to be enjoyed in contrast to the very popular casual games where it only takes minutes to learn and play.

C.       The Decisions made by the Developers and Publishers regarding their games

Many decisions made by these companies had a huge impact to the strife the genre is in right now.The current state of the console wars have had a hand in these matters as well.

“If I could give one word to describe the state of the current console war, it would be exclusivity. To me, that is a dirty word which only serves to hurt the gaming ecosystem” as Lambert.K has stated in the article “Capcom Exclusively Killing Fighting Games with Street Fighter V” (http://powerleveled.com/capcom-exclusively-killing-fighting-games-with-street-fighter-v/)

 Some games like Street Fighter V has chosen to be exclusive to a few console unlike games which had success that went multiplatform. This will further dwindle down the already low number of players the community have and is a bad move for the community although it’s a good one business wise.

D.      Lack of Advertisement

Most fighting games are inadequately advertised leading to the fact that the masses barely know half of the current games that are carrying the name of this genre. There are really good games that are not advertised and only been known through the hardcore community and sometimes the tournaments. But this requires you to be already an enthusiasts. Making people who don’t have a clue about the community oblivious about them. And in turn, lowers the people who want to try them out.

"I want to play MVC 3 but it ain't Gaben approved.Am I missing out... this is coming from a guy who couldn't get into Street Fighter but can enjoy fighting games like Tekken and Super Smash because it's all about dat button mashing." Stated by user aexyas from the IGN Boards
(http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/the-lack-of-3d-fighting-games-on-steam-is-ridiculous.454372675/)

        Large re-publishers have largely neglected this genre and only put on very few in their library. This is mostly true to even the most popular re-publishers like Steam.

E.       Profanity , Gore, Sexual themes and more inappropriate content

Although some of these are used to actually attract customers. These also lowers the age range in which players are allowed to put their hands on these games. A very large quantity of the gaming population are very young in under 21 years of age.

"Calvert and Tan  compared the effects of playing versus observing violent video games on young adults' arousal levels, hostile feelings, and aggressive thoughts. Results indicated that college students who had played a violent virtual reality game had a higher heart rate, reported more dizziness and nausea, and exhibited more aggressive thoughts in a posttest than those who had played a nonviolent game do." An article study by Shin.G  entitled "Video Games: A Cause of Violence and Aggression" (http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1723)

Licensing groups rate some of these games so that these audiences should not be into it. This could be a huge problem in some countries where age restrictions are strictly implemented.

                 

IV.                Conclusions

There are a lot of factors that contribute to the coming downfall of this genre. But most of them are fixable to a certain extent that could patch up the current problems the genre is facing. One problem came with the advancement of technology and should easily be remedied with the problem itself. The fighting game genre could ride the online phenomenon back to its former glory if technology advances well enough to eliminate connection issues that hinders the experience with the genre. There are also creative directions that put up difficulties that can also be removed by choosing a better direction with regard to these games. Although the community can’t be changed in a snap of a finger. The genre could also use the current situation as an advantage to present these games in a much larger scale and approachable to a wider spectrum of audience but not losing the roots as to why the genre is worthy of the attention of the gaming population.

Chapter 3

Summary

This research paper gathered information as to why the Fighting Game genre came to the situation that it is today. A shell of its former glory where it was once the best and one of the most well played games across the globe in terms of arcade and offline community volume to prestigious tournaments attended and watched all over the world.

The researcher gathered around rich information regarding the subject matter by means of collecting articles from legitimate Gaming journalism sites and classified and collected information by face-to-face and online interviews

1.                  1.  According to the information gathered. There are a lot of factors, direct and indirect factors that contribute to the situation where the genre is in. Those includes the following :

        *The Online Phenomenon
        * The Difficulty of the Genre

        *Business Decisions from Developers and Publishers

        *Lack of Advertisements
        *Creative Directions that Limits the Audience Range         

 

       2.       The gameplay mechanics itself made it very distant to casual players. The casual community nowadays is the largest percentage of gamers in the world and this fact contributes to the very little percentage of players into these games

       3.       The Arcade scene’s lack of action greatly affected the genre cause the games are made to be played in these environments.

Conclusions                   

Based from the findings and information this research has gathered, the researcher has concluded the   following :

1.       The Community and the companies that produces these games are holding the life of the genre and must be attended to.

2.       There are problems that are from the game itself and can be fixed through a more thorough study regarding the matter.

3.       The current trend greatly affects subject and can be used to the advantage of envisioning a better future for the genre.

      Recommendations              

1.       The Game developers should conduct a more thorough study in keeping the genre relevant to our times and the current gaming trend.

2.       Gamers who has the means can spread word about the uniqueness and competition the genre offers.

3.       E-Sports organizations should use the advantage of this competitive genre in a give and take relationship. This entertainment industry is just emerging and making use of this genre as an attraction will be a very good move.

4.       Researchers interested in this subject should conduct a larger scale study to be used for the purpose of integrating them into plans for the advantage of the industry and the community.

    References           

AfLixTioN,2012, Fighting Games A Dying Breed, Articles from 6aming.com Retrieved from http://www.6aming.com/fighting-games-a-dying-breed/)

Arsenault.D,2009, Video Game genre, Evolution and Innovation, Articles from Eludamos.org Retrieved from http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/viewArticle/65/125

Campbell.C , 2014, Well Borrowed Gameplay Elements pushes 'Shadow of Morder, Articles from Stripe.com Retrieved from  http://www.stripes.com/military-life/games/well-borrowed-gameplay-pushes-shadow-of-mordor-to-the-top-1.307609

Dargenio.A,2014, A History of Fighting Games, Articles from Arcade Sushi.com Retrieved from
(http://arcadesushi.com/the-history-of-fighting-games-part-1/)

Kelly.K.2013, Hard-core and casual Gamers Play in Different Worlds, Blogs NPR.org Retrieved from

(http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/11/29/246747168/hard-core-and-casual-gamers-play-in-different-worlds)

Lambert.K,2014, CAPCOM Exclusively Killing Fighting Games with Street Fighter V Retrieved from (http://powerleveled.com/capcom-exclusively-killing-fighting-games-with-street-fighter-v/)

Shin.G.2008, Video Games : A Cause of Violence and Agression,SerendipipUpdate Blog ,Retrieved from http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1723

Blogpost 8 : The Wake-up game

In some games, standing up from a knockdown can be as dangerous as landing from a very high jump so you need to kep in mind that this part of the game can't be overlooked since you might die trying to stand up in specific games. The wake up game or Okizeme is widely used tactic in fighting games and players should learn how to deal with it.



A very concise article written by the KTA founder himself Rene "Kor" Maistry should definitely be read whether you're a dedicated Tekken player or play fighting games in general. The article entitled "The Ground and Wake up Game- A Comprehensive guide" taks about what the situation looks like and how you can deal with it to get on with your offensive.

"It’s imperative to understand that this part of the game CANNOT be overlooked, and must be learned and strategically implemented into your game.  Essentially, wake up can be thought of free damage, if done right.Most players do not realize the extent of this aspect of the game, and through watching videos of your top players playing your respective characters, you surely can learn a lot from how to react to certain ways an opponent may move on the ground."

As Kor has stated, this aspect of the game cannot be overlooked especially in some games which has an emphasis on the said aspect. Performing the right tool can well be your ticket to a victory in a match or your long awaited comeback from a losing match.

I found an article about Ultimate Street Fighter 4 having delayed wake-ups and Justin Wong, a top player isn't too happy about it in an article by Steven "Dreamking23" Chavez entitled "Justin Wong: Delayed wake up in USF4 is very cheap; it will hurt the current flowchart of knockdown- JWong 
gives his thoughts on new game mechanics". 

"Delayed stand is very cheap. It will hurt the current flowchart of knockdown, whiff a button, jump, 50/50. Many characters rely on this because not every character has good normals. Now this definitely helps charge characters because they are obviously the more defensive characters while the offensive characters strive for a knockdown. It might just turn into a super defensive game and the vortex characters might have to play more footsie based."

 From his reaction right there, you can definitely tell that in some games. Okizeme is very big part of some fighting strategies. If a top players gives big importance in this aspect, it should probably be a very big thing right? Learning and implementing new things in to your arsenal is always very good and even you don't use it, you need to able to learn how to fight against it so that you might not suffer consistently in a match.

Blogpost 7: Controlling the Fighting Space: The Fundamentals of Spacing/Zoning

If you like being in control over the fighting game space, look no further cause what you're looking for is the fundamentals of Spacing and Zoning. Spacing/Zoning is a special fundamental that some fighting game characters can specialize in. It's basically knowing you're character's move ranges so that you'll be able to throw your moves safely and pressure your opponent into making mistakes to be able to of advantage,

Gaming journalist Yannick LeJacq put up an article that expains what these fundamentals are in the game Super Smash Bros.But of course, these also applies to different fighting games. The article is titled "What 'Zoning' Means in Smash Bros., and why is it so important". He explains the basic understanding of Zoning and Spacing into this game and how it affects matches in general.

"Speaking generally, then, the core idea behind both zoning and spacing, and the reason they're so important to competitive Smash players, is to always be evaluating the offensive and defensive options available to yourself and your opponent at any given moment. This allows you to better anticipate what an opponent is going to do next—what Smash players often refer to as "reading."

 By learning how to space and zone effectively. You will be able to get off a better read at your opponents while pressuring them into thinking what options should they use to get ahead of you. Of course if you can do these two effectively, you'll be able to narrow down your opponent's working space and limit his options to a point where you'll be able to constantly land your offensive safely while pressuring your opponent to make risky decisions himself.

Another article i found about the implementation of these fundamentals entitled "SSF4-Ryu-Zoning(part2)" gives a good situation on how a character that specializes in these fundamentals tale advantage of it in a match.Written by Jam Shojiki

" When zoning, depending on the ranges, he uses particular fireball patterns and techniques in order to control the space in front of him and catch his opponent's options.Punishing each of these options consistently forces your opponent to take risks, resulting in his opponent conceding damage through walking into Cr.MK xx Hadoken"

So by learning your character's range and limiting your opponent's working range greatly increases your chance of winning the match. Who doesn't like messing around your opponent's minds? Limiting your opponents options is a huge advantage and will give your opponents a very steep slope to conquer if they want to win.

Blogpost 6: The Fighting Styles

    So now we know about the basic fundamental skills to the more advanced chart tables.Now it's time to learn about certain playstyles that players employ or specific characters specialize with. We will be looking at the most obscene fighting styles to the reckless as this will greatly help in your decision of maining a certain character and effectively employing its fighting style to give your opponents a very hard time.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Labrys vs Yukari match

A player named "FluzWaveZ" came up with an article that explains these playstyles and and what might you want to look for within a certain character in the article entitled "Fighting Games 101: Lesson 3: Character Types". Here he explains the various playstyles that are widely known in any fighting game. Of course not all of them are in every games since some games doesn't allow you to zone effectively and such.


"The problem lies in the fact that I don't know what my "playstyle" is. Oftentimes, I'll try all of the character's game's roster and not really feel any character that I immediately fee good playing as, so I'll pick an antagonist I like and myself that I'll simply adapt to the primary playstyle of that character,which usually ends up being the case."


Knowing a character's fighting style will help you play the character more effectively. There's also that chance that you might like one character because you like how he plays out so knowing these things will be very beneficial to a player starting out on any fighting game.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Yukiko vs Shadow Yukiko

Another article put together by a player in the guise of the name "Agito" also explains further the information presented by the first article entitled "Fighting Game 101: Lesson 3: Character Types". Not only he explained the styles employed by certain characters but he also listed how they are played and played against more extensively.


"In addition to there being many different characters, there are also a few categories that these characters fall into depending on how they're meant to be played"


So there you have it.A very extensive information on character playstyles and how to employ them in a real match. Knowing how a specific character is meant to be played will make your journey of playing your character effectively will be much easier.So what kind of playstyle suits you? Do you like rushing down players like an angry tank? Or do you prefer staying defensive and punish players for their mistakes? Start discovering your own playstyle now.

Blogpost 5: Understanding the Tier list

     So you're in the right track studying your game and you've decided to take the action on the road.You won some matches and lose some. You're just about ready for another round when a new challenger pops out. To your astonishment, you're suddenly in a bout against a player who plays a team almost similar to the other who you've played before and asked yourself, why on earth these people pick the same characters over and over again when there's like a bunch of characters in the character pool. Well they're probably just picking the ones that nets them easier wins. Who are these characters and how does my character do in this game? Well you might be needing the help of Tier lists for that.

Justin Wong's UMVC3 Tier lists

Let's take a look at what are Tier lists and its role in a game in an article titled "Why do Tier list exist?What do they mean? Do they matter?" written by player Diablo Interceptor. He gave an interesting explanation on how tier list came to be and what does it mean in a competitive community. Why some people hate seeing tier lists in their games.

"In any competitive game there are tiers. No really, every game. Most of the time tiers are a way to break down which characters will give you a higher probability of winning."

Tier lists are there so that players will see what characters do exceptionally well in the current meta compared to the rest of the cast. These are mostly data collected from tournaments and competitive level events that are agreed upon by most of the top level players of a certain game making it easier to tell which character has a better chance of taking home the victory in tournament matches.

EventHubs' UMVC3 Tier list (Chart Form)

But as good characters own the current meta, we don't know what the future holds. We don't when a relatively unknown player comes out of the woods rolling a bottom-tier character and starts owning everyone giving way into a new meta. An anonymous writer urges people to reevaluate their thinking when it comes to these lists in an article titled "On Fighting games: Balance is theory,tiers aren't facts"


"They aren't going to quit using a character that they feel an affinity for just because that character is "low tier," just like a good actor isn't going to turn down a script they relate to just because its subject matter isn't necessarily known to make money, or like a Jujitsu expert isn't going to drop their style just because kick boxers have been winning a lot of matches lately. Like any artist, a real athlete sticks with the tools they feel they understand the most, and spends their time and energy attempting to utilize those tools to the fullest. Competitive fighting game players should be no different."

Just like what the writer said, you shouldn't stop playing a character that you have the grooves on just because he isn't a top tier character. Tier lists are there to help you cope up with the current meta and give you an easier time predicting match-ups. These aren't solid facts and maybe changed from time to time following the current meta situations. So with that being said, use these said lists to your advantage but never abuse it and treat it like times will never change.

Blogpost 4: The Frame Data Chart Knowledge

     A person coming in as a new player might scratch their heads when they see mathematics in their fighting video games. But these numbers aren’t there to confuse you or give you a hard time. In fact it’s the exact opposite. Frame data charts exists so that it will be easier to track how fast a move starts, recovers and their unique properties. Every game has this especially 3D ones. So as a rising star in the world of fighting games, the Frame data chart is one thing you should definitely take advantage of and mind you, you’d be surprised how these numbers will affect your decision making during a match.

Almost everyone gets put off when they see math and numbers so let us familiarize ourselves with this so called Frame data charts. A player that goes by the name OmegaRyuji wrote an article entitled “A Guide to Frame Data” that gives us a primer and how to utilize this knowledge to up your game. He carefully explains things in a very “beginner friendly” manner about what you should know first and proved to be an interesting read for a rather complicated topic.

“The bottom line is that frame data is a tool which can guide you in the right direction, but it is not the be-all-end-all of knowledge. Frame data can never tell you something that match experience will not, but it can lead you to the same conclusions much faster and more clearly.”

Indeed. Frame knowledge is a very useful tool to study decision making in a match. But of course, knowledge is only as good the one who holds it cause decisions will come solely from the player. Frame data charts only helps you decide on what you should do faster and more efficient than doing this in practice or trial and errors.

A portion of Sergei Dragunov's TTT2 Frame data

An anonymously written article from Dustloop that goes with the title “Reading and Using Frame Data” talks about the limitations of these chart knowledge. It starts out with an introduction and usage information just like the previous article with portions about what the Frame Data Table can’t do. For example, it can’t tell you help you pinpoint an exact response to a relatively different positioned matches.

“Frame data is information on timings. We can see if there’s enough time to make a move, but you still need to go back to the game to make sure the move is relevant, spacing-wise.”

So there we have it, theirs is no doubt that Frame data knowledge will be a very big help to players playing any fighting game that exists today. It’s an inseparable thing when we talk about video games. But these aren’t too necessary to become a very good player but only speeds the process up. So if you like to spend time reading and thinking instead of testing them the old fashioned way then these tables are made for you.

Blogpost 3: The Use of Flowcharts

      Playing fighting games in a tournament scene could prove to have a very tense atmosphere.People tend to get nervous or succumb to yips that may very well reduce their overall composture when a match starts. Worse you could even freeze in a middle of a match.Literally loosing your groove and forgetting all that hardwork you've put into playing for that trophy. That's possibly the worst thing that could happen when you play in a tournament.So why don't we seek some advice on how to handle this.And the good part is you get to level up your game while dampening the effects of that freezing tournament temperature in the form of utilizing a Flowchart.

In the article "How to build a Tekken Flowchart" by Rami aka Gutsygeek, he shows us how to make and utilize flowcharting to definitely up your game. He explains that devising a pattern beforehand could help you easily recognize the options you have in a certain situation. Since you have made your starters and options beforehand, you can rely on your flowcharts in dire times like when you have no idea what to do next or you simply froze in the middle of a match.


"I always like to say that the player with the most confidence is probably going to win." A statement from the author which i believe to be true most of the time.


He means that your composture in a fight will also play a part in winning a match. So utilizing the concept of flowcharts will help you pick out the best option in a certain condition when you're doubting yourself.

But as what might you conceive in the term "flowchart" it's a series of actions patterned for use.A good player will recognize these patterns and use it against you. Jett introduces you to a phenomenon that will help you understand the negative effects of misusing a flowchart in his article "Universal Game Guides: The Dont's(and Do's) of Flowcharting".


"Let’s take the flowchart idea and simplify it even further. Imagine you’re playing Rock Paper Scissors. If you were playing Rock Paper Scissors against a Flowchart Ken, he would choose rock every single time."


I think that's a very simple and clear way on how to explain it. Relying too much on flowcharting alone will do more bads than the goods.So be smart in the use of this idea. Too much water can also be poisonous you know. Intelligent choices will always save the day and with the smart usage of flowcharting, you'll be able to play more comfortable in picking out the best options for any situation.

Blogpost 2: Punishment, The Fundamental skill of Retribution

      Ever wondered why pro players never throw out those flashy moves anytime they wanted?
 Why competitive players move much often than attack each other? The reason is because they don't want to get punished for making hasty and unplanned decisions or doing something at the wrong time. We will now get into another very important skill when it comes to fighting games, the fundamentals of Punishment.

Mr. Ryan Esler tries to explain what is Punishment and it's advantages when used in conjunction to your gameplan in the article "Levelling Up - Punishment". First up, the article introduces us to the two types of Punishment namely the "Block punishing" which involves defending against an unsafe move and "Whiff punishing" which involves the fundamental skill of movement to force your opponent into missing their moves for a punish. He then reiterates that knowledge is a big part of playing these games.



"Punishment is a big thing in fighting games. It’s a means of showing a player that they should not be playing in such an unsafe manner and that certain combos are unsafe on block.". A statement by Esler which couldn't hope to agree more.



Punishment is present in any fighting game and just like movement, shouldn't be taken lightly. Which means that playing carelessly and ignorantly will only net you a defeat in a competitive environment. So you shouldn't throw moves out of the blue just because you feel like it. Of course, learning how to punish yourself will help you gain the respect of your opponent and force him to re-evaluate his playstyle.

So to back-up the idea on the importance of punishment. I came to Aris' site(Aris is one of the top American fighting game players) Avoiding the Puddle looking for an article which talks about Punishment. In his article "Iron Fist 101: The competitors Guide to playing Tekken". As the articles name suggests, it talks about some of the more important aspects of the game that players who plan to go pro should know.



"Knowledge is a natural byproduct of gaining experience and is also extremely valuable in Tekken. Ducking the second or third hit of a string and punishing correctly can literally change an entire match.".


As what Aris has stated, learning how to punish correctly has a tremendous effect on any fighting game match you're currently playing. Landing a punish and riding the momentum can possibly turn the tables against the opponent.


As a final word, knowing how to punish your opponent's mistakes and capitalize on it will be a huge asset in your journey to the top of the competitive scene.  I for one has seen what learning this skill can do to your game. So if you're itching to give your enemies a taste of their own medicine, there's no better way than punishing them for their mistakes!

Blogpost 1: Movement, The most important fundamental skill

    Movement is an underrated skill a beginner in the world of fighting games tend to overlook. But in reality, it is looked upon by high-level competitive players as one of the most important technical fundamental skill a player should possess. In some games, it is literally what separates the pros to the scrubs when it comes to games that rely heavily on this aspect  like Super Smash Bros and the Tekken series.

In my quest to shed light in this subject, i stumbled upon an article that touches upon this aspect of fighting games entitled "Fighting Games and the Power of Motion" by Mark Filipowich. The article itself isn't that in-depth about the aspect but it sure made it a point that movement is a universal fundamental that is present in this genre of videogames. He explained in the article that no matter how unrealistic these games may seem, it is still based from the realisms of the human body and physics of martial arts.


Filipowich said two things in the articles that caught my attention regarding the subject of understanding movement as an integral part of fighting games anyone aiming to play at a competitive level shouldn't miss. "To play a fighting game, a player must have a deep knowledge of their character’s range, hit boxes, mobility, and use of space. In short, the player must come to know the strengths, limitations, and movements of a human body." and " Fighting games are more deeply centered on physical movement than any other game and that highlights the myriad of ways that motion can be presented."



 Mr. Filipowich clearly made it a point that the movement aspect can never be underestimated in the realm of fighting games. First of all, no matter how unrealistic some of these games may look, they are of course based on reality and reality seems to be saying the same thing. Anyone who knows the successes of the man called "The Dragon" in the world of Mixed-Martial Arts will definitely agree as well. Lyoto Machida is known for his elusiveness and excellent movement that is regarded as the World's best.

 

  
 
Another article i've scouted is written anonymously by the Fighting game community based in Sonic Hurricane dot com that goes with the title "Footsies Handbook". A collection of information about footsies, a slang term used to refer to the ground game strategy involving movement. It covers about the simple and the complex things on how to utilize movement to stay relevant in the cruel atmosphere of the meta in any fighting game,

The article supports my first claims about movement not being given more importance despite how important it is from these words."Nobody really talks about footsies in concrete terms because it’s seen as a complex and elusive subject. Hopefully these articles will help change that perception, because anyone who wants to compete at tournament level absolutely needs to know this stuff. You don’t have to use it but you have to be aware it exists."


I can't stress enough how important movement is to be learned and understood if you have plans of playing fighting games in a competition level. Despite how complex and mind-boggling this aspect of the game sounds, it is an inseparable part of it that tends to be looked away from.If you have plans to go pro though, have no fear in exploring movement as it is actually one of the most fun and interesting part of matches once you have understood the meta. Get those sticks rolling and practice those amazing and fluid movements now!