Fighting games saved my life
I sit on my PC musing over this topic having had barely an hour of sleep over the last night and barely 6 hours two days ago, so I'm definitely not in the best possible shape I can be, which warrants writing one of these I suppose, just to sate my own emotions.
I just came back from SXU2018 in Auckland, which commemorates the end of my second year of playing travelling around NZ for fighting games. During these two years I think I have had amazing growth as a human and as a player, going through many ups and downs and meeting tons of amazing people from all walks of life along the way.
I find it not to be an exaggeration when I say that I think fighting games saved my life. It turned my from a bumbling fool with crippling social anxiety so a bumbling fool with still a lot of social anxiety who knows a lot of people and who is known by a fair amount of people.
It really hit me when I introduced myself to IsaacFromDC, and he told me he appreciated my commentary for DBFZ top 16 and top 8. It wasn't him specifically - the emotion had been building up the whole week - but it finally feels so good to be a part of a group of people who find you not to be a nuisance or expendable, and who believe in the things you do. I never realised how powerful a tool receiving genuine validation is, for a person who lacks self esteem. Being in the fighting game community has made me far more outgoing and changed me from the inward shell I was for most of my highschool life in Wellington.
SXU2018 was also key in that it helped destroy the stereotype I had of top players completely. In NZ I always knew the top players were kind, even though I didn't talk to many players outside of my game, but hanging out with the Australian players that came out, and going to get food with them completely removed any feelings of being an outsider that I've had in the NZFGC due to my background, showing me that my background matters not at all in terms of being accepted to be a part of the fighting game community on a global scale. The Australians didn't really care that I was a brown guy at least 6-7 years younger than them or that my results were not notable at all, we were just friends going to get food like any other friends. Quite possibly one of most uplifting moments from that weekend for me.
I love fighting games. They changed me completely and saved my life from being a desolate, lonely and grueling journey.
I just came back from SXU2018 in Auckland, which commemorates the end of my second year of playing travelling around NZ for fighting games. During these two years I think I have had amazing growth as a human and as a player, going through many ups and downs and meeting tons of amazing people from all walks of life along the way.
I find it not to be an exaggeration when I say that I think fighting games saved my life. It turned my from a bumbling fool with crippling social anxiety so a bumbling fool with still a lot of social anxiety who knows a lot of people and who is known by a fair amount of people.
It really hit me when I introduced myself to IsaacFromDC, and he told me he appreciated my commentary for DBFZ top 16 and top 8. It wasn't him specifically - the emotion had been building up the whole week - but it finally feels so good to be a part of a group of people who find you not to be a nuisance or expendable, and who believe in the things you do. I never realised how powerful a tool receiving genuine validation is, for a person who lacks self esteem. Being in the fighting game community has made me far more outgoing and changed me from the inward shell I was for most of my highschool life in Wellington.
SXU2018 was also key in that it helped destroy the stereotype I had of top players completely. In NZ I always knew the top players were kind, even though I didn't talk to many players outside of my game, but hanging out with the Australian players that came out, and going to get food with them completely removed any feelings of being an outsider that I've had in the NZFGC due to my background, showing me that my background matters not at all in terms of being accepted to be a part of the fighting game community on a global scale. The Australians didn't really care that I was a brown guy at least 6-7 years younger than them or that my results were not notable at all, we were just friends going to get food like any other friends. Quite possibly one of most uplifting moments from that weekend for me.
I love fighting games. They changed me completely and saved my life from being a desolate, lonely and grueling journey.
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