got back from Evo a couple days ago but the fatigue had me worn down to the bone so I've just been chillin the last few days. took the whole week off from work and man, i needed it.
i started going to evo in 2003-04, stopped until 2011, and i've been to each once since.
this one was special to me for a few reasons: i finally got myself a top 8 medal (7th in Xrd), i got to see my crew (thank you, @koh and Lanline) handle running shit without me in the mix, and i got to see the game i've been working on for over 7 years finally hit the show floor. each of these moments were downright magical in their own way.
i've been competing in fighting games since i was 16, but i've never really been that big a threat to the high end. i do well in CvS2 tournaments mostly because i came up playing in a stronger scene than just about any other, so i'm maybe upper-mid when it comes to NorCal and that does enough to get deep in bracket pretty much anywhere besides Japan. Xrd is the game I've seen the most competitive success in, but i only started really hitting my stride after the game aged out of the Evo lineup, and when we brought it back as a side tournament last year i was too busy running shit to put together a good tournament run. this time i got some solid wins over WhyHaveIDoneThis, Kedako, and BeautifulDude, and lost to Daymendou (as usual) and PepperySplash (who won it all).
Kedako:
Beautifuldude:
I generally don't sweat my competitive results too much because I know that I'll keep getting better as I keep playing and I'm not really in any rush. That said, there are far stronger players than I who have never gotten an Evo top 8 medal, side tournament or main tournament, so it really means something to me that I managed to pull this one off, especially with the Kedako W. i did a little bit of specific prep for Kedako, and seeing it pay off feels good.
Of course, I couldn't have put that bracket run together if I didn't have the crew to run stuff. Seeing Irene and Aaron run stuff, backed up by a dozen NorCal locals all rocking RESSHOUMANIA shirts and masks just like it's another Caliburst, felt fantastic. This, too, is something that we've worked so hard for. Our Xrd scene is a beautiful community, and I am proud of all of us who have taken the stewardship of this game into our hands so we can continue to play it with everyone.
It was also amazing to welcome UMVC3 back to the Evo stage. I am not an active marvel competitor, but I say this in the way a recovering addict will still call themselves a recovering addict even if they haven't used in decades. I have spent a lot of time playing both MvC2 and MvC3, and it's the closest I'll ever get to high-stakes gambling in my life. I believe there's a lot of interesting game left to play, and it'll look a little different now that Zero players have taken 12 years to stop dropping their combos.
While I am a Marvel player, I didn't go too deep on the last generation of tag fighters. I really liked MvCI's core gameplay but didn't like the characters; DBFZ is beautiful but I'm not really a DB fan and the core gameplay felt like a step back from UMVC3; I didn't really give BBTag enough of a shot because I didn't like the limited character controls. However, I've been playing Project L for years now, and it was incredible to see Evo attendees give our demo a shot and have a lot of fun. I think the game is shaping up to be something special, and I think that if nothing else, the people who play this game might understand why i yell about fighting games the way i do.
one of the things that is real cool about this game is that you can play it with a teammate, so at an after-hours event i got to contribute to a 2v2 showmatch - myself and Unconkable (the game director) vs. Clockw0rk and MarlinPie. it was a good time, and i was super proud to help show off what this game looks like with people who have been playing for a while.
i have been many things over my many years of engagement with fighting games. when people ask me how to describe what i do, i simply list the verbs: player, competitor, advocate, writer, editor, developer, teacher, coach, journalist, streamer, event organizer, community leader...it's a lot.
i think i am beginning to see what the next phase of my life in fighting games is going to look like, and it's looking pretty cool.