OAD 5: Street Fighter IV

Ok, so recently I started playing Street Fighter IV. It originally started out as an article idea, which I feel pretty sated with how it turned out. Read it and comment, it makes me feel warm and gooey inside (and can forget I have no professional paid for career). Anyway, since finishing that piece I've returned to playing it quite regularly with a weird determination. I always hate fighter controls, as panicking around trying to input the move you want just to get frustrated when you move the joystick a little too far isn't a good time. It also makes me think less of people who take the time to master such fiddly controls.



It's also introduced to me a competitive side that I don't particularly cater for normally. SFIV is intense, one on one matches against people smug in their own technique. I'm not aiming to win nor do I want to be the best, I'm aiming to make them look as big a fool as possible for wanting to win so much. I mean, smack talking to me with a badly spelled name tag and trying to bring me down. It's just so hard not to get drawn into bitterly matching them at their own game, rather than enjoying yourself.

Smack talk is just something I'll never get I suppose. I understand the pyschological intentioning behind it all, but it makes me pity rather than drawn to anger. It reminds me of Mohammed Ali, most people bloody adore him but I detest the guy. People admire him for his smack talk and the psychological game he played as well as his fighting prowess. But although calling your opposing fighter in the middle of the night and leaving threats before a match might work, it just has no sense of fun or respect.

The best matches I've had in SFIV have been against other Dan players. That feeling when I see somebody else pick Dan just brings an elated smile to my face. The fights can be just as tough and arduous as against the usual dunder headed move spammer, but we have an actual mutual respect. To be able to have a taunt off in the middle of a fight before jumping back into the fray makes me feel better than any victory where I've been hollowed out by frustration beforehand.

Any other time I've played SFIV the game has felt rude and hostile. Another faceless person po-facedly playing the game with a burning determination to win, before parting without a word. Every single Dan player I've come up against however has been pleasantly chatty, recieving and sending messages of "Saikyo Power!" putting me in the right mood to get on with my day.

I have no idea what the point of this post was. One a Day for you!