Hello my name is Dave Ro (Davero). I have been pursuing a competitive Street Fighter hobby within the Greater Toronto Area since February. Ive been active in the community since about that time as well when I finished 4th in my first tournament in Super Street Fighter II HD Remix at A/C Games on February 17th.
Ive felt a bit silly as a result though in the past few months; Ive never gotten so into a video game in my life. So Ive decided to pursue a photographic/design project within the Street Fighter community to balance me out. The need to pursue an artistic related project within the community stems from the need to get something out of it other than just playing video games. But Ive come to realize thats where half the beauty came from. Participating in a community that is as obsessed with you about such an esoteric life skill such as fighting games, it opens your eyes to the true meaning of the word dedication and community.
Anyway going back to what I was getting at, pretty much starting since this time Ive poured all my free time and resources into learning and playing various Street Fighter games. Never being a huge video game person, I only dabbled in big games a la most casual gamers; this has been quite a lifestyle reversal for me. Ive gotten to meet some interesting individuals, and found the little quirks that make up the community. You eventually find that you are known by your character colour, or your stick, or your play style. These are things I never thought of before playing competitively. The thought that one can be attached to one of a few predetermined colours shows a desire to stand out so to speak. One aspect that Ive always found fascinating about the community is the choice of controller one uses which people stake a claim to as much as your character colour. This is where this project comes in.
Let me preface this by saying that I think sticks are fascinating. They are unique to our genre. We have unique demands of our sticks and our own preferences when it comes to not only parts but aesthetically as well. It is a piece of art in my opinion.
I originally thought about this idea after reading Me In My Bag by Yi Ying Wang. Essentially the concept of this photography book is that your bag is a gateway into your life. You can get a glimpse into how a certain person lives by what they carry, and how they choose to use an accessory as an extension of their own personality. This also applies to the fighting game community. Your stick or controller can be a source of infamy or envy. There are many different controllers, many different custom modifications or sticks built from scratch. Often times there are custom pieces of art work or other various touches of personalization. Why is that? Our sticks become our weapon. Your stick is not merely a practical gaming accessory. It is a magical creation that you create a bond with. It is witness to our hours of practice, it proudly shows off battle scars of tournament travel, it shares the glory in our wins. It is an extension of our character, a statement about ourselves. Im not sure when I first got the idea, but if your asking yourself why? or if you dont see the point, know that Ive always wanted to pursue a project like this purely in the interest of fun. I wanted to pursue a project that I can look back on and be proud of because I cared enough about it to really put together the best photographic experience I can.
For the purposes of my project I thought it would be visually most interesting if I sent out a basic questionnaire that you can print out and do with as you please. You can answer them in anyway (creativity means bonus marks) and hand the sheet of paper to me. I will be putting it through a high res Xerox which will accompany your photos. Basically I’m looking for anyone in the community who has something interesting to say, or has a bad ass stick that is willing to take some time out to take some pictures and what not.
