Yo let’s go
This past week, I was handed a story fromSoranews24of a tweet about a Japanese father. What followed was his own personal chronicle of how he met his daughter’s boyfriend and challenged him to a match ofGuilty Gearas a show of dominance, which ended about as badly as you’re able to imagine.
While yes, he won the set 10-6, his gloating was a bit much for his family and his junior high daughter. He ended up with no dinner and got kicked out of the house just because he’s been playingGuilty Gearsince 1998 and proved his personal vendetta against Slayer mains. Still, it’s impressive he had anything in common at all with the young man who was seeing his daughter, even if he used it as a vehicle to shame him and see if he was worthy of dating his daughter.
Okay, so the true worth of this particular story is a man with a family playedGuilty Gearwith the new generation of gamer, even if he did it confrontationally. But with a byline like,“He’s not fit to be my daughter’s boyfriend,” Dad declares after witnessing junior high boy’s lack of fighting game skills,”it immediately makes me think of all the times I was mad enough at someone to tell them to turn on your damn 3DS, you are not hot shit with Diddy Kong, let’s go. The motto was built into that game after all. “Settle it inSmash!”
My favorite aspect about a fighting game is that we’re both playing within the confines and rules of this specific video game, on an even playing field with only our reaction speeds and execution to prove who’s better. I’ve settled who was buying pizza next at a party withMarvel 3. I’ve had some friendly matches with TheBlondeBass regarding character choice inGuilty Gear Xrdafter his art exhibition went up. I think I’ve once told my wife the winner in a game ofInjusticegets to choose the restaurant we’d go out to for date night.
Of course fighting games aren’t the only venue this happens with. I think any normal, well-adjusted adult is used to throwing insults and bets inMario Kart. While I’m wary of expecting a fair outcome when item choice can rubber band wildly between a banana peel or a blue shell, at least more people can get involved in matters of opinions splintering a group apart.
So fair reader, what kind of arguments have you settled with video games? And what games have you used to frame your superior ideas or dissenting thought processes? Thinking on it, with the Switch now out for a while now, it can become an instant dueling machine. Can’t decide on a movie with a friend? Put your Switch into portable mode, hand your friend a joy-con, fire upUltra Street Fighter II(or the upcomingStreet Fighter 30th Anniversary Edition), and put your friend and their shitty taste in movies in their place. I can see it now: Makoto versus Dudley in3rd Strike, a streaming party ofMiss Kobayashi’s Dragon MaidversusSteins;Gate.
