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Pao Pao Cafe => Social Club => Topic started by: solidshark on March 11, 2011, 01:07:19 AM

Title: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: solidshark on March 11, 2011, 01:07:19 AM
Something Kane said in a XIII thread (http://dreamcancel.com/forum/index.php?topic=65.msg10881#msg10881) got me thinking about the age demographics of fighters now. I assmue most kids, teens, or early 20's game players are into the FPS, Sports, Strategy (PC), and other genres, where as gamers my age (25+) and older go back to Genesis, SNES, NeoGeo if you could afford, and Arcade, and are still avid fans of Fighting, Platform, and RPGs.

With fighting in particular, I know the industry has made things easier for fighting games (particlularly SSF4 & MVC3); whether or not that's good for sales, it's had an effect on the player-base and kind of fighters we see now. I see lots of players younger than me playing the Capcom games, occassionally SCIV or Tekken5/6, but that's about it. In my area (SE Michigan, Detroit mostly), I've seen people try to promote what would be the harder games, including GGXX, VF4&5, KOF, 3S, and very few, if any younger or unfamiliar ever tried.


Have others seen different trends with younger fighters anywhere else, or is it the same all over?
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: PureYeti on March 11, 2011, 02:31:59 AM
Some 18 and up does play old school games up to the current generation and mainstream. The main fighters here are Capcom, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken. The younger people are more into whatever is current or mainstream games. No one tries to promote other fighting games either because they are more focus on life and school, play it casually, or more into current fighters or other genres.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Shinra Shiranui on March 11, 2011, 02:57:21 AM
I think i am the youngest here lol. Well most of my generation are only concerned about games that is in the sport and shooters genre. and even if they do play fighting games they are playing the mainstream fighting games such as SSF4 or like you said SC4 and Tekken 5/6. For example when i asked a friend of who plays only Call of Duty and SSF4 i asked him "Hey have you ever heard of KOF or Melty Blood?" he said "huh? what is that?". But there are very few who play old and overshadowed fighting games where i stay(Florida). Out of my three closest friends i grew up with one plays 3rd strike(Kenn305), one plays Blazblue(FullautoDeath), and the last plays TvC(Pat1.0). So i think the younger generation would like other fighting games but since they are not exposed to nothing else its pretty much always gonna be the focus of next gen gaming to us and i really do not like the fact that we don't try to reach out to the older games like Samurai Showdown II or SF2.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: FataCon on March 11, 2011, 05:49:16 AM
Well, to be honest, those of us who really followed/played KOF are the ones who grew up with it. We played the games in laundromats, liquor stores (okay so maybe that was just me as a kid... lol), or seedy arcades. The fighting game market wasn't on lockdown or highly branded as much as it is today. Similar to music or any form of art or literature, you can't expect the current generation to immediately take notice of a series that, for the most part, is a relic of the past. Combined with the exponential rate that fighting games, or even games in general, come out these days, it might be a bit much to ask the current generation to research or even go back to play the games that we loved all those years ago. I would have to say it's just a sign of the times and trend theory. FPS and simplified fighters are really what's in at the moment, so that's what people will focus on.

Also, to throw this out there, I think most of the people who really loved fighting games and took them seriously on a competitive level are at the age when gaming as a hobby has become less of an importance in the overall scheme of life. That passion and that drive to further bolster communities and game knowledge doesn't seem like it's being passed on to the new generation. Instead of taking years to define specific games, it's always "What new fighting game is there to look forward to this year/next year?" Whenever constructive talk happens about a fighting game (especially a KOF game) I feel like it's mostly a bunch of old dudes talking, sadly. Mind you that I personally enjoy contributing to discussions such as that. Gotta face it sooner or later though: most of us are like dinosaurs on Cybertron (not talking about the DinoBots).

*insert more rambling blah blah blah etc etc etc here*
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Custle on March 11, 2011, 10:38:23 AM
I bet most fighting game fans today are about 20-30 years old in Finland. If you're over 30-years old, then everybody think you have no life...
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Gravelneed on March 11, 2011, 05:06:19 PM
I'm 23. I first started playing SNK games when I was 6. There were cabs everywhere in NYC. The hairsalon/barber shop my mom went to had an MVS cab. My 1st games were ASO/Fatal Fury 2/Samurai Showdown. I would stand on a foot stool and play all afternoon while my mom got her hair done.

I've been playing SNK games ever since. I kinda slowed down in the early 2000's due to me moving so much. Around 2004 though, I got back into playing KOF and fighting games in general.

Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Ash on March 11, 2011, 09:20:24 PM
Gotta face it sooner or later though: most of us are like dinosaurs on Cybertron (not talking about the DinoBots).


I was about to reply "What about dinobots?" as I read it before the parenthesis =P
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: marchefelix on March 14, 2011, 06:03:36 AM
I guess the fighters tend to be older-aged. Luckily, I managed to get my 13-year-old bro interested in them.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: jinxhand on March 14, 2011, 11:58:29 PM
I just turned 27 this past week, and I've been playing games since 3... My first fighters were actually Karate Champ and Urban Champion, and then it went to Samurai Shodown, then SF2...

I do notice that over the years, the young cats don't really cling to fighters as much, and those that do I feel aren't as serious as others (there are some exceptions though, as tons of younger high level players have been appearing)... There are younger players who just simply play and go with the motion, playing 1 game for a bit then hopping on the other game that comes out-- following the more "trendy" route like followers of FPS games and RPGs (not counting MMOs)...

There are others that do enter into the 3d realm, but there's not a whole lot to offer in terms of solid 3d fighters... SCIV could've been good, if there was more than one balance patch made, and if the team was dedicated... VF5 is good and solid, but too many people are waiting for Final Showdown to be released...

The older generation that's still playing fighters might get into newer fighters, but always refer back to the "golden age" of fighters, which is cool, but I personally like for fighters to evolve somewhat; but when you look at the fighters that come out now, it seems more like devolution more so than evolution... Everything is getting pushed as a dumb down game that leaves room for so much more, but that empty space is never filled I feel...

Hopefully, with these new games (Chaos Code, VF5FS, KoFXIII, AH3, MK9, and some other games to come), there will be a true sense of what a fighting game is all about... I'm hoping that these games will draw both new and old fighting game fans, and that they bridge the gap that's needed...

Gotta face it sooner or later though: most of us are like dinosaurs on Cybertron (not talking about the DinoBots).


I was about to reply "What about dinobots?" as I read it before the parenthesis =P

I was thinking about the DinoBots, but then again there were dinosaurs in Beast Wars as well, Megatron being one of them...
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: solidshark on March 15, 2011, 04:27:24 AM
I just turned 27 this past week, and I've been playing games since 3... My first fighters were actually Karate Champ and Urban Champion, and then it went to Samurai Shodown, then SF2...

Happy belated birthday Jinx!
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: nilcam on March 15, 2011, 05:43:26 AM
I'll be 39 in July. Technically my first fighting game was Karate Champ. My mom taught me how to be a gracious loser back then.

I didn't get into video games very much until SFII. Back then, I'd hit the arcade with $5 and enter any fighting game I could and played hardocre all night, trying to stretch that $5 as far as possible.

I'm saddened to think of how low the expectations are of the current fighting game fan. The most popular games are not very good, there are no arcades to play in and there's no great and cheap way to try out new fighters. It's really a sad state of affairs.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Custle on March 15, 2011, 09:07:46 AM
Well, I'll tell my gamer history.

It was 90's and we had PC and later we got original PlayStation. I didn't play games that much, that I would tell that "I started playing games when I was 6 or so". My first fighting game was Tekken. I lost all the time, but man I loved it.

2000's my brother bought Tekken 3 and I played that game to death. I also got my first touch to King of Fighters series, by looking at PlayStation magazine, where they listed every game they had reviewed and KOF 95' was one of them. I thought "Man, what a proud name to a series."

Through 2000 to 2009 I mostly played on PC's (I still rather play my games on PC). I had to satisfy my fighting game needs by playing Tekken 3 on PlayStation or play One Must Fall 2079 on PC (I still think that OMF 2097 one of the best fighters ever). Emulators were my gate to older games. I played Street Fighters, but they didn't blow me away like Tekken 3.

At 2010, I played my first SNK fighter, SVC Chaos. I originally bought for Capcom characters (mostly for Zero), but I ended up playing with Terry. And rest is pretty much history.

I'm almost 20 (next month), but you know what pisses me off? That modern gamers can't tell the difference between 2D and 3D. Most people say that SFIV is 2D fighter, but it is clearly in 3D. "But it plays like 2D fighter". Oh really, did first Tekken have that much 3D aspects in the gameplay? For me, 2D fighter must sprites instead of 3D models. 3D backgrounds are okay, but if the backgrounds are in 2D, it is a nice bonus.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Gravelneed on March 15, 2011, 04:00:38 PM

Hopefully, with these new games (Chaos Code, VF5FS, KoFXIII, AH3, MK9, and some other games to come), there will be a true sense of what a fighting game is all about... I'm hoping that these games will draw both new and old fighting game fans, and that they bridge the gap that's needed...

While I can't speak for most of these games as I haven't played them yet, Arcana Heart 3 is the most solid, balanced, and just simply fun game I have played in a long time. There is just so much in that game to experiment with. Now new players to the game will see that the ground game may be kinda of slow but playing the game properly means you shouldn't be on the ground that much anyway.

KOFXIII/VF5FS I know I would love. Looking at the changes made to those games from previous installments makes me wanna play so badly.

Personally, I don't think Mk9 will be good but we'll have to wait and see.

Chaos Code shows loads of potential. It looks like a mix of an air dasher and KOF. I can't wait to get my hands on that game.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Xxenace on March 15, 2011, 07:18:23 PM

Hopefully, with these new games (Chaos Code, VF5FS, KoFXIII, AH3, MK9, and some other games to come), there will be a true sense of what a fighting game is all about... I'm hoping that these games will draw both new and old fighting game fans, and that they bridge the gap that's needed...

While I can't speak for most of these games as I haven't played them yet, Arcana Heart 3 is the most solid, balanced, and just simply fun game I have played in a long time. There is just so much in that game to experiment with. Now new players to the game will see that the ground game may be kinda of slow but playing the game properly means you shouldn't be on the ground that much anyway.

KOFXIII/VF5FS I know I would love. Looking at the changes made to those games from previous installments makes me wanna play so badly.

Personally, I don't think Mk9 will be good but we'll have to wait and see.

Chaos Code shows loads of potential. It looks like a mix of an air dasher and KOF. I can't wait to get my hands on that game.
if you don't mind me asking why don't you think MK will be any good?
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: jinxhand on March 15, 2011, 07:53:18 PM
I think MK has potential, but there are some things that they might want to break away in terms of MK tradition, like how certain jump attacks count as overheads, but others don't, etc... Aris (former SC player, turned Tekken player) did a good review (although I felt he seemed over defensive) on MK9... There were some points that he made in terms of the system, like how you don't get really rewarded with meter for successful attacks, but the opponent does, and the opponent gets meter quickly at that... I see the meter really working like SF4's Ultra with a dash of KoF's Guard Cancel CD attack more than a conventional SNK "Pow" meter, and based on the combo's I'm seeing, it might very well be needed-- unless of course, the game gets even more balancing...

I just hope they still have cross-up jump kicks like in the old 2d MKs... Doing combos that way are kinda fun depending on the character... I also hope that this game gets the true shine it deserves...
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: The Fluke on March 15, 2011, 10:47:14 PM
I've played the mk demo and when you cross someone up you turn around in the air to kick backwards. It is in no way weird to control, and combos are performed by doing preset button combinations like in most 3d fighters instead of just chaining basic attacks. After the preset combos you are quite free to utilize the juggling system as best you can.

I've also tried throwing scorpions spear twice in a combo, after the second spear the opponent just falls to the ground thus not allowing you to combo further.

I'm 22 btw, i have friends that are between 21 and 25 that are also interested in fighting games, though they are all quite different when it comes to what games they like and why. Some more open than others.

MvC3 is sweet imo, MK9 will be sweet (i'm hyped) kofxiii will be f'in sweet and chaos breaker should be released on ps3. Chaos code looks sort of like guilty gear and thus far seems more interesting than bb. Skull girls and arcana heart don't really interest me, but i could try them if given the chance. 3d games i only really like VF and SC, although i haven't played SC since the gamecube days. That's it for me, for now.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: jinxhand on March 16, 2011, 12:13:44 AM
Yeah I forgot about Skullgirls... MikeZ and company are really trying to make a fighter that's balanced and is worth people's time to get into...

...So I guess there's some kid who's really good with SF4 Fei Long and is dominating like crazy... Thing is he's only 13 years old... There might be hope after all...

http://shoryuken.com/content/cj-truth-13-year-old-phenomenon-3883/

Now if only there were young cats like that (especially in the states) who could crush in ST, 98, 02, and XIII... That would be inspiration for those up and coming into fighters or SNK fighters in particular...
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Cibernetico on March 16, 2011, 12:47:26 AM
The only thing I agreed with Aris on was that it is weird to see MK implementing a stance change feature. It makes no damn sense because the game is not 3D and from what I've seen, it's not as if back attacks are something big either defensively or offensively. To tell the truth, I think Ed Boon and the guys just added it to try to differentiate themselves just to have a feature that SF4 doesn't have. I think it's stupid but it's there game.

As for Aris, yeah he did make some other good points but he did whine like a little bitch too much. But I'm not surprised since he can't seem to put two sentences together without cursing or whine about something. Good player though.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: The Fluke on March 16, 2011, 01:01:08 AM
I don't know anything about stance change in mk9 but i know that some combos make your character shift from righty to lefty or the other way around, depending on how your standing. It does not affect gameplay at all, it just shows that the characters are in full 3d. You can do this by the push of a button if you want to aswell if you want to.

To further explain, you make your character stand in the same stance, but with either front or back towards the screen.

If there is an actual stance change function it is probably not in the demo.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: PureYeti on March 16, 2011, 03:44:32 AM
Its full 3D on a 2D plane. I think the flip button is just preference on which side you want to fight because of different animations from the punch and kick.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: jinxhand on March 16, 2011, 04:17:22 AM
Seems like they took a hint from VF, except there's no stance-based combos... Its just cosmetic...
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: solidshark on March 16, 2011, 05:25:41 AM
...So I guess there's some kid who's really good with SF4 Fei Long and is dominating like crazy... Thing is he's only 13 years old... There might be hope after all...

http://shoryuken.com/content/cj-truth-13-year-old-phenomenon-3883/

Now if only there were young cats like that (especially in the states) who could crush in ST, 98, 02, and XIII... That would be inspiration for those up and coming into fighters or SNK fighters in particular...

Yep, someone playing KoF or something SNK as good as CJ does with SSF4, who's under 20 and from the U.S. would probably be a tremendous inspiration; could make a lot of players look bad, but that might help even more by showing accessibility.


I think/hope he's enough of an inspiration to fighters today if his age and skill gets noticed enough. As long as it's known that younger players can get into fighters and not just "Capcom" fighters, things for the genre can begin to look up.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Nagare_Ryouma on March 31, 2011, 10:15:12 PM
I am 28.
Started with Street Fighter II and played a loooooot of fighters from the golden 2D era.
I wasnt very fond of KOF, I played it casually because a friend like it and the gameplay was ok, but I was more of a Capcom guy.
After some time, I ended up realizing that KOF was the most complex thing ever.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Ash Riot on April 01, 2011, 07:47:06 AM
...So I guess there's some kid who's really good with SF4 Fei Long and is dominating like crazy... Thing is he's only 13 years old... There might be hope after all...

http://shoryuken.com/content/cj-truth-13-year-old-phenomenon-3883/

Now if only there were young cats like that (especially in the states) who could crush in ST, 98, 02, and XIII... That would be inspiration for those up and coming into fighters or SNK fighters in particular...

That kid was actually in my pool for Evo 2010.  He's pretty good.  I think what's even cooler is the fact that his parents support him in competitive fighting games, despite how hectic certain people can be.  When I was his age, my parents barely let me leave the house, let alone go to local tournaments. :(
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Louiscipher2501 on April 02, 2011, 10:08:21 AM
Good players: Late teens into Twenties.

Bad players: Early teens.

Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: MUSOLINI on May 21, 2011, 06:48:28 PM
ive thought fighting games to my li cousins and my lil bros. my lil bros are 26, so their still og.my cousins though, the younger one is like 17 and i dont think many people his age know or played snk fighters. ive been playing them since they where toddlers.

people that dont have cool older cuz's like me ;) of even over 20 dont know the good shit. i think most of the people that know all the good fighters are at least my lil bros age (26) and older like me (up to 35?).
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: LouisCipher on May 22, 2011, 01:02:43 AM
I'm 25, got into them when I was about 20 through emulation. I largely credit Garou and MVC1 for getting me into them. I've loved fighters ever since.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: BiGGDaddyCane on November 30, 2011, 06:22:40 AM
Started playing fighting games about........13 years ago, First game was the first Mortal Kombat on Sega. From then I was hooked on every Fighting Game / Every Competitive Fighting game. From Street Fighter, to Knockout Kings and so on. No matter how bad they were I'd made the best of them for self entertainment / just enjoyed them just because it was another fighter.

Then once I got the Dreamcast I really got into them. Then my first favorite game I played was KOF Dreammatch. I used to think the cover was so sick for how simple it was lol.

(http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSUBV5NANUNKHVTRqfU-uxvO9aVi5XSaFZN2GCSKVIlquyCv-bj&t=1)
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Saitsuofleaves on November 30, 2011, 06:30:35 AM
Well I'm 20, I started just playing around with it back in the SF2 days.  Have early memories of playing things like MK, SF2, I think I have a slight memory of maybe KOF 94, but I'm not entirely sure (my childhood memories are HELLA fuzzy, especially when it comes to FG's for some damn reason).

My earliest memory was getting SFA3 from my brother for the PS1 when it came out (either 98 or 99, still fuzzy) and playing that to death...horribly.  Yeah, thought V-Ism was horrible, should give you a good idea on how much I knew about the game lol...nothing.

Didn't start really getting into them until the rerelease of MvC2 on the Marketplace.  Would've gotten into them earlier if I could actually find a goddamn copy of the game on the PS2 (thing was rare...stupid shortprint).

Anyway, did youtube, watched JWong beast on everyone like only JWong could do in that game, and it began.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: BiGGDaddyCane on November 30, 2011, 06:51:25 AM
Didn't start really getting into them until the rerelease of MvC2 on the Marketplace.  Would've gotten into them earlier if I could actually find a goddamn copy of the game on the PS2 (thing was rare...stupid shortprint).

Yeah, and back in the day on Ebay before they re-released it on XBLA & PSN; a copy of MVC2 for the Xbox, or PS2 went for like 50 to 60 dollars sometimes higher because of how rare they were since they stop making them IIRC. Lol, I still got 2 Original Dreamcast copys of the game, and the first ever MVC2 Prima Strategy Guide. good times.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Saitsuofleaves on November 30, 2011, 06:56:34 AM
I had it for the Dreamcast but it was my brother's DC and he traded it in, hence my quest.

Ah, I remember the days, played Arcade mode to death just to see and unlock all those characters.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: marchefelix on December 02, 2011, 07:22:24 PM
Never did post my age:

21. I believe I started at 9 with pressing random buttons. Luckily for me, I had picked Chang and he had an attack that did something when I repeatedly pressed the punch buttons, so I thought I was good because I OCV'd teams in Arcade Mode =P
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Aenthin on December 03, 2011, 07:33:18 PM
23 here. I started playing fighting games when I was like...what. 7? Though my first fighting game was more of a hacked emulation of Street Fighter II where Vega(Claws) was replaced by Andy Bogard (and renamed "Terry"). Whenever I think about it, the more it made me laugh. Didn't help the fact that I loved the Fatal Fury anime back then. In fact, it was Fatal Fury that pulled me into the KoF scene in 2001. Before I officially entered the KoF scene though, I was a big fan of X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel vs. Street Fighter, both of which I played after school, whenever mom had to do groceries. I also played Mortal Kombat Trilogy at my friend's house whenever possible.

Most fighting gamers I know are at their early-mid 20's now. There are some younger players who pick fighting games every now and then but I guess mid-20's are where most fighters at.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Snakz92 on December 03, 2011, 07:46:00 PM
Im 19 and i started playing fighting games when i was 10. i didnt get into following who's who in the FGC until last year. i wanted to know who's the best at and how they became so good at it. 
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: cactusmomma on December 14, 2011, 01:01:04 PM
28 here.. first fighting game was Street Fighter II, at the ripe young age of 9... first started with Duck Hunt at age 4..

Most of the competitive gamers in my area are in their mid to late 20's/early 30's, so it isn't too bad.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: m1x4h on December 15, 2011, 09:25:09 PM
I'm 26, 27 in 4 weeks. Been playing fighters since Art of Fighting and World Heroes... Thought Street Fighter 2 was boring and slow... PFFT, was I dumb.

I have about 18 years of fighting games under my belt.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: BZ Choy on December 18, 2011, 09:56:39 PM
21 years old here. First started playing fighting games with Killer Instinct on the SNES at the age of 6 I think. I was almost always grinding training mode in that game though I was never good at it.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: darkTown2 on December 19, 2011, 12:33:02 AM
i'm 21

my first game was street fighter 2 world warrior that i used to play at a gas station. It was the only cabinet they ever had and never got any of the newer versions. i was introduced to Kof a few years later.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: robisntdrunk on December 23, 2011, 10:46:26 PM
I turned 17 about a week ago, been playing fighting games since i was 6 starting with Tekken Tag, VF, and Bloody Roar (still wondering wheres that ps3 remake they need at. :() I somehow got into 2D fighters like last year ish (MvC2)

So far i only converted 1 person over to the magic addiction of fighting games around my age ;)
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: solidshark on December 24, 2011, 09:53:49 AM
I turned 17 about a week ago, been playing fighting games since i was 6 starting with Tekken Tag, VF, and Bloody Roar (still wondering wheres that ps3 remake they need at. :() I somehow got into 2D fighters like last year ish (MvC2)

So far i only converted 1 person over to the magic addiction of fighting games around my age ;)

Happy belated birthday, and keep up the recruiting; tis important to the community that the young and old play, not just those in the middle. And if you can, let them sample both 2D and 3D.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: robisntdrunk on December 26, 2011, 07:49:12 AM
I turned 17 about a week ago, been playing fighting games since i was 6 starting with Tekken Tag, VF, and Bloody Roar (still wondering wheres that ps3 remake they need at. :() I somehow got into 2D fighters like last year ish (MvC2)

So far i only converted 1 person over to the magic addiction of fighting games around my age ;)

Happy belated birthday, and keep up the recruiting; tis important to the community that the young and old play, not just those in the middle. And if you can, let them sample both 2D and 3D.

Thanks, and it'd be easy to recruit people if they weren't so afraid of spam...or at least were until they played me.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Poko4Sho on December 26, 2011, 07:49:19 PM
21 here.  Super Street Fighter 2 TNC for SNES was my jam.  Pick Ryu, spam Hadoken, make cousin throw controller.  I was 5 then and really had no clue what do besides the obvious kick punch and a hadoken, since then I've been here and there with fighters until about a year ago.  It's a pleasure to see the genre making such a tremendous comeback.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: venusandeve on May 29, 2012, 03:49:53 AM
28. Played a whole lot of fighters, mostly roms back then. Can't be bothered to go beyond button mashing for any gamer other than KoF/Garou though. (well, except tekken, which is slow as sjit.)
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Stone Drum on May 29, 2012, 06:00:43 PM
I definitely think that true fighting game "community" (rather than just bandwagon fighters) are 20+ age wise.  This is because most gamers 12-late teens are more concerned with bandwagoning and might not even have conceptualized that fighting games ARE a discipline and that there exists a community that is even necessary given the nature of these games.  And if they do have a proper conception of these games, most just don't have the patience, time, confidence, or even the muscle control to discipline themselves over a fighting game.  I recently begged my little brothers to let me try to teach them kof13.  I succeeded in getting them to understand all of the mechanics, but then it came to execution.  They both tried dozens of times to simply do 1 dragon punch or fireball and simply just couldn't do it.  You could understand how impossible it would be for them ever to get into fighting games now that they have already written off the franchise from that one experience alone.  They are 10 and 12.  But yet, one gleaming game breaks that mold and both of them are even solid at a little game called Super Smash Bros Brawl.  Plus Brawl is a game that gets the whole playing crowd into a laughing screaming riot.  I guess fighting games today are more for passionate and brain centric gamers instead of people who game to socialize and collaborate online and turn their thinking minds off.  Plus given the chronology of the fighting genre, it just makes sense that most fighting fans were there from the beginning, and already possess an innate grasp of everything about fighting games, including but not limited to tried and tested game mechanics that have carried over for decades.  Today, Super Smash is basically the only game bridging the gap between young and erudite fighters.  But there is no stepping stone to land on for the young players to cross the bridge on to more serious fighters.  Only time will tell if that game will come, but as for now, fighters are typically adults.

Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Maker on July 02, 2012, 04:09:11 AM
Im 29 and was a regular arcade rat as a child and young adult. Lots of Soul Calibur back in the day... But as my arcade scene died and lack of a good paying job more or less forced me to stop going. Like the rest i tried online. Again in my area my online connection isn't good and there isn't anything i can do for it. I'll travel as much as i can for my hobby though.

I certainly feel like the last of a kind because all my younger friends look at what i do in KoF (which isn't even impressive) and then think "WTF how do you even manage that?" I also played a decent amount of Blazblue etc recently.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: solidshark on July 03, 2012, 10:56:23 AM
To go a little OT from what Stone Drum is saying, I think even when the current 20-something crowd was playing and learning SF or whatever in the arcades, besides competition pushing us to learn, there were a lot of teachers back then, just like there can be now. Yeah there's more resources for learning things yourself now online, but having a part of the community teach someone about the game, even if just showing how to throw a fireball helps a lot more. Like I found with younger players, training them makes them feel included. Wish I could remember the name of the 13 year old kid that was trained by a pro-player in SF4 and did well at tournaments, but that's one of the best examples to date. If we can get more teachers in their 20's to show the ropes, we'd have a bigger bridge to work with.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Maker on July 03, 2012, 08:15:41 PM
Saw your reply shark and agan a little off topic but it sorta fits in with the older guys here. I may be a KoF rookie but im always down for teaching anyone anything i can to help them in a way it motivates me to become better at what i do so the people i train or assist dont hang their heads when i play.

Getting new blood to the scene is absolutely mandatory for our contnuance we just have to find people who are gonna be as dedicated as we are. Without the arcade most of my finding semi locals has gone down hill. No excuses i guess...
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Ion317 on July 07, 2012, 01:17:33 PM
I'm 28.  My first fighter was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:  Tournament Fighters.  My cousin came down from NY (I'm from SC, originally) and beat me down on it, saying that it was like Street Fighter.  He later took me down to arcade at the corner store and sat me down at SFII and Samurai Shodown, and I've been with fighters ever since.

Most of my family and friends that play fighters (pre '09-ers) range from the mid-20s to mid 30s.   I have some little cousins that have started up with the anime fighters in the last couple of years, but they seem to be intimidated by the amount of practice and effort required by real fighters to give them a honest shot, and would rather play FPSs and Skyrim instead..... :(
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: solidshark on July 07, 2012, 03:25:03 PM
Most of my family and friends that play fighters (pre '09-ers) range from the mid-20s to mid 30s.   I have some little cousins that have started up with the anime fighters in the last couple of years, but they seem to be intimidated by the amount of practice and effort required by real fighters to give them a honest shot, and would rather play FPSs and Skyrim instead..... :(

Quote
I'm 28.  My first fighter was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:  Tournament Fighters.  My cousin came down from NY (I'm from SC, originally) and beat me down on it, saying that it was like Street Fighter.  He later took me down to arcade at the corner store and sat me down at SFII and Samurai Shodown, and I've been with fighters ever since.

I think it's time for you to take up the teaching torch sir, if you can. If I have some young apprentices to teach in the future, it's probably going to be based on the game they want to play first.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Ion317 on July 09, 2012, 10:58:00 AM
(http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/a/sfa2sakura5.gif)

Just kidding.  ;)

When I get back home, I really do want to show everyone how fun these games can be.  I'm just stumped trying to figure out how to help build their motivation to practice and improve themselves.  
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: solidshark on July 09, 2012, 11:42:42 AM
(http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/a/sfa2sakura5.gif)

Just kidding.  ;)

When I get back home, I really do want to show everyone how fun these games can be.  I'm just stumped trying to figure out how to help build their motivation to practice and improve themselves.  

Just step-by-step. From normal and all their properties to HD combos (if at all). Let them experiment a little as well, but be there to teach them for the most part. If the game itself doesn't draw them in after you show them a lot, I might not push it much.

What was the pic supposed to be btw?
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Ion317 on July 09, 2012, 12:30:14 PM
Haha just saying that I'm still learning myself, so it's hard to teach anyone else.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: DarkCoffin on July 17, 2012, 08:42:04 PM
22. First fighting game was MK on SNES. Awesome.

Oh man and I remember my mom getting pissed when she found out about the blood in MK2 when me and my brother got her to rent it for us. Good times lol.

I don't think I played a KoF until 2000 or 2001 when my elementary used to hold events at this skating rink. Unfortunately the arcade scene here was dying down before I hit high school so I never really got to play all that much after Jr. High (not that I got to go to the arcades all that much either way).
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: calibur753 on July 17, 2012, 09:01:00 PM
MK 1 and SF 2 was my first fighting games at 5 years old, I got into KOF after CVS 1, KOF 99 was my first one.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Eckertmania on August 09, 2012, 01:07:08 AM
28. I started at 7 years old with SF2 in my local arcade. My first KOF was '99 Evo on the Dreamcast, and the first game I started to take seriously enough to want to actually learn the ins and outs of and want to play at a competitive level was SF4.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: zerotrigger on August 09, 2012, 08:35:31 AM
I'm 27, started my career with Mortal Kombat/Street Fighter II at 8, was no good at either of them(never really cared for MK) and swore never to play another fighter. I broke my words at 12 when Capcom's vs. series as well as Street Fighter III were gaining steam at that time I wanted to do more than just a Hadou-Ken or mash buttons. I first encountered KOF in 2000 and admit was intrigued but knew of no one who played SNK fighters when I lived in Brooklyn.Fast forward to almost a year ago when I found some tourney footage from Japan on youtube and plus the fact that I don't like the direction SF was going caused me to come over to further my knowledge of the KOF games. Learning the nuts and bolts of these games(starting with XIII)is hard but I don't quit easily.   
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: Mr Bakaboy on August 11, 2012, 02:28:51 AM
I'm 34 now. Started with fighting. Probably in 1987 with Mat Mania. Saw my sister's friend do a command move where he was in the ring and the opponent was outside he ran and fell on top of him. Simple to nowadays but I was hooked since.

SF II WW was where I saw real competition for the first time. 42 year olds playing the 10 year olds all trying to figure out this amazing game. Nowadays it seems everybody can do a qcf motion, but back then to see someone pull a fireball out was amazing.

I was very active in the local community for years. Supporting SNK, Capcom, and Namco mostly, but I did play other titles. It's aways been an uphill battle for fighters once you get into the mid 90's the wow factor wore off and you would constantly see people look for the next game to shock them. Whether it be Tekken 3 and above, Soul Calibur 2 with the console exclusive characters like Link, and Heihachi (nobody I knew really cared about Spawn), or more realistic fighters like Bushido Blade, the crowds constantly moves towards something else that could amaze them.  The hardcore group could be found, but as we all know WE don't have the final say.

Nowadays this new generation IMO gravitates either toward the easier to get into fighters like Smash Bros. , or recognizable games like Naruto, Dragon Ball, etc. Street Fighter IV was kinda a fluke cause of people knowing all those animes saying "Hey I know Ryu!". Copuled with 3d graphics that the new generation wants to see.  Similar. IMO is Mortal Kombat with all the media surrounding it The new generation can identify a bit to the story from the movies and tv shows. KOF just didn't have much susccess in the media market except for Fatal Fury which IMO is why Terry Bogard is so popular.

I have brought a system or 2 to an anime convention. It seems most would either want to play Smash Bros or Marvel vs Capcom. It's kinda sad but if the kids don't  already know your product, then there is a hesistancy to pick something new up.
Title: Re: Where are fighters at, age-wise?
Post by: maddcheddah on August 15, 2012, 06:57:34 AM
I'm 27 years old and I have always played fighters casually because I always beat my friends, but never made friends who were good at fighters. I started out playing MK and Samurai Shodown at the local liquor store because everyone hogged the SF2 machine.