From: mlm@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (Michael McCool)
Subject: Re: Advanced Strategy vs Guile and Ken/Ryu
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Organization: CSO Resource Center
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 13:30:31 GMT

Seth James Killian (skillian@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu) wrote:
: dphantom@triton.unm.edu (darlene an  92sep02 lawry) writes:
: >And you know what's REALLY annoying?  When about 5 of them (mostly 
: >expert players) do it between all the good machines (so that you can't
: >just play on another machine if you don't feel it's fair).  And then,
: >you win a round (there's always at least a couple of them you can beat)...
: >and they see this and switch off with someone else that they know CAN
: >beat you so that they can continue to monopolize the games.
: 
: 	Sounds to me like your basic case of "Sore-Pops-itis".  I'm a    
: 	grumpy old man and I can't win at Streetfighter.  Cry me a river.
: 	Boo Hoo.  These kids today have no respect.  So they can't fight
: 	their own battles?  Well it sounds like they fought their own battle
: 	well enough not only to beat you the first round but with enough
: 	confidence to pass it on to their buddies!  They suffer the same
: 	"disadvantage" as you do by "not being used to whoever they might 
: 	be playing at the moment".  The only unfairness I can see here is
: 	you not being fair to yourself by admitting that maybe these guys
: 	are just a lot better than you are.  You'll just have to deal with 
: 	it and grow up.  Sometimes I'll just move the joystick and let my 
: 	friends hit the buttons!  Ha Ha!  If I come up against a real loser
: 	I occasionaly play using only one hand!  If this may sound             
: 	"disrespectful" -- tough!  In SF2 you get respect by earning it on 
: 	the machine, I owe you nothing.  Bottom line - If you aren't good 
: 	enough to win (by whatever means at your disposal) then you lose.
: 	I can't think of anything so simple that quite so many people have 
: 	a problem understanding.  You don't like it?  Improve and win.
: 	Otherwise, please don't whine... Whining is the mark of the true
: 	loser.
: 
: 	Seth Killian

Well, I'll play the flamebait and respond to this obviously inflammatory 
note.

You know, Mr. Killian, not everyone is so completely out for blood that they
feel the need to be as good as you quite obviously are.  (No, I don't think
we've played, don't even bother asking.)  

The fact of the matter is, not everyone goes to play Street Fighter to 
dominate.  There are quite a few of us weird minority for whom SF2 is a 
hobby, and no more.  Not everyone has the quarters, time, or natural talent
as you to sit and practice enough to get that good.  On my own level, I go
when I need to relieve some stress and pick the prime hours at which no one
is at the arcade so I can just sit and beat the holy hell out of the 
computer.  

What I believe people are complaining about is the attitude which is taken
by persons such as you have portrayed in this article, and usually by others
who switch off between themselves when they're playing.  I don't care if 
you're better than I am.  That simply doesn't matter to me.  I'll go play 
another machine, an option which not everyone has.  What does matter is 
getting my nose ground into it.  There's really no reason to do so; your 
game makes it quite clear that you are the superior player.  You say that
people should practice and get better yet you obviously make no attempt to
help along that path.

Since this is turning into quite the long speech, I'll insert an amusing
anecdote like they taught in English so long ago.

The "best" player I ever played at SF2 was a hawaiian guy at my home arcade
I only saw once.  He was really good, but given my perspective was skewed 
by the fact that I sucked.  I used Honda and never used the kicks (they 
seemed so unnatural for a Sumo wrestler) and he was using Guile, I think.
Anyway, after I won the first round he says "Okay, well, it's learning time."
So he pulls out Honda and cleans by boat like never before seen.  BUT, he
toned down his playing and showed me some cool stuff to do, the most notable
being "Would you use your feet, for crying out loud?"  Finally I got good
enough (after many quarters, on both our parts) that he pulled out Bison,
saying, "Well, sorry, man, I feel like some computer action" and made me 
look the fool.  

The point being, he did not rub my nose in it, except in a friendly way, he
wasn't afraid to spend some money himself, and he was good-natured about it.
If I wanted someone to be rude to me I'd just go to the post office.  And 
his way of playing me was a lot more entertaining and productive on my part
than two jerkoffs giving each other five while the animations were running
and grinding me into the ground, because it's also true that when two guys
are switching off, they're much more likely to be really loud about it.  I've
beaten my fair share of people, but never have I been intentionally rude 
about it.

So, as they also said in speech class, I'll end with a summary.  Not everyone
has the money to be a master, not everyone has the desire to be a master, and
sometimes people just want to go to have some fun, and I think you'd do well
to remember that instead of assuming everyone is a Mortal Kombat freak if 
they suck at Street Fighter.

Thanks for reading.  Flame as you see fit.
--
 ____
/ oo \  Mike McCool 
\ .. /  mlm@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu
 ||||   
 \__/   "Well, you're certainly in touch with your anger."  --Frank Drebbin