Why Bother?

Newbie Saikyo Dojo
21

The problem with it is the motivation.

It is honestly illogical to want to be better at a task that is purely for entertainment. Any defense is just beyond reason. It’s also illogical to bash your head against a wall in hopes you’ll break it, even though breaking it changes nothing.

There is no proof that any qualities that you claim are developed can be translated elsewhere (anecdotes don’t count). Beating a game just means you can beat a game, not function in life.

Your answers only tell why people play (because it’s fun) not why to get better.

Lastly I have aspergers. So that means the whole reading people, patterns, and rigid thinking means that I’m pretty much unable to get better no matter how much I practice. You can’t beat biology.

I was expecting something logical to help, but the practice of getting better at a game isn’t logical (at least not from what I see).

Also your comparisons of “why do anything in life” don’t equate. There are no consequences for failing a game.

22

You do not necessarily have to adapt to another person’s pace. Just find your own. Trying to improve too fast will burn you out.
Improvement is a slow and gradual process. That is the advantage video games and entertainment have. No one rushes you to finish it and it can stay forever

I’d really like to devote more time to fighting games to improve, but I prefer to spend that extra time to exercise. 3 years ago I was in a sorry state getting tired easily and not even able to play video games due to hand and thumb pain. Even got tendonitis. Now I have no such issues and feel much better

23

Tell that to musical artist, dancers, musicians, artist, actors, athletes, wriiters etc. That’s all I have to say about that line. As for why to get better? Because either you want to because you enjoy competing and getting better at the game or you don’t. There’s no deep thought provoking answer here. If you don’t enjoy the game and have a desire to get better simply because you want to and enjoy the challenge. Then either be happy with the skill level you’re at or just move on bro. Hate to push someone away from playing fighters, but some games just aren’t for everyone.

24

If you can’t motivate yourself to improve and you already hate losing, then I can’t see much of a reason to play at all. However, keep in mind that most things suck when you start them. You fuck up everything, you lose alot to stupid shit etc…If you can get past that first hurdle though, you’ll start to enjoy yourself, even when you lose.

I have to say though, I disagree with the notion that having aspergers makes you incapable of analyzing patterns and reading people. There are far better players then me, but I understand that reading someone is mostly about having a memory, not auto-piloting and knowing enough about the game to understand what the best options are for your opponent to take in whatever situation they may be. All of these skills can be cultivated in matches and by experimenting in training mode.

25

you get better to unlock a different level of fun
a person playing on a higher level definitely has a different type of entertainment than a person playing on a low level

26

You can make a new goal that doesn’t revolve around winning as much. Ex) Playing to try and troll people as much as possible to induce a rage quit.

27

It is a handicap. That’s pretty much what aspergers does.

But it helps when there isn’t just one game that dominates which everyone plays. I don’t like street fighter, but everyone plays it.

28

If you don’t like Street Fighter…don’t play it because everyone else plays it.

You are simply wasting your time.

29

You sound really logical. I think a heavy part of reading people as well as just playing the game in general is using logic.

Your last sentence was interesting. Hypothetically, what if there were no consequences for failing at life? Would there be no motivation to get better or succeed at certain goals? There very well may not be, but if you can think of one then it would apply to this game as well.

30

Yes, it’s a handicap, but not to the extent you’re claiming. I’ve known quite a few excellent street fighter players who were on the autistic spectrum. My brother has aspergers too and he does a damn good job reading my play.

Also, it seems to me you’re viewing reading people as some sort of strange interpersonal psychic mystery that will forever elude you. It isn’t. Reading people involves experience and logic and being that you’re on the autistic spectrum you might actually possess an advantage over us in that regard. Even if you don’t though, you can develop these skills.

Regardless, if you don’t even like street fighter then I really don’t see much point in you playing it.

31

Losing is all apart of the game. To lose is to learn. To learn is to accept defeat gracefully and learn from your mistakes. Learning from your mistakes makes you better. You’re going to lose eventually, accept it.

When I was newb at 3S, I would lose to my friend 30-5 or worse, on multiple occasions. There has been one time where I matched him 32-32. He would get streaks on me but I kept playing, loss after loss. Eventually, I began to see results. You figure them out after playing them over and over. I’m pretty even with him these days.

Just last week I got PL’d in a MvC2 money match against another friend (10-0 / $20). At the same time I’ve seen him get double perfected by Crizzle in MvC2. I see getting PL’d as a good wake-up call. Don’t overestimate people. Accept that there are people out there who are better than you and you most likely will never get to their level in your lifetime, but that’s the goal (at least for me) is to try to be one of the best. As long as you have the right attitude, every loss should motivate you to want to get better.

[details=Spoiler]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyTuLRDbS_w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0CS0U05Qh8[/details]

“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.” ― Bruce Lee
“Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.” ― Vince Lombardi Jr.

http://i.imgur.com/MmASHJc.jpg

32

why bother being born when youre just gonna die

33

Okay…Don’ follow the crowd then. You don’t like Street Fighter then don’t play it. Play a game you enjoy, not because everyone else is playing it. Other games have strong communities and large player base too. I.E Smash, Mortal Kombat, And to a lesser extent Killer Instinct, Guilty gear.

34

then do someting better with your time instead of wasting it on something that won’t really do anything for your life long term

35

Reading people has nothing to do with logic. It’s more intuition than everything else. All I do is react to their action with some kind of counter.

Could it be that he’s not good at reading and you’re just predictable?

You don’t get what it’s like to play a fighting game that no one else wants to play. There is no point. So you swallow it and play what everyone else does.

36

Why would a loss motivate you to get better? Usually constant failure is a sign to give up. It’s illogical to suggest otherwise.

This isn’t the gym where repeat performance has actual benefits, it’s just a game. If you lose all the time then quit and play something else to enjoy. Is that not the point of them? People don’t play to lose.

37

people have given you their reasons
if it isnt for you then it isnt for you
there’s no point in us trying to convince you if you just flat out don’t want to/cant understand
Sorry
We aren’t going to justify your negative outlook

38

On Playstyles

i find if you struggle to read people in fighting games, you firstly have to find your best playstyle. for instance, i tried the style of trying to analyze during and between matches how they think. this garnered me new types of hits, but ultimately i lose. but if i focus on less analysis and more situational feeling, and momentum, I win a lot more, with no change in personal skill.

However, then i will run into a player in which their approach is strong against players like me who focus on momentum. their typical approach here is a keep away style or turning my momentum against me. so then, with these players, i have to switch up my style and don’t use intuition but play a better keep away game than them. it is possible, because keep away style general reveals more rigid patterns. then when the opponent has been baited, their patterns revealed, their style breaks down and i can then establish a momentum. but i never focus on deep analysis, because it is not my mental strength in terms of pattern recognition.

so, just like character matchups, there seem to be playstyle matchups… momentum beats strategy, strategy beats keep away, keep away beats momentum etc. Most players probably have a greater strength in any of these playstyles, and will make it their dominant one. If the opponent tries to break down your playstyle, you must know how to fight back to reassert it. There is a post on fighting games about “simplifying your mental stack”, in regards to simplifying your situational options. So, when an opponent goes at you with a jump in, instead of thinking, I have option a b c d e f and g in this situation, it is best simply to know “here, I have option z”, which you can use and react to immediately and on time. The more you play the game, the bigger you can expand your mental stack for any situation so that you can make more complex situational choices.

But what I offer here on playstyles is maybe to simplify your mental stack on playstyles as well. Don’t think “against THIS player, it seems like playstyle a b c d e f g could work.” But rather, “playstyle z” seems strong against this player, and I will briefly use it to break down my opponent." Again, the more experience with a game, the more your mental stack on playstyles can expand, but sometimes it is best to keep it simple.

Remember, fighting game players have distinct playstyles. And even the best players, who may have mastered all playstyles and can switch between them on a dime, probably all have a “main” playstyle that they are best at. Use this to your advantage as best you can.

39

You mean you can’t beat logic. Because from a logical point of view, getting better at fighting games doesn’t make sense.

The reasons given so far are weak as they are based in emotion and not on logic. Doesn’t matter how strong you feel when something isn’t logically sound. That’s what I mean. I can love a game, but I can’t justify getting better.

40

If you personally can’t and never can justify getting better, then that is your problem. In this case, fighting games aren’t for you, and then that’s the end of that.

However, when you say “Because from a logical point of view, getting better at fighting games doesn’t make sense” Is simply a subjective idea that you are trying to make objective. For some people, losing is not a logical reason to quit, but to keep going.

When you say “Why would a loss motivate you to get better? Usually constant failure is a sign to give up. It’s illogical to suggest otherwise”…You do know that some of the most talented and greatest people in life were those who constantly failed, perhaps more than normal…But they kept going, because they saw in themselves greatness, the potential to win and achieve impossible things. If you do not have this drive, then again, fighting games aren’t for you, especially if you only have fun if you win, which to many players, is simply not the case at all.

“If you lose all the time then quit and play something else to enjoy. Is that not the point of them?” People don’t play to lose." everything there is also subjective ideas. Of course, people don’t play to lose, but there are many reasons why people play, despite losing: loving the game so much that you have fun even if you lose, being a great competitor who has a dream and the possibility of winning despite how small the odds seem, losing makes you recognize the greatness and inspirational power others can have on you.

when you say, "This isn’t the gym where repeat performance has actual benefits, it’s just a game."
A game can have benefits. If it had no benefits, then a player who always loses would never play the game. But this isn’t true. There are lots of players who get bodied but keep playing.

Benefits and side-effects include but not limited to: fun, competition, inspiration, knowledge of a game, knowledge of psychology, exploring the cultural aspect of fighting games, connecting with a community, connecting with a game/character/story/music/art, self-motivation, and involuntary boners =)