I think the biggest problem with JPN Vs. USA is that Japan just has more people playing in the end. Think about it, If you go to Japan how far is the nearest arcade. If it isn’t within a walking distance there is always a train that will get you to the hottest spots in minutes tops. The accessibility and sheer number of players in the country is what makes it so easy for them to level their game compared to America in my opinion.
If all I had to do was walk down the block to get to the arcade and play who knows how many amazing players on a daily basis I think I would level up too, you know? :lol:
But look at America. Our country is very large and we’re extremely segregated from one another. We’ve got the East Coast which is made up on like, 2 known arcades which are overcrowded. We have the west coast with the same issue, just not enough arcades and not enough people. Then we have the rest of our country which is scattered in the middle. Where are all the good players? There are so many people out there who probably have the potential to dedicate their time to gaming and rise to be some of the best, but our culture (of our entire country), especially surrounded around gaming (especially fighting games) is completely different from that of Japan. I feel what influences this difference is again, the rarity of arcades which stunt the competitive play atmosphere.
We’re also saturated by a large number of casual players. In Japan the average casual player is at a competent competitive level in comparison to the average American casual player. Why is that? Because again, that have the tools and time to dedicate to playing. When I get home from work the last thing I think about is playing Street Fighter (most of the time) I just want to relax for a bit. For the average Japanese salaryman when he gets out of work he’ll stop by the local arcade because, heck, it’s right there on the way home! He could spend hours there if he wanted, and I would assume they usually do depending on their level of dedication to the game. How many Japanese players do you see wearing suits on a weekday evening playing in the arcades? If you live in Japan you’ll know exactly what I mean.
I feel that gaming is much more deeply rooted into the Japanese culture in comparison to America, that doubled with their accessibility and outlook on gaming is what makes the difference between our competitive gaming landscapes.
What? I’ve never seen anyone sleep outside of arcades. I’ve seen people doze off on benches there (extremely rare), but that’s hella different from falling asleep like, for the night.
And while some people do play games a lot, a lot of them also have jobs. There’s just as many American players who live and breathe games as there are JP players…
HeartNana, would you mind commenting on the validity of my post? Since you obviously live in Japan I’d like to know if what I’m assuming is accurate information.
Well, having an arcade and having an arcade where people play the game you do are two different things. Like I doubt THAT many top players live/work walking distance from big box. A lot of them prolly stop by there after work and play. It’s not as if they have to go super far, but it’s not like, RIGHT there for everyone. And for some people, just playing at the local arcade where there may not be TOP top players, but good players is good enough for some people.
And it’s not that Japan has MORE people playing (1000+ for Evo SFIV…ya…), but more like more top players live in a closer proxemity, so while in the US, there might be ONE really good Viper player in the area (or something), in Japan, in the major areas and the hotspots, there’s prolly more, so more players have more experience with all sorts of different playstyles. This means that for a US player to keep up, they have to be way better at adapting compared to their normal pace.
So pretty much, the top J-players (mostly Tokyo region, but a bit in some other regions) have things handed to them on silver platters, and IMO if the American players had that exact same kind of exposure, they would do fine and be even. However, it’s the advantages to having many arcades where a LOT of people play (thanks to a high population density) that gives Japan the upper edge in many games.
That’s just my IMO. Having played in both US and Japan competitively, when a scene did well, the things they had in common were arcades and lots of players.
Just because Japan “soft” bans him your going to ride their cock about how US supposedly uses a “cheap” character. Your so full of shit, it’s not even funny. You make it sound like Japan players don’t use over the top retarded characters.
Look at all of the Japanese players who rode on Blanka and Dictator’s ass to freedom back when CvS2 was around. Hell CvS2 Blanka in his game>>>>>>>>O. Sagat in ST. Considering at least there are characters who can downright get around projectiles and fight him either effectively or evenly.
Hell look at SBO and how many CE. Bison riders there were…20348239048230948 of them, and all Dictator needs to do is touch you once and you will die. For real man, I understand you feel that Japan players “currently” and slightly ahead, however don’t pull the nuts off making it sound like as though US players are the only ones who play strong characters in a SF game.
That’s just absolute bs, and a terrible way to try and make Japanese players sound more superior in your eyes, which reminds me, I feel they are slightly better in the Street Fighter games of today, however fundamentally (zoning and footsies), US players are still overall better and have been through out history.
Maybe a few of the highest level US players sure. It’s japan’s massive amount of high level players that is the main difference imo. Having so many good players, in such a small area, is just such a huge advantage.
edit: been playing in the arcade recently, and paying by the loss is a pretty big incentive as well.
The “Dream Team” isn’t even the top ranked Basketball team in the world: Argentina is.
Not to mention even my country’s shitty BBall team (Italy) has taken down the USA once.
/offtopic.
As many have already said, it’s about location more than alot of other things.
I lived in Italy most of my life and dominated my local fighting game scene, not because I was any good at the games, it’s just that I was the only person serious about playing.
Then I go to Rome, the biggest city in the country, and everybody hands my ass to me in every single game.
Not to mention as soon as I moved to L.A. I couldn’t win a single SF4 match for months. However, in the time spent here I’ve gotten much much better and in much less time.
I mean, I’m a total scrub so my experience doesn’t count for much, but even in my short time with fighting games moving from one location really makes a world of difference.
Yah, you’re absolutely right. The problem is how many people are you going to find willing to carry that torch? Especially when you have that easy way out its gonna be slim. Very good post!
I’ve played in Japan when I went to SBO and this is my opinion over this whole thing.
I think that our players are on par with the Japanese, at least the best of us. The problem we have is that their technical skills are better than ours. At some point it’s not about how smart you are it’s about how much you know about the game and they are way ahead of us. If we know whats going on in a particular match than we can fuck with them, but if we don’t then they are gonna run all over us. I’ve seen many amazing U.S. players lose to decent japanese players just because they got hit by a set up they’ve never seen before. It’s sad.
lol you and stuart toally missed the point…read a few posts earlier where Emil was talking about most wins being from O.Sagat.
I’m not going for or agaisnt o.sagat or claw…but just trying to show you what you missed
though you might’ve actually meant to agree with shoult with your post, Evelgest. Because that vid is essentially what shoult was saying. don’t bitch about o.sagat
No you missed the point. Sure, Japanese players use top retarded characters too, and O Sagat is a top retarded character, but the problem is that Japan has soft banned him. He is considerably better than most characters in the game and is very autopilot at. In addition, the fact that they have soft banned him means they generally don’t have nearly as much experience with him. Regardless of whether it’s Japan’s fault for softbannig him (and ultimately having low experience against him), the point still stands that he is extremely good and not many are experienced at fighting him.
Lol, no. You’re the guy that asked “where do you see Japanese players of today punishing whiffed pokes” and the answer is “every match?”
