Why Game? 1 - TextFiles.com

together through each person’s desire to im-
prove, and it forces me to expand my horizons
and meet all sorts of people I would have never
encountered otherwise - and entrust in them
my physical well-being. In many ways the ap-
peal of Street Fighter is similar to the appeal of
mixed martial arts; while any bloodthirsty fool
can watch either one for nothing more than the
thrill of watching violence, true fans watch it for
the sheer complexity of the underlying game
and appreciate the so-called ‘duller’ moments
with an eye for the technique and strategy each
player is employing.
Street Fighter took me in as a naive high
school sophomore and brought me through the
world. It gave me my first job (at an arcade),
my first real friends outside of school, my
first experience traveling without any author-
ity figures (Evolution 2003) and gave me a
home away from home. I credit it helping
me develop as an individual just as much as
others might talk about learning life lessons
from Little League baseball. Just as I grew into
Street Fighter and grew from Street Fighter, I
can feel myself gradually growing out of Street
Fighter. Someday, I imagine, I will grow out of
mixed martial arts. But I feel confident in saying
that Street Fighter has taught me more about
violence, fighting, and life than I ever learned
from Kindergarten teachers or Saturday morning
cartoons. Fighting and violence are not ways to
solve problems - I still don’t want to be Shred-
der. But the two are not inextricably linked, and
people can grow - just as I did - from learning
how to fight. From learning how to play the
game.
And for all the hubbub about children being
raised by the TV, I have to say maybe that’s not
such a bad thing, being raised by a video game.
Because sometimes it can teach you so damn
much.
Reaching Adulthood Through Street Fighter 2 113