Can I be perfectly sincere for a moment? Is... is multiplayer gaming, despite being more technically competent than ever, dying? I remember inviting everyone over for Goldeneye, or hitting the Playdium for House of The Dead 2 on time card and having unshakably the best times of my life. Nowadays I find myself turning on my Xbox Live only to be turned off by crude, whiney and most disturbingly, younger gamers spawning, I can only assume, from the depths of my own worst nightmares. The last time I turned on Team Fortress 2, I was greeted by a kid from England, which I thought was neat. We talked about cultural differences and what sort of things we keep busy with on our distinguished ends of the earth. As soon as the actual game began, however, he selected the spy and ran around the field raving, “I’M A SPY, I’M A SPY FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU FAGGOTS I’M A SPY YOU GAY DUMBASS I’M GOING TO SHANK YOU.”
I’ve been feeling a little defeated, lately, and it goes beyond just getting my ass handed to me at video games.
Welcome to now, a big month for gamers, especially ones like me looking to turn back the multiplaying clock to the very definition of virtual competition. The new entry into the Street Fighter saga was on its way, and to welcome it A&C Games was doing something magical.

For you nerds who don’t know what A&C Games is, and shame on you for letting your nerd brethren down, this little store with a WHOLE lot of heart is located on Spadina just south of Bloor, right next to a delightful little Mario Kart mural (but of course). This is no regular game store however, and while its shelves are stocked with a plethora of games both new and old, it goes far beyond collecting discs and cartridges. This store curates itself with trinkets, rarities and potpourri chronicling games and gamer culture. Expect to see NES gizmos you’d never seen with your own bare eyes, Final Fantasy spin offs you thought were mere rumours and Battletoad action figures. Oh and you can buy, rent and sell games, of course.

In short, A&C is about the gaming community and not just the games. Walking in there on any given day you’ll find kids on milk crates going berserk on Halo while an iTunes playlist cranks out 8-Bit chip tunes that are a-shoo-in to rub your nostalgia bones. Most game stores would just play a nonstop video of THQ ads and call it a day. Which brings us to Street Fighter, why Street Fighter you ask? What makes Street Fighter so special as a competitive game? Store owner Gar explains, “It’s the feeling of facing someone right next to you and not online, that’s where the roots are, from the arcades. There’s a special feeling from playing someone right beside you and beating them and seeing their emotions.” What better way to celebrate gamers, Street Fighter, joysticks and darkened rooms than throwing an underground (which I say because it was a subterranean basement floor on UofT campus, not because we’re pitting dogs against sharks) Street Fighter tournament and video game jamboree. Do you need a kicker? A room full of fun incarnate not good enough for you? Fine, the prize for the Street Fighter tournament? That’s right asshole, Street Fighter Four. THE game, the name which utter utterance causes button slammers to salivate. (Seriously we aren’t pitting dogs against sharks.)
I went to this event with my buds Jonny and Rodrigo, both in good spirits and exited to play some mother fucking video games.

“WE ARE HERE WHERE THE CHAMPIONS MEET, WE ARE HERE WHERE DESTINY IS FULFILLED WHERE TIME IS RE-WRITTEN, ROD, YOU’RE A CHAMP, HOW YA FEELIN’ HOW YA FEELIN’.” “I’m feelin’ pretty good.” “ARE YA PUMPED” “I’m pumped.” “WHAT DID YOU DO THIS MORNING.” “I ate three eggs.” “HOW WERE THEY.” “They were good, they were sunny-side up. So they’re good.” “OH... SO YOU COOKED THEM.” “Oh, yeah, no that’d be pretty gross. But they were good, and there were three of them.” “THAT’S LIKE THE SOPHISTICATED EAGLE I GUESS. ONLY THE STUPID EAGLE WOULD EAT IT RAW.” “Yeah I went to a diner.” “OH IT WAS AT A DINER.” “Yeah I wanted to get some air.” “OH, ALRIGHT. I GUESS THAT’S PRETTY CHAMPION-Y.” “Yeah, for sure. Oh and I walked here” “OH. OKAY.” “Yeah.” “DID YOU WALK HERE WITH PRIDELY STROLL?” “Well, I walked here, then I got some juice. It was apple juice.” “WAS IT GOOD.” “It was good.” “IS APPLE JUICE FOR CHAMPIONS?” “Yeah, yeah it has sugar, natural sugar for the brain to keep your reflexes very quick.” “WHAT’S YOUR OVER ALL STRAGEGY ROD?” “Oh, y’know, I gotta hit them, before they hit me.” “HIT THEM?” “Hit them really hard.” “YOU MEAN IN THE GAME RIGHT?” “Oh yeah, in the game.”

As we entered the doors to this room we, in the only way I can explain it, were swamped by video games. A room where on a normal day, students would be struggling to stay awake and take down doodle covered notes from their dry eyed classes had been transformed into a  mecca of FUN. Games on the tables, games projected on to the walls, games sitting next to games. New games, old games, sports games and shooting games, Goldeneye, Guilty Gear, Super Mario Kart and NBA Jam. The sounds and chatter ambushed the ears into a swirl of dorky bliss. But it was the center of the room where the main attraction was: two screens, one for Street Fighter Third Strike, the other Super Street Fighter Turbo HD Remix. It was at this point I discovered my friend Jonny had a much different attitude than my clearly cocky Rodrigo. “ALRIGHT JONNY HOW YA FEELIN’.” “Fucked.” “FUCKED? THAT’S NOT A CHAMP’S QUOTE.” “That’s because I’m not a champ.” “OH, JONNY, JONNY. YA GOTTA BE A CHAMP.” “IIIIII’m just here to have fun.” “YA GOTTA BE ONE WITH THE EAGLE. NOT THE HAWK, NOT THE T-HAWK, T-HAWK SUCKS.” “I would like to win Street Fighter four. Then I will be pro.” “YEAH, PRO, THAT’S THE WORD I LIKE TO HEAR.”

The games were off when they clicked the systems on. Gamers dug out their joystick pads brought from their personal collections. The fighters were ready. So how does one come out on top in Street Fighter? I asked Gar for the three golden rules. “Uhm.. I’m not all that good at it... but... as long as you’re good at all the special moves, know how to do a fireball and block.” Dammit Gar, that advice stinks. Maybe this random stranger has something better to say, “Good spacing, it’s really important. Learn what’s called footsies, people don’t really use the word footsies anymore, like back in the day it was very much about learning your pokes, learn the distance on your pokes. When people come at you they use certain pokes and to respond, the longer you counter you gain the advantage. And the third thing off of that is you need momentum. It’s crucial because it plays off people’s nerves, they make poor decisions, you gain the advantage, you push forward and you win your match.” There, much better, full of terms and references above me - it has to be from a pro.

I, being more the enthusiast than in any way talented, enjoyed from a distance. And by enjoyed from a distance I really mean played Smash Bros and doodled on the blackboards. But it wasn’t before long that I noticed something was odd, different, unexpected (aside from the fact Rodrigo forfeit because he wanted a slice of pizza). Where I had become so used to berating and badgering in online games I instead heard cheers, applaud and not a hint of cussing. I turned around, wiped the chalk dust off my hands and saw with my own eyes, winners, losers, viewers, all smiling and having the time of their lives. Just like games ought to be. Jonny lost later on, Chun-Li versus Guile, thirteenth place too. We left not bogged down by disappointment, but refreshed from a fun day doing something we enjoyed. Games are about fun, having fun with your friends, not trying to offend and humiliate someone half your age and halfway around the world. The next weekend I joined up with Rodrigo who bought Street Fighter Four. We got drunk, ate pizza and had the best night ever.

- King Frankenstein