Tekken World Tour – MacSplicer

The State of the FGC in 2021
Date Published: 26 May, 2021

The Fighting Game Community (FGC) is no stranger to change. In it’s short history, the scene saw its roots planted in the arcades, transition over to home consoles, then eventually evolve into a legitimate online presence, which arguably prompted the community’s most recent evolution, one which inhabits the world of professional gaming, or what is better known as Esports.

However, as the FGC was quickly moving towards bigger and better, be it with larger crowds, larger prize pools, and a larger spotlight, it all came to a screeching halt, as while the FGC is known to quickly embrace change, even they were not impervious to what everyone experienced in the last year. As the world dealt with a global pandemic (COVID-19), normal everyday living became even more so of a privilege, and as each community in society had to find a way to live in an age of a pandemic, a small yet determined community dedicated to the love of fighting games found itself evolving once again.

Continue reading “The State of the FGC in 2021” →

What Happened to Tekken 7?
Date Published: 17 April, 2020

Tekken 7 has been a fighting game community (FGC) darling practically since its initial arcade reveal in early 2015. The game came at a time when the FGC was going through quite a transition, and seemingly capitalized on the old idiom “In the right place, at the right time.”

However, over five years post its arcade introduction, the game has gone through a multitude of changes. It has declared numerous champions of contrasting walks of life, it has invigorated the 3-D fighting game space once again, and perhaps most importantly, it has been a major player in the postmodern era of fighting games.

Yet, despite its major contribution to the FGC, the current narrative around Tekken 7 is drastically different from what it was just merely three years ago, with its 2017 home console release. Therefore, as we stand here in the early months of the year 2020 we must ask, “What happened to Tekken 7?” Continue reading “What Happened to Tekken 7?” →

The State of the FGC in 2019
Date Published: 22 May, 2019

The year 2018 in fighting games was perhaps the first time in a long while where the fighting game community’s outlook moved away from the traditional star of the show featuring a bunch of supporting roles, to it’s current outlook which better resembles an ensemble cast with a couple of big names.

However, unlike a changing of the guard, the landscape of the FGC in the year 2019 is one that is seemingly taking on both the new school approach to fighting games, yet still leaving a wide enough window for the old-school fighting game identity to fit into. Continue reading “The State of the FGC in 2019” →

What Does It Mean to Be a Fighting Game Player?
Date Published: 22 January, 2018

Fighting games are a home to a very specific type of video game player, and while that same home may get various visitors from time to time, it’s the players that decide to become residents that make it special.

Unlike other competitive video game landscapes, the community that makes up fighting games is somewhat wired differently when compared to communities that make up first-person shooters like Counter-Strike, MOBAs like League of Legends, or even card games like Hearthstone. Continue reading “What Does It Mean to Be a Fighting Game Player?” →