When I was a young lad my older brother used to steal lots of cool
stuff and gift it to me. One year for my birthday he gave me a Dreamcast and a copy of Sonic Adventure. That
game was dope and I played it a lot, but my life really changed a few months later when he climbed through the bedroom window and handed me a copy of The
King of Fighters ‘98.

I snuck that shit to school and played on a class room tv with my friends
at recess. Everyone loved it but only I could play training mode at home so I bodied them all. Their frustration brought immense satisfaction.

I was a big fish until I crossed the pond. On a family trip to Japan,
I wandered away from my parents and into a dingy hidden corner of Tokyo. A sour smoky haze filled the air of the arcade. I coughed as I entered. The sound clashed with the chaotic music of several video games beeping and whirring, and echoing big explosion
noises. A disheveled salesman slumped against a pachinko machine sat up slightly and eyed me. He was the only other person in the game room.

My attention was quickly caught by one of the cabinets nestled between
Street Fighter
and a broken light-gun game. It was The King of Fighters ‘98.

I sat at a stool in front of the game and dug in my pocket for the
chump change my parents had given me. I pumped the money into the machine and looked back up to see the man from the floor standing next to me. He grinned and put in his own money.

Filled with national pride by the events of 9/11, I picked my usual
team of Terry, Yuri, and Daimon but colored them Red White and Blue. In that moment I felt an intangible sense of pride in myself and my country. Something was swelling inside me but it was cut short of climax as the game started and my opponent eviscerated
me. My mind went blank from the beating by the beginning of the final round.

The announcer’s call of KO snapped me back to reality, a world of anguish.
The man said something I couldn't understand and I began to cry. My parents found me an hour later sniffling on a bench outside the establishment.

Fighting games slapped me with my own mortality when I felt invincible.
For many summers I wanted to die but in time I came to learn a tremendous amount from the experience.

YOU TOO CAN BECOME ENLIGHTENED BY FIGHTING GAMES

Join us every Friday at 7:00 PM in AW 302 to talk shit and push buttons.

Deep Love,
        Troy
        a
fighting game enthusiast