Complexities of Competitive Gaming Communities

In a recent article published by Ultradavid, a commentator for Shoryuken.com, he discusses the dichotomy of the FGC(Fighting Game Community) and of other eSports communities. In short, he goes over the most obvious differences between how competitors are treated, the importance of a commentator, and how the audience experiences these events. What is most interesting is the fact that, as Ultradavid argues, the FGC’s history is unlike any other game. It is built upon the arcade environment, and everything that implies, as opposed to those proficient in StarCraft, spending most of their time behind a computer. The FGC demanded human interaction in arcades and this fact, is one of the main reasons for the FGC’s underground environment. National tournaments like EVO hold huge, crowded, and extremely loud grand finals matches, with everyone in the audience screaming and cheering.  An extremely engaging and exciting experience to say the least, and the secret to their success, what they hold on to so dearly is the “hype”, the energy that spawns from fighting games.

The FGC is just one realm among many in eSports. And all this brings into question the essence of eSports, what defining attribute of a game contributes to its success, in maintaining widespread interest and motivating competitors to do well. The answer to that is in the community. And while that may seem obvious to some, the reasons remain complicated. Each community, whether it is for Call of Duty, Street Fighter 4, or even League of Legends, holds some aspect of the game dear to them. Some love to be a part of a team, contributing to the whole, some strategizing to conquer others and some love a fast paced, in your face, interaction. But whatever the method of engagement, the community is responsible for any games survival and emergence as an eSport.

With this in mind, what makes a community “tick”, becomes easier to identify and becomes essential to the continuing development of the community and of eSports overall.  Understanding how these communities function would inadvertently, stimulate the growth of and maintain the interest of these games. A point that Ultradavid makes clear, is equipment used throughout different games. Call of Duty is played primarily on the Xbox 360 with standard controllers, making it easy for competitors to set up and play. Similarly those that play fighting games like Street Fighter, only need a small set up, essentially, with the only difference being the “arcade sticks” many players use. But this is not true for StarCraft. Needing very powerful computer equipment, it can be pretty pricey to compete. This simple observation is a good example of how games communities can vary, by understanding the fact that some games require more money, more time and attract different people.

Nevertheless, all competitive games have the potential to become greater than they are now with the support of professional leagues. The establishment and understanding of these varying communities first and foremost need to be understood and respected, and then growth will come naturally.

Insight into Fighting Game Development

Game development, in a staggering economy, varies greatly depending on the genre. Most notably are the approaches and developmental philosophies of tyrant companies like Electronic Arts (EA) and the struggling adaptation of Capcom, to provide a rich dichotomy. The former has a reputation for releasing a set franchise of games like Madden, Fifa etc and with much success. A tribute to the genre itself and to EA for rightfully catering to an audience that continues to buy these games. Alternatively, fighting games sales are not so guaranteed as evidenced by Capcom’s history of not releasing sequels for some time. Street Fighter III: 3^rd Strike a game released in 1999, did not see a sequal until 2008 when Street Fighter IV was announced. Similarly, Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes did not see a sequel for nearly 11 years. However, this idea has changed drastically as the fighting game community grows, in the casual and competitive scene. Investing time and money in a genre of video game that is likely to fail was risky, to say the least. Therefore, it is no wonder Capcom would release a sort of “beta version” of a game, gauging popularity and potential through initial sales. The fighting game community itself is also a great factor to consider. As the community grows, catering to the desires of the fans is essential. Patches, downloadable content, rebalancing are all aspects of a fighting game that consumers expect to see. And so, in an attempt to cater to the fans and stay afloat as a business, different versions of games like Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition are released. In this way, popularity and community feedback is gained while still profiting and most importantly catering to the fans. This was a common interpretation however, and if it weren’t for Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune, this topic would be less explored. Inafune’s departure from Capcom, along with his statements, paints a different picture for the company and the “Japanese Gaming Industry”. He relates these businesses to the more economically motivated EA rather than the creative, passionate, fan-catering company Capcom once was. Inafune claims, “The Japanese game industry is dead.” It seems rather, EA and Capcom alike, that money and power is the driving force behind all executive decisions made. Money is power, and much like Hollywood moguls, the gaming industry has become less of a creative medium and more of a means to quickly profit, as evidenced by the staggering amount of FPS’s and reoccurring Guitar Hero/Rock Band titles.

From Architecture…To Music…

The spectrum of creation is a certain type of infinite. Unfortunately, our minds cannot truly fathom the infinite possibilities the world, no, the universe holds. And as so, are thus limited in our ability to create. The light shades of blue, the complexity of design, the tension all evoke an emotion in us, which is the purpose of art. Creation itself is bound by the limits of language and sensory perception, much like the the idea of being unable to imagine a color you don’t already know, only reversed. And with that said, it is within the power of language, along with senses such as sound, that we can manifest what I would call the “anthropological spectrum of creation”.

Art, as we understand it, is represented as a form of mimesis or interpretation of one’s ideas. The spectrum, therefore, is categorized by the art forms level of abstraction. Architecture serves as the most basic form of art, highly mimetic, as in objective and less abstract. After that comes sculpture, described as being environmental and pictorial. Graphic arts (paintings and drawings) settle directly in the middle of the spectrum and following that comes the dramatic arts and narration. Towards the end comes poetry and finally the most abstract is appropriately music.

Along with this spectrum, comes the recording arts or film. Film is a special case, where it can effectively encompass the entire spectrum, and as such becomes an experience of the spectrum itself. Similarly video games fall under the same category, where they too can encompass the entire spectrum of abstraction while giving an altogether different experience; albeit more interactive. And now that the US government’s National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), as of May 2011, has recognized video games as an official form of art, artists may begin to further build on this idea.

Prologue: Evolution of Creation

As with any creative or artistic medium, I believe it is imperative to have some sort of philosophical foundation. Why do we write? Why do we create in the first place? To express ourselves, give life to thoughts and ideas and express it in a way that can captivate, motivate and inspire others. This is art.

My own philosophical beliefs drive me as a person to live as best I can, and so through the passion I find in writing, I am driven to create, to venture out into the infinite void of language, and to dive into the abyss of imagination.

The sky is the limit when it comes to creationism of any sort, but it all starts with a concept. Some compelling idea, that is righteous, dark or unique in some way. Whether it be through playwright or poetry, the beginning of the journey remains the same; with an idea. And so, comes the motivation for writing this in the first place. With so many options available in ones pallet of creation, can there be a medium that can embrace the pros and cons of different styles?

Game writing, while not yet seen as a serious medium for storytelling, can prove to be that versatile vehicle, encompassing, enhancing, and even revolutionizing the way storytelling is done and the way we as human beings interact with creativity. This is my goal, and with the power of language I will strive to write and expose the possibilities these mediums can bring to evolve as the creative beings we are.