So, I made a post following an article on the CGS site regarding Evo 2K8 not being friendly to new players or spectators interested in the event and some very insightful posts by Zerodotjander, and said that people should step up and do something in their area to host more small events and tournaments that show our willingness to accept new players into our community and help them learn/introduce them to the community.
I see a lot of inconsiderate treatment of new members to SRK all the time, as it seems every 2008 member (as it was for 2007 members last year, and 2006 the year before that, which i experienced) has negative reputation and get flamed left and right if they are not premium. Why not simply enlighten new members on how to improve instead of telling them how much they suck? Why ostracize 3/4 of the new people in the community?
Though the article was short sighted, and some replies were equally misguided, I believe it really hit a point that needed be touched upon:** Our scene is extremely inclusive,** and it is one of the main reasons our community is such a niche group.
In the Pacific Northwest, a single man reenergized the entire scene after the glory days of the arcades and fighters died: Zach Preppard a.k.a. Preppy. After years of holding bi-weekly tournaments and poker nights at his house open to the fgc, no new players were coming, people who were regulars stopped by less often and less often all the time, and despite new additions because of the new ST scene, it still seemed like a less open/full house until one person was motivated enough to dream up and start planning the first major regional tournament in years: Brentobox. This one person reenergized the NW scene again, and opened many eyes that hadn’t taken notice of our scene before now.
My thoughts on this: Why can’t this happen more often, and in more places?
So, I encourage anybody who wants to put together a tournament in your area to step up! If you’ve got free time, think up ideas for holding a local event to play your favorite fighters, and hold small tournaments on the side. Many geeky stores will love these types of events to get free publicity and attract more customers, so ask what your local electronic shop/comic shop/arcade owners think of this type of event, or see if you can start a club at your school for it!
Here you can talk about what the state of your local fighting game community is like, and everyone can share ideas on how to start events and make it grow! Post up, people!