New Blood

I've decided to take on a new project that will hopefully bring about a brand new community of fighting enthusiasts in the Bristol area.

Most of the tournament players I converse with these days have been playing fighting games since the earlier versions of Street Fighter 2. I'm sure they've been able to find their comfort in the new fighting game resurgence with ease, but where does that leave the new blood?

Many communities have been able to flourish because of the easy access to existing tournament players. I'll use my friends in Blacksburg as an example, who have been playing fighting games for as long as anyone can remember. The newer guys who have only started playing in the past few years that SFIV has emerged have leveled their games exponentially. This is due to a steady flow of great competition to put their game against.

I'm not sure which one of us said this first, but "you are only as good as your competition." In other words, you could practice by yourself for years, but the guy who's played against the most people is going to have the better shot at winning simply because he's been exposed to every style of play and strategy out there. If you play solo, then you only know yourself (or do you? That's yet to be discussed).

In the past year I'd say there hasn't really been any community growth in the Bristol area at all. Don't get me wrong, everyone still plays and everyone's skills have continued to improve through tournament exposure, it's just that there hasn't been any new blood at all. If you ask why this is a big deal then you aren't seeing the long term picture. Not only do new players foster creativity, but they also give hope that the scene will continue to grow for new generations. You could also learn something about another fighting series they play that you might not have given a chance before. Of course there are the smaller things too, such as more places to play games, more games to play, more vehicles and buddies for traveling.

So what's the plan? I'm going to introduce RanBats to a group of casual players of the Bristol area. These players (most of which I've discovered at work) have played fighters for years, but have never really been exposed to tournaments or a hardcore competitive scene. For now I want to limit the participation to the newer players for the first season of these RanBats. My goal is to hopefully inspire a competitive urge to improve their game through friendly rivalry. Much like how my other friends and I came to love competitive gaming.

The season will begin Sept 25th and go through December. For now I'll just be acting as moderator and tournament host as I want to keep things moving as smoothly and as organized as possible. Plus I'll be the only person there with experience in actually running the brackets.

Everyone seems to be pretty excited about it so far. For me I'm the most anxious to see if the so called "fighting spirit" can be awakened within this new generation of local players. And if not, who cares, cause we'll still be having a great time just playing. In the end it's a video game, and just spending time with friends is the greater reward. That and the alcohol fueled trash talking that will probably ensue.