A Personal Blog by Tanner J.
-
Can You Just Cut the Horseshit, Hitbox?
Suppose, hypothetically, that you own a company. At one time, your company had a cutting edge product that has become somewhat iconic. It wasn’t exactly revolutionary in concept, and it was workshopped through amateurs in nerd forums for a while, but you were the first to do the dirty work of putting together a supply…
-
Competitive Diversity Will Always Trump Competitive Integrity (And That’s Probably OK)
We are in the Finals week of the Capcom Pro Tour 2024, probably one of the most exciting times for fans of Street Fighter. 48 players from all across the world will compete at Capcom Cup X, the winner taking home a staggering $1 million, the highest prize in competitive Street Fighter history. It is…
-
Response to Chris T and Ryan Hart – On ‘Immaturity’
It’s been a while since I’ve done a direct response blog – mostly because I don’t find much discourse around fighting games lately to be worth pontificating too hard over. Most of it isn’t serious, and if it is, the avenues of conversation people use are prone to reward the most hyperbolic and aggrieved voices…
-
What’s “Happening” to the NRS Community is “Happening” Everywhere
Over the past week or so there’s been some scuttlebutt here or there about “the state of” the competitive Mortal Kombat, or Netherrealm Studios, sub-communities. A few people had their opinions, some of them thought-provoking, some not, but everyone seemed to arrive at a shared feeling of something amiss. Most of it is directly focused…
-
I’m Participating in the Saudi Arabia Esports World Cup. Here’s Why.
As was reported last week, the Saudi Crown Prince announced that the Kingdom would be the host to the Esports World Cup, formerly known as Gamers8, and it will take place next summer in the city of Riyadh. I was very critical of the previous event earlier this year, and it’s with that context I…
-
Interview with Fashun Rivers, CEO of NOBï Gaming Pt. 2
Last time, I posted the first part of an interview I did with Fashun Rivers, CEO of NOBï Gaming, regarding many topics.. This second part will feature Rivers speaking frankly on some of his prior fighting game community organizing experience. After initial publication, Greg Lancette, the former owner of 4o4 Esports, reached out to add…
-
Interview with Fashun Rivers, CEO of NOBï Gaming Pt. 1
A month ago, I wrote a piece that was intensely critical of an upcoming event from startup gaming organization NOBï Gaming, particularly of its Chief Executive Officer, Fashun Rivers. In the midst of another criticism on X, Mr. Rivers offered up a chance to have a one-on-one interview to clear the air and explain some…
-
No, the FGC Did Not Succeed Where Esports Failed
I try not to let my general pessimism for the direction fighting game communities are trending show too much. I’m pretty fortunate to have a local community that plays lots of games, has a regular meetup spot that isn’t going anywhere, and has a lot of very good players to boot. The reality is, however,…
-
What’s the Justification For Saudi Arabia Besides Money?
Last week, I published this post about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its encroachment into competitive gaming, noting how, in the fighting game community at least, this was a largely non-controversial push, even as it had been in many other competitive spaces. The response was large, as far as this blog’s standard goes, and…
-
Saudi Arabia Is Here, and the FGC Didn’t Have the Courage Either
This week, the Gamers8 event will continue in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, hosting a Street Fighter 6 invitational tournament with a total prize pool of a cool $1 million, including $400 thousand for first place, and even last place clearing $5 thousand. That is 20 times the amount promised to the first place…
Got any story recommendations?
Them's fighting words!! 