The Fall of the Video Gaming Industry: "Fighting Games"

There is no doubt that times are hard for most Americans, and for many people abroad. As such we find that money is tight, and budgeting is a must if we hope to stay afloat in this dwindling economy. Gamers such as myself are finding it harder, and harder to afford the hobby that we have come to love and support all these years. I've had to cut back seriously on my own spending, and I only buy games with the extra money I make doing one of my side jobs. Considering these tough times you would think that game developers would have their customers' best interest in mind, but it seems they have grown money hungry, and could care less about the products they produce. This mentality is a growing concern of mine. If companies such as those who produce video games begin to sacrifice quality for the sake of earning money, then the gaming industry (or any other entertainment industry) as we know it will ultimately fail. Who will pay the price in the end? The consumers. Those who spend their hard earned cash to support their gaming habits will eventually lose all their money to such companies, and in the end the gaming/entertainment empires will be set to last for the long haul leaving us with nothing to do but live a life of poverty.

In the following paragraphs of this article I'll explain my concerns about online fighting games. While the topic may not seem as grande in scale as the concerns of the previous paragraph I assure you that the problems plaguing online fighting games are just as significant. I hope to bring to light the troubling signs that are rearing their ugly heads in the many fields of the entertainment industry with this look into the fighting game industry. sit back, relax, and prepare yourself for a lengthy read about possibly one of the most significant concerns of this century ...

As most of you know I'm an avid fighting game player who loves to speak his mind about all things related to fighting games. I can honestly become quite passionate with my debates, but I always provide facts to back up what I have to say. When it comes down to fighting games I'm no stranger to the genre, and have poured many hours of my life into playing them. You won't find me going all technical like some of the hardcore arcade aristocrats, but I can explain myself quite well when discussing the many aspects of a fighter. I like to think of myself as the walking, talking guide for fighting game amateurs. I can explain many different genres of video games including fighting games through simple descriptions, and reviews. I've been told that gamers can relate better to my simplistic form of reviewing as a result of my ability to interpret the more detailed lingo of various game titles. I find that most top tier fighting game players, while detailed with their interpretations are still a bit hard to understand for newcomers to the genre. Not all gamers out there are going to understand the button layouts told by a fighting game proffesional, and as such many gamers have to learn the games on their own.

Getting back on point though ... Over the span of these past few years I've come to realize that there has been a significant decline in the quality of online gaming in fighting games. You'll often times find that the online lobbies are populated with the worst imaginable players who are hellbent on winning even if that means cheating in some way. Back in the day before online gaming was even a thing I would spend hours playing fighting games like "Darkstalkers", "Street Fighter", "Tekken", and "Soul Calibur" with my brothers enjoying every moment of what the games had to offer. Sure we had our little fights over cheap tactics, but the experience was solid and there was absolutely no cheating involved. Nowadays though you'll find that cheating/hacking has become a mainstream event with people who share their naughty knowledge with other gamers via outlets such as Youtube. Why the government doesn't crack down on these gaming lowlifes is beyond me, but for some reason they are being allowed to thrive, grow in numbers, and over-populate all online gaming lobbies.

This brings me to my second point on the matter. I have noticed that even with past experiences of games being hacked into oblivion, the game developers still cannot come up with a solid way to combat the situation. I can understand that some hackers will always be able to crack the code, but why the hell can't gaming companies design new security measures to decrease the possibility of a repeat occurrence!? One good example of the ongoing security breaches is the "Call of Duty" franchise. While this is no fighting game franchise it still mirrors the crap that is going on with online fighting games. For some reason Treyarch, and Infinity Ward are unable to produce games with new/better security features. Capcom fighting games are also subject to such problems, and cannot seem to get their s*** in order either. As a "Street Fighter IV", and "Super Street Fighter IV" player I've encountered many hacking incidents within a two year time span. Some instances were a mere matter of lagswitching while others were more severe in nature. In fact during one of my SSFIV:AE (Xbox 360) matches I encountered a player who was able to take full control of my character, and gamertag while making me spectate the puppeteer session. Needless to say that sorry POS was reported, and probably banned.

Poor security is definitely one thing causing trouble in the online fighting game community, but is most certainly not the only problem. Recently (earlier this year) Capcom released "Street Fighter x Tekken" for the Xbox 360, and Playstation 3 consoles. While the PS3 version did not have as many problems as the 360 version it was still evident that Capcom was money hungry, and that they intended on releasing a half-assed game. The DLC for that title was ridiculous to the point that it was obvious to many Capcom fans including myself that Capcom was not looking out for the best interest of the consumers. The game was riddled with a poor online experience that had many flaws including lag, and sound quality that was sacrificed so that the game could play smoothly. I honestly wanted the game to succeed, but after seeing how bad it really was I quickly traded it for a different game. Many dedicated Capcom fans including myself have ditched the game since it's release due to it's poor quality. The proof is out there if you wish to seek it out for yourself.

I could easily go on, and on about how fighting game developers have produced games that were not properly designed, or that were lacking in some significant way. I won't dwell on it too much though. What I will say is that netcode plays a huge role in how well a fighting game plays, and that netcode is also part of the reason that fighting games are failing. As a online gamer I do not understand how a seasoned fighting game developer such as Namco can produce a brilliant fighting game like "Soul Calibur V" (which has arguably one of the best netcodes), and then can turn around to produce "Tekken Tag Tournament 2" which has a sh*tload of issues plaguing it. How do they go from "Great" to "Piss Poor"??? I do not understand it. If you are a part of the "World Tekken Federation", and have a team setup on the site be sure to stop by the forums as you'll find proof to my claims. At least 60% of the forum posts are complaints about the poor online quality, and the unbalanced character roster. The forum does not lie.

As for all of you Skullgirls fanboys & girls the problem with that game is just as bad, and just as significant. You could say I'm lying, or making sh*t up, but the fact of the matter is if you check out the developer's patch list there is a metric ton (not literally ^.^) of character adjustments, and online tweaks that have still yet to be issued. Tell me how long have you guys, and girls been waiting for that overdue patch? I've had friends who have enjoyed the game, but left it simply because the online quality wasn't up to the community's standards. As of now the patch may, or may not have been issued, but the fact remains that the developer had a lot to fix with that game in order for it to be properly playable. As such it is just another example of the declining quality of fighting games, and their designs.

No matter which way you look at it the developers/producers of the fighting game industry, and entertainment industry in general have become part of the cesspool of money hungry vultures who could care less about gamers such as you, and I. I honestly do not see a hopeful future for fighting games, or online gaming at all. Even the entertainment industry is facing extinction as we speak, because of similar reasons. If the unfortunate trend of money making over quality production continues you can rest assured that there will not be an entertainment/gaming industry left for us consumers to enjoy. It is time to speak your piece on the matter, and act on it by not supporting these greedy companies. If you quit buying products just to fit in, and base your purchases on hard facts then these companies will be forced to produce a game/product that's worthy of your hard earned cash.

- Brad (OtakuDante) -