Indestructible!

I think we all have a game we think we are good at, when I was young that game was Street Fighter 2 on the SNES. I was unbeaten in local circles.  When I travelled around with my parents I would always bring the SNES with two pads and my trusty copy of Street Fighter 2.

Many years have passed since those days but I still considered myself to be a top Street Fighter 2 player.  Meeting new people interested in games usually led up to the “So, you play Street Fighter?” question and then I’d get out my SNES and take a few games off them, proving that I’m clearly the champion of the world and that I’ve still got it.

Then it happened.  In a small local gaming centre in Glasgow, I was beaten at my own game.  Not just beaten, I was taken apart like a Lego house being hit with a sledge hammer.  It was a destruction of any ability that I thought I had in Street Fighter.  The guy I was playing was called Terry Wan and he was the new master.

I had to get it back, had to get on top again and prove that I was no push over.  I was going to be able to bring the pwn back next time I played Terry. Then a tournament appeared and that tournament was The Battle of Destiny.  A few friends had been talking about going down to spectate but I was going down to dominate.

And so the training began.  The tournament’s main focus was a game called Street Fighter 3: Third Strike.  I picked up a Japanese PS2 and a copy of the game and set about putting in as many hours as I had available.  Fortunately as the director of a Glasgow based gaming centre I had plenty of people willing to step up and play.  I played 3-4 hours a night for about 4 months and I absorbed whatever I could through youtube.  This was it.  I was going to London to rule.

It was two weeks before I was set to go when my work put the kaibosh on any plans I had of tournament glory.  Training that had been required for over a year had finally been booked and the date was set.  That date was the same date as The Battle of Destiny.  I was crushed.  This was a decisive win for my evil manager and a demoralising defeat for me.

Still, Terry (who I had forgiven and become friends with) was on his way down to compete so at least someone I knew was going to do well.  Terry, of course, went out in the first round to the French Champ.  I was shocked that Terry had been defeated but I was also elated.  Not about his loss (not just that anyway) but about the skill of the people who were the masters of these games.

The challenge for me in Street Fighter isn’t all about the winning; it’s also about the learning.  I want to know everything.  I want to soak up as much information as I can.  I’m excited about playing again.  I remember why I enjoyed playing Street Fighter when I was young. It was finding out what works and what doesn’t, finding out how to combat different techniques and using everything that I’d learned for the win.

On February the 12th 2009 I received my copy of Street Fighter 4.  And I’m still learning, adapting and evolving how I play it.  I’ll never tire, I’ll often rage, but I’ll never quit.

I am a Street Fighter!