There are many thoughts that run through a new player's mind when learning a fighting game:
"Why am I taking in all this information?"
"What good will it do me in an actual match?"
"If I go to tournaments and still get owned despite what I know, what's the point in even playing?"
"What if I never get famous or popular by getting good at a fighting game?"
"What if I share what I know to teach others, but it backfires because I'm still learning more myself?"
There are many questions that lead to many possibilities of mindsets that drive us to play DOA competitively. Some healthy, some not-so-healthy. From a more general perspective, we'll go over some common reasons people play and want to win or do well:
(NOTE: The following are general, common examples. Some may have a combination of reasons and/or may not reflect everyone.)
1) The Fun Guy. One who plays for fun and just want to support its scene.
2) The Approval-Seeker. One who plays to prove themselves to others.
3) The Self-Sufficient Player. One who plays to prove something to themselves.
4) The Starchaser. One who plays for recognition and fame.
5) The Loyalist. One who plays because of a genuine connection to a fictional character they chose to play.
Each of these are valid reasons to get into a game, don't get me wrong. However, each mindset has a double-edged sword... pros and cons, if you will.
The "Fun Guy" Mentality
Pros: These people are quite the carefree bunch, and quite frankly have nothing to lose as they learn more about the game they wish to get better in. In other words, they just want to have fun. At the end of the day, it's not about winning or losing for them, but about what they can do to spread the fun factor to others about the game they love. The Fun Guy is the front-runner you want to promote your game to the offline scene and make it compelling to tournament organizers. They also seem to draw in people to have a good time with the game they play and not always make it about business.
Cons: When the Fun Guy mentality is not applied in moderation, it's often distorted to a mindset that refuses to learn something new and adapt to situations they can't get out of or avoid. As a scapegoat, the Fun Guy can become unsettling for the more competitive gamers who dislike being bound by atrocious, ridiculous rules such as "No Pros", "No Juggling", "No Teabagging"... all for the sake of "fun". At this point, the person with this mentality isn't truly having "fun", especially when the player refuses to learn said strategy which could improve the player's playstyle.
Exercise caution when playing for fun. It is one thing to have fun learning how to play the game better, but it's another when it's at the expense of others due to your own limitations.
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The "Approval-Seeker" Mentality
Pros: These people have the noblest of intentions when playing the game to get better. They may wish to help others, they may wish to support others... anything which will help strengthen the community they're trying to build. The Approval Seekers are selfless at heart, and have a means of being very humble, preferring others to acknowledge their works and accolades rather than mention it to oneself, believing they'd be tooting their own horn if they do.
Cons: While the Approval Seekers are indeed not selfish in their ways, when not applied in moderation, it too can be twisted into something dangerous. They may also incur serious emotional feelings of inferiority when it appears their contributions and accomplishments are inadequate to help and support others. They may even obsess over perfectionism to make ends meet, often resorting to unreasonable extremes. Worse, they could go for prolonged periods of self-loathing if their "imperfections" persist.
However, it doesn't have to be this way for one who plays for others. By acknowledging that perfection is an intangible accomplishment, and is merely an illusion based on a perception by others, they may be able to find perfection in their imperfections and still help others. Why? Because they learned to love themselves. Their strengths, their weaknesses, everything. As long as they have that, they can learn to love others. There are some who will take advantage of you and use that sentiment against you often to toy with your own self-worth. As someone who has gone through this, I beg you, don't listen to those people.
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The "Self-Sufficient" Mentality
Pros: These people have a heart of gold. They won't be shaken by opinions nor statistics, and they believe in making the impossible possible. Self-Sufficient people have a tendency to play for themselves are true go-getters. They'll rush into any challenge, believing something good will come out of it. As long as they have that experience, they can't be dissuaded. They dare to tread where others wouldn't, sure of their own abilities and what they must do to overcome the unknown. Those who play and learn the game for themselves are naturally born with the heart of a champion.
Cons: When not applied in moderation, this can easily turn into recklessness. Facing a challenge head-on without a sense of direction or purpose often leads this type of player into an endless maze of repeated mistakes. They can try all day, every day, but are they truly learning as they go? Do they stop and think of a strategy? Or do they numb their own pain in the most unhealthy way possible, obsessed only with beating the opponent in front of them?
Playing the game and getting better for yourself is perfectly healthy. For some, it's a means of spiritual growth and exploring your own potential and limits as a gamer. But the best results often come from the right guidance and having a good plan to improve. Take the time to look back on your mistakes; don't rush into a fight every time. And remember that if you are given the right guidance, be sure to pass it on to others so that they can be a strong player and supporter of the community.
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The "Starchaser" Mentality
Pros: The Starchasers - or those who seek fame and recognition - have a motivation to make it big in the game they enjoy playing, particularly because they have most likely seen someone else become famous for their contributions. The Starchaser player loves their game, but also prefers to find some form of success around it, particularly with money. The Starchaser may have good intentions, such as using their success to give back to its community in a big way, or to write another chapter in their life to pursue future endeavors for something greater. Sometimes, Starchasers don't even have that big of a dream. They probably just want to be noticed as an excellent player by everyone in order to find their own personal satisfaction as a gamer. And sometimes, they want to be known as the top insert-character-here player to really stand out and make their mark in the community they support, so to speak.
Cons: The downside to a Starchaser - when not applied in moderation - is that fame can turn into an obsession for relevancy and recognition. Much like the mentality of those who play for others, they are susceptible to the fear of failure, and what may have began as a feat of good intentions to give back to the community they wanted to support turns into a toxic competition, or rather, a popularity contest. An ego trip. A power struggle. When a Starchaser becomes corrupted, it becomes a big problem, especially when it is the face of the community being represented.
The Starchaser should never get caught up in one's fame that their ego and lust for power overtake their good intentions as they move up the social ladder. One never knows when they could be replaced. At the same time, they should never forget the priceless value of the friends that helped bring them to that height of responsibility.
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The "Loyalist" Mentality
Pros: Loyalists - or more specifically, character loyalists - are far from a dying breed in the fighting game community. Many who have been drawn in to playing a fighting game always had that special character that just clicked with them... whether it was the style of the character, the personality, the fighting style, or just because they found the character easy to win with. Many would go so far as to form a special bond with the character just to bring the fire back into dedicating themselves to one character. With this mentality, it becomes easier for players to understand a wide variety of characters in said fighting game, should the experienced player be willing to share what they know.
Cons: Some character loyalists however do miss the point of what it means to truly dedicate yourself to using a character in a fighting game. It's not to say it's a bad thing to have a mutual attraction to a character you like, but when it turns into an unhealthy obsession and it doesn't turn into a means of actively improving, that's when the character loyalty begins to become misplaced.
If you're a character loyalist that still adopts a scrub mentality while having an unhealthy "relationship" with a fictional character on a serious level, this will do nothing but hinder your progress, especially when the character is considered bottom-tier simply for being underused. You could've been that person to make the difference. Never neglect your potential. Don't take your dedication to a character you like in a fighting game for granted. Use any free time you have to learn something new, whether it's an uncommon matchup, or an underused move you never thought was useful. There's always time to admire the awesomeness of the character you like, but never forget, a character isn't as awesome without the player guiding his/her path to victory.
Whether you share one or two of these mentality traits, there is no right or wrong way to get into a game you love. But consider the downsides as well as the positives and be careful not to let despair get the better of you, should you fall below your expectations. Don't get me wrong, we all want to play to win... to succeed and be recognized for our contributions, but sometimes getting caught up in that can be harmful to yourself and to others. I should know, 'cause I'm guilty of that. And that, my friends, is when we should go back and ask ourselves why we picked up the game in the first place, and how different our objectives are now as opposed to then.
Are we truly playing because we love the game as we did when we first picked it up?
Have our desires turned to a lust for fame and fortune?
Do we still enjoy playing the character we like all the same, despite patches putting them to shame?
Are we playing here and there just to fit in somewhere?
Are we playing for ourselves? To improve ourselves? To help others as we did ourselves?
These are the questions you should ask yourself before picking up the game. Are your reasons giving you more happiness or more frustration? If the latter, then you may want to sit back and revisit that happy moment in your life you were fascinated about it, and if possible, discuss it with a friend who will listen. You may feel better being reassured that someone understands why you love the game... perhaps enough to get you back in the arena.
To those who took the time to read this blog and found it helpful to any extent, thank you, and take care of yourselves.
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