JME Q&A

JME

What’s your name and its origin?
	JME is just my name jamie, and american chun players are supposed to go by their name. i used to go by ARIANA GRANDE until somewhat recently because it was kind of funny and silly.

How long is your history with 3rd Strike?
	i really started trying to improve and learn the game proper whenever fightcade 2 came out, and got involved with my local scene thru meeting people on there. i feel confident in saying i've been playing about 6 years.

Where is your home arcade?
	'the gaming zone' in beautiful, sunny tempe (phoenix) arizona.

How did you start playing 3rd Strike?
	sometime right before covid, a couple friends took me to a barcade in downtown phx called cobra arcade where they used to have an american 3s cabinet. i got taught how to do ken target combo dp and it was the coolest thing ever to me.

Who’s your main and why?
	miss chun li! i originally was a hugo main for the first year or two when i started playing, and a socal elena player named epixthered suggested that i might enjoy playing chun. i hit my first low forward super and immediately got hooked.

Which players do you respect/admire?
	way too many! so many players inspire me in a myriad of ways, from their tenacity towards pushing the game, towards teaching, towards including others in this wonderful thing we call 3s. it's hard to name anyone without feeling like i'm leaving anyone out, but i will pick 3 american players to keep it brief.
	renic - i found his youtube primers early on when i was just starting to mess around with the game casually. fast forward a couple years when i got invited to my first local hangout at blinG's house and i realize renic was there and is an az local. ty has done so much for the game in ways that i think can be kinda invisible, and he's one of the greatest humans i've ever met. my life is genuinely better having gotten to know him. long live koihaus!!!
	dr. steelhammer - he was one of the first ~top players~ to take me aside and give me some advice pretty early on. i think it was after he watched me fight justin in a frosty faustings online bracket after i had just switched to chun. he linked me some vods to watch, and listed out some concrete, specific things to implement and work on. i think a lot of my gameplay has forever been structured around the little crash course he gave me. doubt the dude even remembers, but it made a huge impact on me. he's done so much to help people learn 3s, and he's extremely funny.
	resolve - dude is just unbelievably freakishly good, it kinda pisses me off. he beat me 72-2 or something a few weeks ago. i might have cried a little bit. whatever.

Who do you consider your rival(s)?
	karamelty. we first ran into each other in an online tournament maybe 4 or 5 years ago? girls don't really play this game, so when i ran into another girl that was strong and grinding as hard as i was, it kind of annoyed me and i think we were both a little territorial towards each other lol. after a while, we eventually got to know each other a little better and played more, and got to meet irl the first time at jazzy 2025. we've been best friends ever since. there's no one i dislike losing to more than her, and she's such a bitch about beating me. i think we have both grown so much as players and people getting to know each other thru this lil game.

Which new players has your attention?
	hamasaur - newer ken player here in phx that started playing maybe 2ish years ago? he played a ft10 exhibition against a local urien player dirtymike, with the stakes being that the loser had to grill for everyone while wearing a maid outfit at the next monthly. seeing him work his butt off to improve, asking for advice, and just trying to get better in preparation was such a delight to see. he won the ft10 last game last round. i was very pleased to see mike in the maid outfit later, thanks for making it happen ham.
	skipper - i know he has a background in some anime games, but he's made immense 3s progress in a pretty short amount of time. he's extremely dilligent, very studious, and a really fun person to be around and talk to. i wish he was a little less hard on himself though! everything he has accomplished in his time playing is very impressive, and i love seeing another chun do the right things.

Are there any matches that left an impression on you/memorable matches?
	this is probably a lame answer, but the nuki deshiken ft10. i go back and rewatch it whenever i feel like i have lost my way.
	one of the first tournament sets i saw was steelhammer vs lance at frosty 2020, and i thought it was cool that dan kept the juul in his mouth the entire time.
	not really a match, but i think the kysg combo videos are suuuuper sick!

What’s one adjustment you’d make to 3rd Strike?
	chun li sa2 should have 3 bars and yun should enter sf6 burnout whenever genei jin is over.

Give us your self analysis.
	apparently a lot of people think i'm mean or something? which isn't true, because i am actually very kind and sweet and gentle. i'm the best lightning legs user in the country. i suck at everything else though.

What do you think is a fun point of 3rd Strike?
	i was thinking about this at last year's 3so, but there's something special about how our community forms itself just by nature of the game being played on cabinets. there were 6? 8? head to heads last year for like 150+ people, so naturally you have to wait your turn on one. so you have to hang out, wait your turn in the queue, watch each other play, make small talk with the people around you, get to know each other, kill some beers. i think that's so wonderful and so much fun!!! most other fighting games don't have this kind of experience or atmosphere at all in my opinion.

Will you continue 3rd Strike in the future?
	i fully plan on being an old hag and still slapping buttons.

Any last words?
	don't be shy at 3so, i love getting to meet everyone!!!