Throughout this course, we got to do a lot of fun things under the guise of a real blog. I honestly didn’t expect I would get to write and talk about video games for a college class, but hey, here we are!
Overall, I felt like this course was really fun to participate in, even after we were forced to leave college for quarantine season. I especially enjoyed making that tutorial video and podcast, as they let me just kinda talk about things that I enjoy doing or playing.
In terms of what exactly I got out of the course, I definitely feel more confident when talking about things I enjoy (which was always a big problem for me). Just being able to talk with my friend John about fighting games and why people should try them reminded me that as long as I like what I’m talking about, I shouldn’t have any real problems talking about it.
Another thing I learned from this class is that any work can be fun if they are presented in a fun way. I realize that may sound simple, but I didn’t really like most kinds of work because I just kept thinking of it as something to fill a grade. But after this class, after making that streaming tutorial, writing about fighting game memes, I learned that if I can make it fun, it won’t really feel like work.
Like fighting games, I had a lot of fun learning in this class, and I hope you guys learned something along the way! I might want to continue this even more later, but for now…
When learning fighting games for the first time, many players go straight to training mode to practice “optimal combos”, and yet they learn nothing about the interactions before they get a hit. Essentially, they haven’t quite learned how to play the game, but then get go online and they get destroyed.
Right on the heels of that last meme is a very similar one; many people who play Street Fighter are familiar with this meme, or some kind of variant of it. While the chart looks complicated, many of the paths will lead right back to the big “SHORYUKEN” bubble, which when used repeatedly in a fight will surely make sure you lose the match. Comically, the flowchart ends with the player learning nothing, which is the effect of using a flowchart to play the game.
Now, there are supposed to be three memes, so where’s the third…? Well, hopefully you listened to the video as you were reading, because that is one of the biggest fighting game memes in existence, known as “Guile’s Theme Goes With Everything”. Essentially, well, you take any video you want and edit Guile’s Theme from Street Fighter II over it for comedic results. I have essentially made you into a meme by listening to that song and reading this blog! Haha! You can read more about Guile’s Theme here: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/guiles-theme-goes-with-everything
Now, according to Patrick Davison, “the ideal of a meme is the concept or idea conveyed.” The first two memes I showed conveyed what is essentially how not to practice or learn how to play a fighting game. The third meme is supposed to show that, well, “Guile’s Theme can go with everything.” It’s pretty much in the name of the meme.
In terms of how they spread, the first meme is from the SpongeBob episode where SpongeBob is taking his boating exam, yet can’t think of anything to say. SpongeBob as a whole is a rather meme-able TV show, so it was practically inevitable that a fighting game-related meme would be created.
As for “Flowchart Ken”, this meme had begun circulating around fighting game forums when Street Fighter IV released. Many new players had picked the character Ken and effectively played just as the flowchart had shown, which brought rise to the meme. The meme had spread rather quickly through those fighting game forums, bringing it popularity.
“Guile’s Theme goes with everything” had begun when a YouTube channel “guilesthemefitsall” posted a video of the Super Mario Bros. live action movie and replace the music of one of the scenes with Guile’s theme. In May of 2010, another user on the ScoreHero forums posted another version, replacing music in The Lion King, with a comment saying “It really does go with everything.” After that, the meme took off.
Two of these memes are in image format. The first is enhanced due to it being a SpongeBob meme, which many people had watched and were familiar with. The second was basically required to be an image, since it was a flowchart. The final meme could be either an audio meme or an audio+visual meme, as being able to listen to Guile’s Theme is mandatory for the meme to exist.
As these memes are meant to target fans of fighting games, visuals are fairly important to the presentation of the meme, as fighting games are an incredibly visual form of video games. Audio-related memes are also relevant, since audio in fighting games can also be important in playing the game. These memes would fall short if they were, for example, completely text-based, as the appeal of the meme is being able to see what is going on.
In this podcast, my fighting game friend “Action John” and I chat about what a fighting game is, why two people of different backgrounds can find them enjoyable, and why people should play them. You can listen to it below!
Sometimes, you want to log your progress as you play a fighting game. But how should you go around doing so? The easiest way is to start a livestream; you get to play your game, showcase your skill to the world, and interact with viewers all at the same time! In the video below, I showcase how you can start streaming with OBS Studio, a free broascasting software that allows anyone to stream to their preferred streaming platform. I will be showing how to specifically stream to Twitch.
There are a few details I left out for the sake of the video’s length; if you want to stream a console game, you can either do so straight from the console itself, as some consoles have built in streaming functionality, or you would have to buy a HDMI capture card.
I would expect people to find this video through the tags I set, as any beginner would be able to search “streaming for beginners” or “beginner streaming” and my video has a chance of popping up. Of course, there are other beginner’s guides to streaming on YouTube as well, but my tags and video title will give my video a chance to be searched for.
I think people will find my video helpful as well, since livestreaming can be difficult to follow if you relay information in just words. People would be able to see the steps it took for me to get somewhere, and they can recreate those steps in real time. Because all you need to be able to do is use a computer mouse and keyboard, it should be easy to do what I’m showing on the screen.
So you wanna start playing a fighting game. Perhaps you’re excited to enter EVO2020 and wreck some n00bs with your favorite character. But first, how the heck are you gonna play the game? Let’s cut to brass tacks: what controller should you use? You have quite a few options, but let’s cut it down to just two: the DualShock 4/Xbox Elite Controller and an Arcade Stick.
A DualShock 4, taken by my friend Nathan Sun.An Xbox Controller, taken by my friend Nathan Sun.
First: The DualShock 4/Xbox Controller. Yes, these are two controllers in the same category, but that’s because they are virtually the same controller with only one major, but nearly negligible difference: The left analogue stick and directional pad placements are swapped. This controller will come with your console and will cost you virtually nothing, since everything will already come with your console.
The placement of the left analogue stick and directional pad is negligible because it’s possible to obtain an adapter to use a DualShock 4 on an Xbox, and vice versa. Most games will be run using a PlayStation 4, so if you would like to use an Xbox Controller, you will likely need an adapter if you want to play at tournaments.
“blazblue arcade stick art 2” by Bobby Tran, Flickr.
On the other hand, if you’ve played in arcades as a kid and would like to recreate that feel, you could buy an arcade stick. These controllers are typically larger and meant to be placed on your lap or a table. However, nicer arcade sticks are also rather expensive, reaching $150 to even $300 for arcade sticks of higher quality. Lower quality arcade sticks also exist from companies like HORI and Mayflash, and while they don’t perfectly replicate the arcade feel, they’re certainly serviceable to play on.
However, these are controllers meant for traditional fighting games. There is one fighting game that’s wildly different from traditional fighting games, being Super Smash Brothers, which only exists on Nintendo platforms.
A Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, taken by @LoveAuride on Twitter.A GameCube Controller, taken by my friend Ansh Gambhir.
Officially, only two controllers are supported for Smash, being the Nintendo Pro Controller and the Nintendo GameCube Controller. The Pro Controller uses the same layout as the Xbox Elite controller, while the GameCube Controller has a rather unorthodox button layout. Both of these are completely fine for competitive use, but there are people who get hand pains for using these controllers due to how quickly you have to input commands in Smash.
That’s why Aziz Al-Yami, better known as Hax$, created the B0XX, an arcade stick created for Smash Bros. that was constructed with ergonomics in mind. Previously, Smash was not compatible with any arcade sticks, but the B0XX allowed people with hand problems to compete with a controller that won’t cause hand pains. More information can be found below.
A very informative video made by Hax$ about his B0XX Project
Now that you have this information, what kind of controller do you use and why? Let me know down below!
Some exciting news for EVO2020 has released, sharing the nine games that will be played on the main stage. There are some recurring games, as well as a few new ones as well!
Super Smash Bros., Tekken 7, Street Fighter V, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and Soul Calibur will be returning for yet another year, marking at least the third year for these games to return.
Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late [cl-r] will be arriving as an update to Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late [st], and will mark Under Night’s second EVO appearance in a row, alongside SNK’s Samurai Shodown.
Arc System Works’s latest game, Granblue Fantasy Versus, will also be showing up.
But as a surprise to everyone, EVO will also have a Marvel Vs Capcom 2 Invitational to celebrate the game’s 20th anniversary! Only 8 players known for top level MVC2 play will be invited, including the four previous MVC2 EVO winners, as well as four more to be decided at a later date.
It’s obvious that those first 5 games would be returning, as they’re fan favorites. Smash Ultimate held the highest amount of entrants at last year’s EVO, and Tekken 7 and Dragon Ball FighterZ are just getting their third wave of updates and downloadable content. Granblue Fantasy Versus’s inclusion is likely to build hype for the game, and while the game did just come out, the reception for it is very good so far. Finally, Marvel vs Capcom 2’s inclusion means that the EVO team is willing to play retro games on the big stage and still build hype over it.
One more notable exclusion from the game roster is the lack of Mortal Kombat 11. Mortal Kombat had been a staple at EVO for a long time, and yet now it’s been left out just like Guilty Gear, an Arc System Works specialty.
What do you all think? Please let me know down below!
“controllers” by Gieson Cacho is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Welcome to Alex’s Competitive Game Corner! Here, you’ll find all of the work I complete for Strategic Presentation Methods in Social Media. The goal is to improve my skills in making different types of media, such as videos or graphics, in relation to competitive and casual gaming and Esports. I’ll also talk about game design, as well as factors outside of the game itself, like the controller, game communities, and more! I’m a long time fan of video games; I’ve been playing them for years, and I have a lot to talk about regarding them, including their design, their general message, the use of music, and more! And I’m more excited to use my voice for the upcoming podcast, as well as hopefully in some memes! I have a few years in both video and image editing experience and a lot of fun ideas I wanna put into media form. But why visit my site at all? I plan on making fun, yet informative content for people who enjoy gaming. Whether it’s casually or competitively, I want everyone to enjoy themselves on this website.
Alex's Competitive Game Corner 