Hi, this is bellreisa, and I’m going to talk about how FFA shaped my fighting game life.
My initialization into the anime fighting game scene got started with Melty Blood and the West Toast tourney series around 2007. Quite honestly, I really disliked the game back then and didn’t consider myself a part of the scene in any serious fashion. However, there was large support for the game in SoCal back then, particularly at FFA where a few of the local 3S players picked it up, such as Arlieth, Scott, hdphnz, etc. Nobody took Melty seriously back then (even less than they do nowadays I suppose), but it was because of the efforts of the arcades in that area, FFA and Interface, that the scene thrived and the game received a good run.
Even given my reservations for the game, the people in the scene were fun and the competition was exciting. Some of the most memorable moments in the early days of West Coast Melty were made at FFA. Sp00ky flew in just to compete at West Toast X. We had rivalries with multiple regions and everyone looked forward to the next tournament to prove their worth. If not for the efforts of everyone involved, there is no doubt in my mind that the Melty scene would have faded away before it even got started. Instead, the West Toast series was an entryway for many players from different regions into the competitive fighting game scene.
When Interface closed down, that was a seemingly minor blip in the radar. We had many more places to go back then so naturally it didn’t seem like a big deal. But years later, with this announcement, I think we are finally beginning to see the end of an age that we will all look back upon with fondness and nostalgia. I implore everyone in SoCal to try and support the remaining arcades and to show up strong for not just your games, but the culture that an arcade represents. For many of us, the arcade is more than a place to play games; it defined a large part of our social experience as we grew up and opened up doors to good friends we never would have found otherwise.
There is no way for me to properly return the favor for what FFA has brought into my life. All I can do to express my gratitude is to thank Ralph for his years of hard work and to wish him the best in the future.
I basically moved to CA for the competition FFA provided. It was an amazing place to go, busy ALL the time with top-level players. SoCal MvC2 and 3s would have been NOTHING without this place…I’ll never forget fighting SooMighty first round in my first ten MvC2 weeklies. It’s a piece of fighting game history, a BIG piece, and Ralph constantly did his best for the community. I want him to know that we appreciated it - I certainly did.
I’ve never played at FFA and now, thanks to this sad news, I’ll never be able to. That said, I gotta thank FFA and the players for all the vids they took, especially of 3rd Strike. It was always nice to know that, despite the 3S scene being dead where I was, there was still someplace where there was an active, passionate community playing the game.
Next time I get tore, I’m going to be doing it for FFA.
I pretty much grew up going to FFA. Long before I got interested in fighting games, it was the place where I could spend a few bucks and have a ton of fun playing things like The Simpsons, Turtles in Time, and Air Hockey as a kid.
After I got older and developed an appreciation for fighting games, I went whenever I got the chance. With multiple copies of 3s, Marvel, CvS2, ST, GGXXAC, and MBAC there was always somebody to play. They even got vanilla SF4 and BBCT way before console release.
Then, tolerable online play came about for console releases and developers released new versions of games every 6-12 months. There was no way for an arcade in the US to keep updating game versions without losing money.
FFA was a player’s arcade. Everyone knew there was no way it could be profitable to run a business like this. But somehow they sacrificed and managed to keep it afloat for the players. I really appreciate what Ralph has done for us local players as well as the rest of SoCal. I also want to thank Nate for setting up all those GG and BB tourneys and keeping it going even when interest started to wane. That series of tournaments sparked my interest in FGs again.
Gonna try and make it a point to visit at least once a week whether or not the place closes in January.
This is unfortunate, and I’m really sorry to see FFA close.
I first went to FFA with co-workers after work to play Marvel 3 for the first time. This was probably my first real experience with fighting games, and since then I’ve kept trying to improve, though I still very much in the beginner stage. Occasionally I’d stop in at FFA to play a few games, or join a casuals group to try to improve even the slightest bit,
I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve only gone to FFA infrequently, but each time I felt like I was at home. Or at least my friend’s home. I’d be quite, play a few games, and take off, but seeing the scene there always made me regret not going more.
So thank you, Ralph. Along with the staff and players at FFA, for bringing me into the Fighting Game Experience, even if I’m always still training.
i will be releasing a schedule that is going to be updated periodically so you guys can keep track of whos going to be on at what time and what events are going on. our tentative list of commentators will include :
joey cuellar - aka mr wizard!
seth killian
alex valle
mike watson
ryan gutierrez - gootecks
mike ross
john d - dr sub zero
david graham - ultra david
james chen
aris
with many more to come.
we will also be scheduling events such as various tournaments with your favorite players as well. we are setting up a 3s tourney currently since FFA was the home to the best 3s player in the USA and a breeding ground for many others that 3s fans are familiar with. more events and planning to come soon so stay tuned. thanks again to everyone and hopefully we can reach our goal and help Ralph out as much as possible.
I moved up to Moorpark about 8 years ago and was lucky enough to have FFA near me having never heard of the place. This arcade was the place to be and I’m really sorry to hear you have to close Ralph. All the best to you and I’ll be making it out to events whenever I get the chance.
Family Fun Arcade has given me so much to be thankful for.
I am proud to say that this is where Yi & I became the first English-speaking Street Fighter commentators / announcers. This idea was borrowed from the Japanese after visiting some of their tournaments and experiencing how much more awesome it can be with commentary.
The Dr. Sub-Zero show was also born here. With help from Shogs, Gootecks, Arlieth, Amir & special guests, the first Street Fighter podcast was created. It is an honor that the show has continued interest still.
All the 3S hype that FFA generated eventually got the attention of the EVO staff and they added 3S to the 2003 lineup. We were really proud of that. I really think the world would never know the Daigo parry without FFA.
So many great nights were spent at FFA; so many awesome people were met there.
Everyone please visit and support FFA while you still can. It isn’t too late! Don’t hang out in the parking lot and do drugs, either. Go inside and get some games in!
All my best thoughts & wishes go out to Ralph! He’s such a great guy, always telling me his favorite joke: What’s the difference between paying for sex and getting sex for free? Answer: Sex for free costs more. Haha it’s funny the first time. Ralph also hooked me up with a slice of Costco pizza when he bought a bunch, that dude always made everyone feel so welcome. It’s such a shame that he got cancer, but I know he will beat it, that dude’s a fighter!
I am going to do a segment during the 24-hour stream, please tune in! It’ll be like old times.
It is so sad to hear that FFA is closing down, but what really gets me is walking in to FFA and seeing people just sitting there doing nothing, not playing a single game in over an hour. This is the first semester in a few years that I actually have time to drop by and play again, I am the scrubbiest of scrubs and it pains me to see this historic place shut down, hopefully when I finally get my thesis started it will have a section entitled FFA. I never had the chance to meet Ralph but I know he is an awesome person for keeping FFA going for so long.
I live in the midwest(Iowa)…so I haven’t been to FFA or even know or meet Ralph but it really sucks to hear about a arcade closing it doors no matter where it’s at.
All businesses have dull, not busy times, and an Arcade is just like any otherbusiness in that respect,
but take a note from the poster right above you & inform twitter (including his account @AskDrSubZero) when you are heading there as this will undoubtedly gather other players to come on down too. Its like a beacon to follow in this day and age, being just that much faster than “word of mouth” or more structured meetups like a Tournament or this future charity stream.
Thanks for the stories and website link to all the information.
Please post more!
I have been going year for 11 years, a little less than half my LIFE. I got my curfew ticket here my first year discovering this place. This was a second home and family to me. I would go to FFA about 3-4 times a week with friends that drove me when I was 15 (Jaminis, Andre, Jared…) and after years of attending, I drove my younger friends there and continued the tradition of this gem of an arcade.
I can’t express how much this place meant to me. The top players that spawned from here, the competition at its prime, the rivalries and fights that broke out here, all part of my memories. This is where I met and got to be friends with the best of the best in mvc2 and 3s (Fanatiq, Soo, Amir, Rockefellar, DOGFACE!!!). Hell, even my nickname grew out of here.
I will be supporting this 24 hour stream and donating. I will see if I can connect with dogface to show up.
Never been to FFA but i’ve always been a big fan ever since, unfortunately I’m from europe so I never had the chance to visit the place.
Always have been a big fanboy of FFA, every thing that got tagged as it always made me smile, because I know content would delivered. Ralph was a man that delivered for us people, and I seriously hope he will make it out of this situation or at least that he doesnt regret anything and will feel accomplishment.
The times when most media stuff came out of FFA was in my opinion the best period of time for the fgc, as people said in this thread, without Ralph and FFA I probabbly wouldnt even be here. Even I felt like Family fun Arcade was really a family, where I got to know most of the players that went there and hearing all those stories about this place.
Wish you everything best Ralph
Tom, your fan from poland
so adding to the list we have jaha and laakira. clockwork expressed some interest and if you are interested drop me a line. really trying to get dogface here since this is where he started his commentary i believe. who knows, but what i do know is it will be a great night with alot of stuff going on including matches and hopefully i can get ralph to agree to a dunk tank! who doesnt wanna see people get owned up!?!?
