Why Bother?

Newbie Saikyo Dojo
101

Back in 2009, I was a novice that mostly did “cr.LK > cr.LK > cr.LK xx EX Lightning Legs” and random Ultras with Chun-Li online in Vanilla SFIV. I was terrible and I never won a single match until a few weeks into playing or something crazy like that. I just lost so much. So, so, so, so, so much. But I found it fun! I was just trying to win, and that’s what kept me going. I wanted to learn something. I wanted to get good.

Cut to today: I can play many different fighting games and come up with at least a basic winning gameplan in each one. I know my fundamentals and how to adapt to my opponent. And yeah, I still lose, but every time I lose, I have the know-how to try and figure out where I went wrong so I can fix it the next time I find myself in that situation. And I’m still find it fun! Looking back, I really needed to go through those early days when all I did was lose. It’s not like I had no skill whatsoever; I just had a very low amount of skill that needed time and training to develop.

It’s like a plant: You take the seed, put it into the ground, water it, give it sunshine, etc. You’ll see no outward progress for a while. Eventually, though, with proper care, the seed itself will die (!!!) and turn into a plant. You’ll start seeing it sprout out of the earth in small shoots. Then, a larger stem will develop. Then the bloom, then leaves, then the stem gets stronger, then years later, you have this beautiful flourishing plant that came from this speck of a seed, and you’re all like, “Man, I’m glad I took care of this thing from the very beginning! Look at how beautiful it is!”

102

Absolutely ridiculous thread. Why bother learning to play a musical instrument? Why work out? Why do anything that doesn’t lead to instant gratification?

103

Wait…

Dude, I have Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), too, and so does a friend of mine that plays 'Gief in SFIV. He has an insane punish game, and I think it’s because of his rigid thinking from having AS. Myself, I find that my AS helps me to hyper-focus, which can a problem in some real life situations, but in FGs, it’s absolutely critical. You can probably find some “problem” that you have and view it as a strength that helps you play better (you could do this even if you didn’t have AS, too).

Of course, Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) has been officially replaced with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and since it’s a spectrum (as the title implies), your mileage may vary. I don’t know how it affects you specifically, but I have a feeling that, since you’re posting on here, you have at least learned to deal with it somewhat.

104

for me thinking about something and discovering something new is fun and exciting and it usually comes with getting better