Now, Kotaku made the argument that even sports writers inform the public when an athlete is, say, caught doing steroids. And yes, that's true, but sports writers also tell you the score to the freaking games! If Noel Brown had gone on to win the tournament that weekend, no one outside of the community would have known. Also, because of this article, people seem to think that Brown is a prominent member of the community, and therefore a reflection of the rest of the players, when in actuality, Brown hasn't won anything significant in a very long time, and in no way reflects the attitude of the rest of the community.
Kotaku is well-known for doing things like this in other communities as well, where they only cast light on the negative, so I'm not going to tear down Kotaku in this post (they do that pretty well themselves). Instead, for those of you who may not be familiar with the FGC, I'm going to tell you a little bit about my experiences with it, and give you a little insight into why I call it home.
Yeah, that's right, I'm an author, but I'm also a proud member of the FGC, and I intend to be until the day I die. I can't say I've been in the community for too long; I'm what the FGC refers to as an '09er, since I didn't start getting into the scene in any real capacity until after the fighting game revival when Street Fighter 4 hit our shores in 2009.
I've been lucky enough to become a part of the FGC in Birmingham, Alabama. It may seem like a small dot on the map (and it is) but we have some of the best talent in the country as far as I'm concerned, and I see a lot of potential for growth. We have other groups scattered across the state as well, and I've met a lot of the people in them; some I like, some I'm not particularly fond of, but that works both ways. We may not always see eye to eye, but there's a mutual love of fighting games that ties all of us together, and that's what we focus on.
I can honestly say I've never felt a more warm welcome than when I became a part of this community, so it makes me sad when I hear people who only know the Kotaku-side of it saying we're all anti-social and rude; that's just not true. Yes, just like any group you have your loudmouthed, obnoxious morons, but in my experience that's a vast minority. Most of the people I've met, after beating the crap out of me the first time we played, sat down with me later and showed me what I was doing wrong so I could hold my own next time. And that's one of the special things about the FGC: we're never complacent. Complacency is the place you hit right before you get knocked out of a tournament; you can't afford it. So, we help each other around our own strategies and tactics, and in doing so, we don't just help the other player, we help ourselves, because next time they'll know what to expect and we'll have to think on our feet.
There are a number of things to love about this community, and if I tried to list them all I'd never get done, but one of the most important is the unity we have. In each individual community, we have a sort of family, and when one of us falls, it hurts everyone, so we all keep each other strong. I can't even begin to describe how amazing it felt the first time I had almost the entire group behind me in a tournament, cheering me on. It takes everything to a whole new level, and that was the first time I truly felt like I was home.
So, don't let all the negativity fool you, because the FGC is a place of unity and family, above all else.
And, there you have it. That's all I have to say for now. I know this was a fairly brief post, and pretty rushed, but I hope I've given everyone some insight into why this community is so great. And before I sign off, I leave you with one of the most hype moments in fighting game history for your viewing pleasure: EVO moment #37.
No comments:
Post a Comment