They say you can make friends anywhere on the planet: even on a battlefield. There are Smashers that I only know through tournaments. Without any coordination us Smashers make an agreement to keep smashing and going to tournaments so we can fight again. After all, we wouldn’t want to deprive ourselves of the chance for a rematch. Sometimes years go by before we see each other again. We might not remember each other’s names or faces at first, but only after seconds of playing with them again it all comes back. You remember the stages you played on, and the venues where the tournaments were held. You remember the look on their face when they squeezed out that miracle win, and they certainly remember the dance you did when you snatched victory from what seemed like hopelessness. In such a short time, you feel like you’ve caught up from all those years, and you can’t wait to show each other all the new techniques and tricks you’ve been working on when the time comes on the battlefield.
There’s something about the nature of one’s character that that comes out in a fight. By playing the game you’ll find the answers to many questions. Will they do whatever it takes to win? Will they bend the rules? Will they cheat? Will they follow their own code of honor? Will they play for fun or for money? But the questions that are more important are: Will I learn something about my opponent? The Game? Myself? Life?<!--more-->
I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned that I can’t escape from myself, even in a video game. I learned that when I play smash, it’s me in there. With Kirby as my avatar, I fought in my own style because I couldn’t do anything else. It turns out that I never wanted to win. I just wanted to be a part of the awesomeness that was OC3. I wanted to play and match many great players to see just how far Kirby could go. I’ve detailed Kirby’s shortcomings on papers, but I wanted to see it for myself. Call it dedication or stubbornness it’s over now.
I lost. Not only did I lose, but I did about as badly as I could have done. Yet I feel victorious. I tried for so long to hold on to my Kirby identity knowing it was a losing battle. Before, I couldn’t stop playing Kirby because that’s where my happiness was. It just wasn’t the same playing the other characters. Now, I can finally let go of Kirby. Fighting with the worst character in the game against the best characters and players in the world helped me understand something about Smashers.
After going to enough tournaments and seeing enough battles I understand the thing that binds us is Smash. As different as we are, we all have this one thing in common, and that’s enough to put everything else aside. And when Brawl comes out, we’ll all come together again not to fight, but to Smash. We fight everyday to build our lives, but when it comes down to the game is more than that. It’s not a fight. It’s Smash: a way of life.
Keep Smashin!
There’s something about the nature of one’s character that that comes out in a fight. By playing the game you’ll find the answers to many questions. Will they do whatever it takes to win? Will they bend the rules? Will they cheat? Will they follow their own code of honor? Will they play for fun or for money? But the questions that are more important are: Will I learn something about my opponent? The Game? Myself? Life?<!--more-->
I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned that I can’t escape from myself, even in a video game. I learned that when I play smash, it’s me in there. With Kirby as my avatar, I fought in my own style because I couldn’t do anything else. It turns out that I never wanted to win. I just wanted to be a part of the awesomeness that was OC3. I wanted to play and match many great players to see just how far Kirby could go. I’ve detailed Kirby’s shortcomings on papers, but I wanted to see it for myself. Call it dedication or stubbornness it’s over now.
I lost. Not only did I lose, but I did about as badly as I could have done. Yet I feel victorious. I tried for so long to hold on to my Kirby identity knowing it was a losing battle. Before, I couldn’t stop playing Kirby because that’s where my happiness was. It just wasn’t the same playing the other characters. Now, I can finally let go of Kirby. Fighting with the worst character in the game against the best characters and players in the world helped me understand something about Smashers.
After going to enough tournaments and seeing enough battles I understand the thing that binds us is Smash. As different as we are, we all have this one thing in common, and that’s enough to put everything else aside. And when Brawl comes out, we’ll all come together again not to fight, but to Smash. We fight everyday to build our lives, but when it comes down to the game is more than that. It’s not a fight. It’s Smash: a way of life.
Keep Smashin!