Let me take you back a few months ago.  There I was at work, during the doldrums of Summer.  You know, the days where you have nothing to do at all until you are five minutes from leaving and someone calls you saying that you need to do something immediately.  Well it was during that lovely period of time when I tried to find something to do with myself.  How did I deal?  By watching videos of Super Street Fighter IV matches at EVO 2010.

I haven’t been much of a fighting game fan.  Truth be told that I’m absolutely horrid at them even when I was a kid.  When I was growing up I found out how to do Sub Zero’s ice shot and I thought I was hot shit at the arcades.  It lasted for about a day, after which someone with far more skill than me destroyed me and shooed me away from the machine for ever.

Growing up during that arcade fighting game culture though, and not having the necessary funds to learn how to get better, I spent a lot of time watching others fight.  Fast forward 12+ years and 50+ pounds, and I still have that interest in fighting games and seeing people with the skill and dedication to fill the game with an almost sporting event enthusiasm.  Watching the best players in the world go at it at Super Street Fighter IV was amazing to watch, especially watching not only how the players reacted, but also how the crowd got into it as well.

After that I kept watching videos on YouTube and watching some Livestreams of tournaments whenever I would get a chance.  You start to pick up on different players and their tendencies and how those skills translate into the different characters they will play, and even the different games.  It’s exciting, interesting, and you can just lose so much time just by watching.

Doing all of this g33kWatch stuff has opened a lot of doors for me, but it has also given me the opportunity to talk to many different people and tell them about things they have never experienced before.  It was with that in mind that I decided that if the opportunity ever presented itself, I would try and getting better at fighting games and enter a tournament to experience first hand what these players go through.  With the advent of console based fighting games, which gives me the ability and time to practice as much as I want, the major hurdle in me getting into the community was eliminated.  Once I read about the East Coast Throwdown happening a mere 20 minutes from my house in Morristown, NJ on June 25-26, I had no excuse but to try.

I first announced on the g33kWatch Forums, and then via Podcast that I was going to start training at Super Street Fighter IV, film / write about my progress for the next two and a half months and then enter the tournament and see what happens.  If I won even one round of one match, I would consider it a small moral victory.  If I lost to a really great 12 year old, or got matched up against the amazing Justin Wong in the first round though, at least it would be recorded and everyone who comes to this site would laugh their asses off.  Either way, at least I would be entertaining someone after all was said and done.  A win-win if you are into that kind of phrasing (which I am, sorry to say).

So once I dedicated myself to this, I went out and picked up Hori Real Arcade PRO V3 SA for the PS3, a copy of Super Street Fighter IV, and started to go at it.  I knew that this would be difficult, but you only start to realize how hard it is once you actually start to play.  The game seems simplistic after all; three punch and three kick buttons, and all the same moves we remember when we were kids.  What starts to push the boundries though is just how different each and ever character is, and how you not only have to understand how your chosen character works, but also how the opponent works as well.  Even then, they may not play that character the way you are used to, so you have to be able to adapt.

Add on top of this that since I was completely new to the Street Fighter series, I had no idea about what kind of character I might want to play.  I tried out Ryu, Dhalsim, Sagat, Ken, and more that I can’t even think of right now.  I eventually settled on Juri, despite some of her shortcomings.  I just like her style and it’s the only character that I can consistently throw out all the moves when needed.  With a character selected, I’ve just been working on playing as many games as I possibly can.  Online, in person doesn’t matter, any experience is good experience.  Will it help me in June?  Who knows, but should be an interesting ride.

Finally, I added one more challenge to this ludicrous gauntlet that I have setup for myself.  In June I will not only be playing Super Street Fighter IV, but I will also be entering the Mortal Kombat 9 tournament as well.  I want to try and document two vastly different scenarios.  Street Fighter represents me trying to break into a fighting scene that is has been thriving already for a few years.  Mortal Kombat represents me getting a game right at launch, and trying my best to work up enough skills in a fast enough fashion.

I am going to the Mortal Kombat Midnight Release, hungry to get in early and play as much as possible.  Will me training early, and the fact that it is a new game mean I can actually do something when playing at the East Coast Throwdown?  The tournament organizers will be using the new Arcade Edition DLC for Super Street Fighter IV, which at that point will have only been out for less than 20 days.  Will that mean I can sneak some wins in at that point?  Will the fact that I’m trying to train in two different games mean that I equally suck at both?

You’ll just have to keep coming back to the site and find out how I’m doing …

• Want to help me practice / challenge me  on PlayStation Network? Add “CrimsonSundown” to your friends list.
• Want to cheer / boo me at the tournament? Go to East Coast Throwndown in Morristown, NJ June 25-26.  Check the website for more details.
• Want to keep tabs on how it’s going for me? Follow me on Twitter @jvalenti57 or e-mail me directly joey@g33kwatch.com, and keep checking the website as I will be posting my progress 1-2 times a week until the tournament.
• Are you in the Fighting Game Community and willing to do an Interview? E-mail me directly joey@g33kwatch.com.