How fighting games changed my life
Tags: Self Improvement, Street Fighter, Journey, Games, Fighting Game Community

Ever since I was a child, I have always been that very cautious kid. I did judo for a few years, mainly because my parents wanted me to, but I never really stuck to it. A common theme of my childhood and teens was that I never really got out of my comfort zone, ever. I just sat home, playing video games and turning down most opportunities that presented themselves to me.

In 2014, a game caught me and one of my friend’s eyes : Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition (one hell of a title, I know). We both bought the game and gave it a try during the summer holidays. Not long after we had started, the new version, Ultra Street Fighter 4, came out. So we bought it too, and played on. I didn’t know that back then, but that game would have an big role to play in who I would become years later, and who I am now. It changed me, and it taught me how to improve as a person.

The link between video games and self improvement can be an unexpected one to some. How did playing Street Fighter help me become a better person? Where does that impulse come from?

Well, Street Fighter taught me skills, values and even life lessons. As weird as that may sound, there is no other way to put it. Let’s take a look at the lessons I learnt on my Street Fighter journey.

The power of practising

For this section, I want to draw a parallel between fighting games and martial arts. When you think of martial arts, it would be natural to think about training and practice. We all get the image of the martial artist practising his moves every day, maybe even for hours on end, mastering his art.

Well, fighting games are very similar in that regard. When you pick a character in Street Fighter, or in fighting games in general, they come with a wide variety of moves. If you want to understand your character well, you will have to try out those moves, think of when to use them, quite like a martial artist, really.

In fighting games, there is a “training mode”. Somewhere where you get a practice dummy and can do whatever you want with it. You can practice moves, what range they hit at, but also combos and all sorts of things. Something clicked for me when I started using this mode: if you want to get good at something, you have to practice. I’m sure that sounds very obvious to most of you, but the idea that you could practice a lot and eventually get good at the thing your practiced for was mind blowing to me.

So wait, you’re telling me that if I study maths, I can be good at it?

Being honest with yourself

Before getting into fighting games, I mostly played League of Legends. There is a huge depth to that game too, but there’s one big thing that made it hard for me to grow in that game: you have teammates. Now you’re probably thinking that teammates are good, but really, when you want to get good at something, and you fail, and you have teammates, your brain can very easily default to blaming the teammates and forgetting all the mistakes you actually made in the game.

But when you play fighting games, you’re on your own. There’s no one else to blame but you when you lose. Even when you get cheesed, and feel like you got robbed by that guy who plays a weird character you know nothing about, ultimately, you lost, and he won. There are no teammates to take the blame, you’re on your own. That experience is as harsh as it is eye opening. If you want to win, you have to be better than the opponent, and that’s all there is to it.

That taught me honesty the way no other game ever taught me. Suddenly, I couldn’t complain about “elo hell” or bad teammates. Very soon, I realised how this lesson applied to all areas in life. Ultimately, the decisions you make will decide where you end up. You can’t just complain, and hope things get better out of the blue. You have to be honest with yourself and ask the question: “What could I have done better?”

Once you realise this, it all gets better, I swear!

The growth mindset and getting better

This point is linked to the honesty part, because when you start asking the question I mentioned before, it forces you to face your own mistakes, and the reasons you lost. Instead of just losing to that random guy online, complaining about how he plays a stronger character than you and how that’s the only reason he won, you can decide to go past that feeling and dig into what are the actual reasons you lost.

There’s a very common phrase we use in fighting games: git gud. You’ll often see it used when someone complains. It’s a good way to remind someone that ultimately, complaining won’t help, all you have to do is get good, or at least, get better.

This is, I think, the most important lesson that Street Fighter taught me: the best revenge you can take after losing is to get better and learn from this loss. If you start seeing losses as learning opportunities, you will always win, and that doesn’t just apply to fighting games.

If you didn’t get the memo: go play fighting games! No really, they’re great, and the community is very beginner friendly. There are tons of resources out there, and the best advice I can give you is to just dive in and get started! And if all my talk on practice and mindset scared you into thinking that fighting games are just not worth the efforts, there’s a fabulous YouTube video on the topic, and it’s called “Why fighting games are worth it”. Go watch it!