Was it a joke? Or a vision of the future? 

It's 100% social. I have just as much fun grabbing drinks or food after an event with likeminded people (especially after the COVID years where we were stripped of that experience) than the actual tournament experience. The best events I've been to have been ones with dedicated social spaces: a bar for example.

The feeling when you need to hop on a discord call to pop off on your opponent in a offline tournament.

Let me just say man, it’s refreshing to me that you pose a question to the audience at the end of the video to drive some comment action, but it’s a real question that you actually care about the answers to. A great way to beat the algorithm while actually engaging in a genuine way. I see you, Obama!

Hybrid events are a solution to only a small part of the problem which is low participation. I think the issue at hand is how to strengthen the more desirable aspects of offline play: playing sets in person and socializing. I believe in order for this to grow, we need to better organize the events so people don't have to crowd around TOs to wait and yell at one another if they wanted to talk. Ideally, there would be 3 areas in a venue; one for tournament play, one for casuals, and one for social gathering. If we could smartly queue people up for their matches, folks could be free run sets or sit in the social area to spectate, eat, drink, and hopefully talk to others . In terms of efficiency and comfort, this would address a lot of problems people have with events.

I think the reason we call the places we go to play "locals" instead of "local tournaments" is because they're a lot more than a tournament. For many, locals are more of a meeting place for a lot of like minded people and less about the tournament games. Fighting games are a social circle for many, but a lot of people playing online tournaments don't get that feeling of being together unless they go to a major like EVO or Combo Breaker. Also it would just suck to go to a venue for a supposed 40 person tournament and have like 4 people there all quiet playing their games on different PS4s.

If I start going to events again, they're gonna call me Oxygen because I keep going O2

Bahaha. Bruh “See me online, offline.” Like the phrase itself always makes me cry tears lol I love how it ended up being prophetic. As for locals…I haven’t been to one in years but when I would go(granted I was the organizer so my angle is a bit different) it was easily more about the social aspect, but not even for me but for my friends. Like if I had a buddy who had a nasty Akuma and a buddy who rocks a mean Cammy I’d want them to meet if they didn’t know each other and play and just see that connection. So in short the social aspect is easily the biggest appeal of offline for me. Great video man! Love these discussions!

Great stuff! Speaking as a mook who sometimes shows up to locals, and has been to only one big tourney. The number one reason I go to events is if I have friends going. I know I’m gonna go 0-2 play some friendlys and have fun, but I really enjoy just having the event be something that I plan as a get together with people I haven’t seen in a while! I think this is probably true of most competitors. Yeah we want to get better, but I’m not looking for bigger prize pools or my next chance to get top 8, I’m lookin to have fun and play some games with friends! See my friends offline online!

Man this video is like karma, I just went to my local last night after months of me being trapped in factory overtime for like a year. And I just had fun man, I don't even play Strive like that, but it was so good to get INSTANT FEEDBACK on what I was doing wrong/right and I felt myself improve over that session. It's cold and lonely for me in these discords man

5:01 Damn you nailed it, it's pretty sad now that I think about it. Fighting games have never been more popular, yet somehow the community has never felt..smaller? Or rather, we have way less community-oriented members now than before.

I remember being a kid around the 09er years playing SF4 at my locals and it being a really awesome environment for me even as a minor, I learned a lot and I think it molded me into a much cooler person. When I got older my mom started moving around the US and weve finally settled in Portland. While we where moving I sort of lost being able to go get involved in my local FGC scene, and when we parked in Portland I realized I didnt have it here either, because it sucks! Portlands FGC scene has been miserable, stinky loud bars, annoying people who dont shower, dangerous venues where I feel like im going to get stabbed taking the bus there. And almost no one plays any of the games I want to play (mainly SFV). The growth of online events as a result of better netcode has been awesome for me, I dont personally like GG Strive, but as soon as SF6 comes out im really excited to start participating in events and tournaments again, and if my local FGC adopted these online/offline events I wouldnt have to take the bus next to a dude actually shooting up heroin.

I like the idea of the hybrid events, it gives more outreach to players and also gives that social aspect to both parties (discord webcam could provide that more for online entrants). The social aspect is the most important part of local events. I used to run very grassroots, barely glued together snash events weekly in DFW but quit a few years ago. Everytime I look back at the community they always remember me and the tourneys cause it was memorable, helped people feel welcome, gave another home to some ppl, a true community. Its imortant to have these local/regional events so you can find that home if they need it.

Nostrobamas

In my experience, I just wish there was an easier way to find events or locals near me. It's like doing a damn puzzle trying to find events that happen on a semi-regular basis in my area, and most of the info that comes up when you look up on google ends up being old forum or Facebook posts that are outdated. I think people getting into the scene would benefit greatly from just being able to easily find locals near them to go an play at.

One cool thing about a hybrid event is that even for people who can't/don't want to make the trip over, they can still potentially see the other person on the other end on stream. If someone enters for the first time online, they can still, to a degree, build relationships with the other attendees so that they can at least recognize each other by name and character if they later decide to participate offline. It's still not a perfect replacement, but it could do a lot to alleviate economic concerns about coming to locals. Seems like such an obvious solution in retrospect.

I go to locals for the social aspect for sure. On top of getting to hang with people I like, I see a lot of value in coming to a social spot that's relatively low in cost compared to smth like a bar. It also helps that it's a place where I KNOW people have similar interests to my own. For me, it's also a great chance to actually play games that arent easy to find matches for otherwise, whether due to poor netcode or just a lack of online players. Being able to play Sonic the Fighters, for better or worse, is an experience you can only have in person

part of being a high level player is dealing with the in-person pressure of the crowd and having the opponent sitting physically next to you. knowing ur pride is on the line if ur opponent is the type that likes to pop off, having those around u potentially criticize ur gameplay, etc. that can really only happen, in-person. im happy TOs are using this hybrid online/offline as a way to keep the community going, for me itll never be as hype as fully offline. id like to see the high refresh rate/low input lag happen offline, as I can personally say it is a ton better. At the end of the day, i think its the offline champions that will be remembered, the kawanos, the knees, etc. i do think that 2023 and beyond will have a huge influx in FGC interest and ultimately attendance. Therefore im guessing that the topic in this vid is only temporary, and things will pick up soon. FGC is in like a holding pattern as the next generation of fighting games continues to be released.

Cool that there was a middle ground but it's even cooler that you felt like it went smoothly I thought that mixing them together would be more trouble than it's worth but getting the best out of both sounds dope

Biggest factors for me enjoying an event are: 1. Event has a bunch of people I know (don't have to be good friends... just from the same scene) 2. Retro cabinets 3. Free alcohol. Oktoberfest in ATL checked all these boxes, my favorite event so far this year

When it comes to the main local I go to (East Side Games in Waterford, CT, also if anyone from Connecticut is reading this, please check them out!), I feel like a big part of what keeps these locals fun and inviting to newer people is the amount of events and also extra setups to play other games or to just get friendlies in. I mostly frequent their Smash Ultimate local because that is my main game still, and that is a good local because not only do they have doubles and singles, but they also have an amateur bracket for people that go 0-2 or 1-2, so people get a lot more value out of the money they are spending than usual. The FGC local is also a good time mainly because they have 3 main games currently (Strive, Tekken 7, and SFV) and basically everyone plays all of them, which I think encourages people to try more games and just focus on learning and having a good time, and people will bring setups for other games too, so there is just a lot to do. Plus, while I would like to see the numbers for the FGC local grow more, it is generally a smaller group of cool people, so it is easy to just get along and get to know everyone, and it ends up feeling more like homies getting together than it does a tournament. Also a big part of the tourney experience is definitely the venue. ESG has a super chill venue, and I find myself much more relaxed there than most other venues I go to. Also, it is in a mall, so you can go to the food court to grab a snack or walk around and go to some stores before bracket starts. I definitely think the #1 thing events should do is amateur brackets or ladders, as that will get newer players to play more games and also have a chance to actual beat some people. Also, sometimes I feel like it just comes down to the community itself. Both my Smash and FGC locals have a lot of people that are just cool to talk to and are super encouraging. Also, as of the past like 6 or so months, ESG has VODs for both Smash and FGC stuff (I myself actually do the Smash VODs) and I think having the chance to be on stream or to have VODs motivates players to do better to potentially get on stream. But yeah, there is definitely more to be explored in the tournament space, but I think amateur bracket and venue quality are the top two things to consider to start.

This hits deep. I used to be a purely offline TO, I've just recently started adjusting to online events...a bit too late, since folks are transitioning back to offline and hybrid formats. Even socialization has changed with online/hybrid gaming, thanks to Discord servers. It'll never be the same as offline of course, but now we've got so many options and we're seeing even more types of players.

when more than half the comments are paragraphs, you know majin got us in the viewer engagement

I learned fighting games during the pandemic, entered about 4 netplay tournaments, and went to my first local last week. Man, that shit was awesome. Felt like I was missing out on something really special the whole time. Netplay is awesome for what it is, but connecting with people irl over a game you're all passionate about is next-level.

What I like seeing at events is a mystery tournament or a $1 side tournament for fun in a weird game. Also getting to meet people in person that you've heard of or seen online is hype af.

I haven't watched this video yet, but I feel compelled to appreciate an Escaflowne reference whenever I see one.

Something I can also see taking off is multiple venues in a single state all coming together for a sort of hybrid monthly. I could totally see a culture of almost like crew battles where cities start to take on rivalries with each other while off weeks can strictly between only in city players. I can see fighting games spreading much further in that scenario, as a lot of people who pick up these games for the first time are teens and they often can rope in one or two friends, possibly a club. having more venues spread out but smaller is just pulling from a much broader amount of people, exposing more people to fighting games than normal

It's been a hot minute since I've been to a local due to lack of free time + far travel. But locals benefit from the social aspect that you can't fully replicate on Discord or Twitch chat. Not to mention instant feedback on your performance. As for what to add or change, I don't know the logistics as to how to pull this off as I have never been a TO, but some things I can think of: -Side contests are pretty fun (ex: a race for who can clear arcade mode) - A TV strictly for watch parties who those who just want to watch anime and hang out between matches -Encouraging people to make friends with newcomers. For me it was a little overwhelming going to my first local by myself, but I eventually vibed with the staff and other players and looked forward to seeing them again! Of course this suggestion isn't the easiest to implement at locals, but just throwing it out there Idk that's all I got lol

it's definitely the social aspect of being with a bunch of people you may not know but all share a common enjoyment of fighting games. my favorite memories of regionals is sitting in a crowd going nuts over local players doing well or the upsets. i also love if the venue has arcade cabinets with old games on them. it was so fun to have two people, regardless of skill level, try and figure out a game while playing it. see me in The Last Blade on this astro city cabinet in the hallway.

when i was in college one of the things that really help me keep going to my local meet up on campus was that every friday was not a bracket, we try and do one once a month but it was a meet up where we play fgs for fun more than a competive thing, and than once a month do a bracket, but the meet up thing meant more than just a bracket, it was a social thing but we'd do other things than play only one game in a double elim bracket. one thing was just that there was always a multitude of games not just the one everyone was focusing on and working at, we'd have other games that ppl be somewhat more serious but also try out other games, play some wacky ass shit, someone would just bring the games they wanted to play but no one else played and ppl would meet up, hell we played lethal league, sometimes we'd play board games one time we organized a halo 3 lan party. i havent been there in a bit since graduating but they do shit like mystery game tournaments where ppl submit games and have them roll a wheel to play what game, and it makes it actually feel like a community fighting games, and a specific one (it started as xrd, and than went into unist) is what made us go and meet up in the first play but what really made us stay is that it became something more than a place were we'd just play a tournament and than go home, but rather an event where we all just played video games, specifcally games like one thing i've seen some weekly tournaments do is have a redemption bracket, where ppl who go 0-2 and sometimes 1-2 depending on the size would play a new seperate bracket, that allowed the ppl who may of only played 2 or 3 sets get to play more games imo, locals cant just be just a tournament and we all go home when its done, but has to be a community gathering, cause if i just wanted to play games, lose and leave i'd just play online

Man the reason i still try to go to my locals every month is just getting to play way smaller games, gamed without rollback, games with no online at all, and having that group of people that might give a shit all together and they get curious and they have their favorite games they wanna show off too and I guess the answer is just "the social experience". I try to simulate that online like after a set I'll try to talk something about it with the person but we're like, not there physically so it doesn't hit as hard

Yea, when I first went to my locals in mid 2018 for Tekken 7, I LOVED IT. It’s an adrenaline rush man. Being around people that share your passion for the game, watching feuds turn into money matches, chilling and eating with the people around you… nothing else can explain it. Before my first gremlin popped out of my wife, my last two tourneys were at Bread n Butter in Maryland. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too strong during that time, so I’d get my ass wacked out of brackets early and then sit in watch or play some casuals. If someone was hogging the setup, I can’t do anything…so I go home. That being said, adding additional “things to do” at events, or extra setups, I believe, makes an event feel more enjoyable, especially after losing in a tourney.

In my experience there's a kind of festive atmosphere around new games where there's no replacement for being there in person and seeing what everybody shows up with on week 1, but if I'm going to run long sets in an established game with just a few people I know, not much is lost by running it from home on PC and having the guys in a voice call. Even with bad netcode games, the frame or two of delay is more than cancelled out by hardware and software latency differences.

I don't like going to locals. Spent 20 min getting there and 10$ to play for 20 min. Its double elim bracket so you only get two chances to play and then you're out. There's usually not enough setups for free play until 4 hours in and its swamped with everyone trying to play or people taking their setups and going home. I could go home after I lose, but I wanna hang out and play. I guess I'm lucky living so close to my local compared to others. Reading other peoples comments about traveling hours to play and see friends got me thinking that, so I should be grateful for that. But all I can think about when I'm standing there waiting for a free setup or my bracket match is that there's probably better ways I could be spending my time and money. Thinking about it more, I guess I'd go more if there was more opportunity for in tournament matches. Ladder or redemption brackets, something so I'm doing more with my time there. That probably requires more setups, more time, and its probably harder to determine a winner and who gets the pot money. I'm reading more comments and I feel like I'm an outlier. Most people seem to go locals for the social aspect 1st tournament aspect 2nd.

i think adding some kind of social interactivity amplifier to locals, like a food/drinks/coffee bar would help as an attraction great part of locals is meeting new people and making friends

One of the weeklies for the smash scene I'm in does little coaching sessions. If you buy a beer from the venue and give your can to the to then you get like 15 or 20 mins with one of the higher level players that's there. They usually ask people on discord before the tournament so that they can advertise who's going to be coaching that night

All I know is gotta give props to the TOs willing to try this type of shit out. It can't be harmful and this type of attitude of trying out new things to adapt to the new realities of society, the community, and technology is what has to happen for things to not just survive, but thrive.

I swear dude, you've got some of the best fighting game discussion videos on this site. A joy to watch every time.

I feel like I'm in a unique situation from most people. I'm fortunate enough to have a nearby arcade that actually has cabinets for real ass video games, and not just claw games and coin pushers, which is rare in the US these days. Every now and then I get to chill at the arcade with a bunch of other boomers and play some games. None of the games there are games I get sweaty in at home, but I feel like that makes it more of an even playing ground for everyone. It's refreshing to take a break from the grind of trying to get good at the games that are popular now and then just go to the arcade and mess around in some Alpha 3 with some old men like me. I'm sure if I really looked I could find a more traditional locals scene but I'm just as happy to have a small old school arcade experience. This probably isn't a helpful response really, but I just wish there was a more traditional arcade scene in the US again. Maybe something like that could facilitate a stronger locals scene for those who want to be truly competitive in a face to face setting.

As I was setting up for Tatakai Tuesday, I went online in Strive to do some matches and get World Dollars to unlock tracks. The Redbull staff was surprised to see a match between Tokyo and New York go so smoothly and asked if having a Tokyo Team vs. a NYC team exhibition in Strive would be possible and I feel it could be. With the amount of people that watch Tatakai Tuesdays outside of Tokyo let alone Japan, for people to join the event remotely. And although I don't know how smooth the Melty tournament at Exe was, I think that If we open Tatakai Tuesday player rooms/lobbies for casual matches and exhibitions, then people can join the event remotely and bring up the participant numbers. It adds interactivity to the viewership as well. Just a thought.

Back when i was a consistent 0-2er, I would have to get my dad to drive me to a shitty outlet mall game store just so I could go 0-2 in under and hour and then be stuck with nothing to do until setups started clearing up. Something that smash is starting to do now that I wish more tournaments do is ladder events, where after the main stage of bracket, you get paired up with other people with similar records to you, and just play as many sets as you want until the venue closes. When you're a new player, you just want to play as much as you can and try to enjoy the social aspects of offline events. I don't think ladder events are a perfect solution, but I know when I was a beginner I would've super appreciated them.

Social is def the biggest reason for me. I always meet up with online friends and do other things besides going to the tournament. But also i love trying out new games at events (especially old arcade games). Watching a top 8 live with a hype crowd is unmatched.

Honestly tbh the biggest incentive for me in offline events is parts the social experience (the closest I feel to like, when arcades were still very active and had various fighting games everyone can gather at), and parts not having to wrestle with online for certain games. Though, as for that question at the end of the video, man idk honestly. Last major tourney I went to, I liked having stuff right next to fighting games like the gear/art stuff, but part of me also goes "I really kinda hoped that the one place I can go play offline fighters without having to commute for hours didn't close down right before the pandemic". Accessibility and availability is a big factor too it feels like, and while I'd love to do the stuff our locals do on fridays, shit be way, way far from me lol.

This is a very interesting concept. But my two cents on the situation of tournament running. me and a few friends used to run a local for our small town half a year before covid it was a monthly event and it was not fun getting everything all set up finding multiple consoles and games along with monitors or TV’s on top of not being able to secure a place that could handle at least 30 people at a reasonable price. However it always was very fulfilling to have people show up and play the games you love and can share that love with so the price you paid ended up being worth it in the end sadly just as we were finally getting some real good and consistent turn up covid hit and absolutely destroyed any momentum we had going. We’ve tried a few times to get things running again but there are a ton of hoops now and barely anyone is willing to show up so it was demoralizing so we haven’t ran the local since. I have massive respect for those still going at it though!

if i was a modern TO for hybrid events online players would pay double entrance fees, youre paying for comfort while the TO foots the venue bill. but id host it similar to Combo breaker where players get the spot light on them. i think exposure works well for social media and attracting sponsors. custom intros, face and hand cams galore. i think theres value in comfort but also the value in discovery

I enjoy going to events to see people preform all the difficult things I'm struggling with, and since I'm no where near a pro and haven't been to many local events I don't feel any burnout. But yeah something about seeing it with your own eyes does wonders to prove to you that it is possible and motivate you to try again

When I had the ability to visit local events in the past, it was definitely the social aspect that kept me coming back. Going from having nobody nearby who shared my interest in fighting games to even a small group of regulars I could hang out with is what drove me to make my way down to the local meetups every week. Online/Offline hybrids make sense logistically, but without the social aspect I think fighting games in general are significantly worse off. The question you need to answer is likely "how can you encourage people to participate outside of just the game/tournament itself". Like you said, it can't just be participating to go 0-2 and then go home; that's not really an enjoyable or fulfilling experience.

These days, the draw for me has been primarily social. Because of reasons, I can't invest time to really grind a game to get the most out of competing in our local monthly or any regional that might popup. That being said, I always try to be welcoming and helpful to any new players I see, to try and be a good ambassador for my game and scene as a whole. From my observations, a big part of what keeps a player coming back to an offline local is the quality of social experience. If they don't enjoy it, they are much more likely to stay at home and play online to level up their skill, if that's all they're after. I see the appeal of online tournaments, and wouldn't be surprised if they do end up replacing midsized regional events. But I think there will still be a place for local offline events, even if just for casuals or training sessions with the homies. It depends if there are spaces that can support a community and if those community members are willing to do their part by bringing setups, paying fees, participating socially, etc.

Went to climax of night the past 2 years and while I understand in the context of fpan games that is a “major” more than it’s a “regional” I think it really shows the kind of thing that is uniquely valuable about those gatherings. A pretty specifc list of games means mostly everybody there is gonna value the same kind of stuff so you can plan more things that that kind of people will care about. Molding your events and aesthetics in the image of the specifc games you wanna celebrate is super cool to me, way cooler than every event tryna be mini-evo e-sports whatever. I think leaning into more specifc tournaments that have unique events and aesthetics catered to their specifc player base is the way

another great talking/thinking piece, obama. i will say; some of the tournaments being run in the PNW right now are getting pretty hot with the attendees! a dude in our scene named Goon has been the guy basically carrying the big events in our region of the US, with a ton of cooperation from other TOs in the area (myself included), including all over Oregon, Washington, and west side Canada; the last few Bonus Round events have had over 100+ people in attendance, and our upcoming event in two weeks has over 150 people showing up, including some folks showing up from out of town! some of the games getting played also include "secret bosses" sponsored by Chapter XLVII of FAUSTIAN, and the first place winner, if they can beat that boss, gets their 1st place prize increased. it's been doing a pretty good job getting folks hyped up to come through and play. the regionals are still a rare breed, but there are some spots in the US that are working really hard to keep that spirit alive. and it's a LOT of hard work, but it's still so beautiful to see so many passionate people coming together to be with their community, play, and help each other improve. the spirit of the FGC is hard to kill, even in these trying times. anyway, keep it up with all the content. been enjoying it a ton.

I think it's important to run events that are like "events, but with a bracket" rather than "a bracket, but with events". Sometimes the latter is viable but I think most people are primarily interested in the former.

there could be a separation between events which are specifically social (start to finish in person and tons of diff games, vendors etc.) and events which are only about the tournament. i think there may be a lot of people like me who are totally cool with traveling a bit to play serious matches. but the idea of devoting a weekend is pretty impossible. i've only been to something like locals. had to travel 1.5 hours to play casuals. the reason to go was to play on a proper cab and with ppl who had a lot of experience and skill in the game. i think the primary reason now is being able to play and learn from strong players (the games are all on console or pc hardware). everything else is bonus.

I had a Yu-Gi-Oh club I'd roll up to with my homies and I'd say it's definitely the social aspect for these kinds of things Also nice touch with the Nikke OST,shits gas

The social aspect is the biggest part, winning or lose Im always going to have a big dinner with the homies after the weekly

I think the Offline Online solution really helps in countries like Sweden. I feel like every time I look up locals when I've moved it's almost always either totally dead or very low engagemenet (In my experience ofc). Offline Online might actually be a good solution to salvage the countries with smaller scenes and I also think Swedes as people might prefer this over an strictly offline event. Good video as per usual Obama, you never miss huh?

I think online weeklys are really good, and online majors definitely have a place espically for players with limited travel options, but I don't know about the full hybrid structure, at that point it eventually just becomes a bunch of matches in a discord server every day, that are in a bracket. I do think that for some events online qualifies could be a good approach to a hybrid structure, that could make events run more smoothly

As someone that lives in America I feel it's a lot harder especially now to just go to a local. Gas prices keep increasing while the worker's wages are staying the same. Another big factor is there's no reliable public transportation to can help with traveling in America. It's going to be hard to bring the life back to locals, but if we keep trying we'll definitely find a way.

Oh also I made my comment while your video was still playing so to answer some of your questions; I feel tournaments definitely dont need to advertise the Top 8 on Sunday or Finals match ups as much...like we know that stuff is happening. I think it was at Combobreaker this past year...the KoF Lottery Tournament was so gdlk! You know in the actual tournament you hear people complain about the top tiers and everyone in top 8 playing the same character this type of tourney lets every character be seen. It's more of a fun dont take things super seriously type of event. And you know...hype stuff still happens. You see the players have fun and create friendships. While this type of thing can easily be done online I think making it offline really gives the offline crowd a treat. Some laughs and shared experiences. Also team battle matches. 5v5 exhibitions and stuff. In the past I didnt care much for those but now I see the entertainment factor is really there. Whether it be a country vs country, region vs region or heck maybe allow people to apply and submit their own teams of 5 friends against another team of 5 friends. Those types of things are really good examples of the offline version shining more than an online version, imo.

Great point. I've literally been thinking the same myself lately. I'm not a true OG, just not old enough to have been, but I started in 2000 with MvC2 and played actively in the FGC scene and did fun locals and regionals until I had some major issues in 2016 and stopped playing fighting games entirely, among lots of other things. Doing a lot better now and getting back into fighting games this year and am amazed at how much the scene has changed in just 6 years. At least there is still a nice local happening basically every weekend, but the daily online tournaments and almost non-existence of in person regional tournaments now has been a big culture shock. (Also the local scene here now largely being made up of people that I've been playing fighting games for longer than they've been alive.) I've started looking into what might be a way to revive some kind of larger regional tournament, but it is a daunting undertaking.Thanks for the content as always.

Nothing beats international in-person events with player story lines

interesting that you brought up the One Grail for this topic, bc i also think that Riot might push the status quo in regards to online tourneys. we could see something like a pro tour run entirely online, first with open entry tournaments, and then maybe like multiple tiers of qualifiers after that. considering how much of league's advertising is "YOU could be the next Faker!" it makes sense for them to structure something that facilitates that idea as much as possible.

I wish events were more like this and tbh thought that’s what’d happen after/during Covid…but instead they still locked it to either local or online. For someone like me w/bad health issues…it’s been incredibly hard to get anywhere

As a younger (22) player who started helping host events, it's really about giving back to the community and sharing these games i think are great. Running events sucks but it's also incredibly fulfilling to put on a good event and people tell you they had fun. As for making it worth people's time, my local group is a bit of an outlier in that we own like 7 setups with a bunch of different games to play. No body has to bring a setup, which is a HUGE Barrier of entry just due to the hassle. Having venues with a lot of atmosphere is really important as well. Our monthlies are at a large barcade with tons of machines and great food. Our weeklies are at a smaller back room at a game store, but there's still a couple cabs and a really tight knit feeling and relationship with the store and even other customers

I haven't been to a local in like 10 years, but I still hold those memories close cause it was some of the most fun I had playing fighting games. The feeling of playing alongside each other, chatting it up, learning from each other. It's a completely different vibe. Online is a great way for players who might not have the means to travel make a name for themselves, but it just doesn't have the same sense of community. I've wanted to run my own small-scale locals since then, but man, it's hard if you don't have the influence, resources, or time to make it happen.

My old local didn’t really run tournaments much but we did weekly casual setups and getting to know the people there was so amazing. We were a small community who mostly played anime or jank shit so it really felt tight knit and supportive. I went to some other locals for tournaments and realized that it was the feeling of familiarity and community that was really important to me in a local.

I feel like it’s definitely social. I look forward every Tuesday to goin to Tatakai Tuesday not only for the games but to socialize with other players and have that boots on the ground experience. It’s kinda hard to put into words but offline events just FEEL better altogether imo.

Being able to meet friends/nemesis/like minded people is hard to beat and it comes form a boomer who got threatend with a knife in NY arcade cause i was merciless to a guy. However if We as a community can provide solid control over offline-online events ( You know lagswitch or just stright up cheats) i think it can help events or games grow. My favorite moments in offline? Beating Kenbou in a casual set and exchanging tips while having a good time after pools with JimmyJ and Ryan H.

I was wondering how melty blood official tournaments looked like some people were there playing on consoles! This makes so much more since now since it was supposed to be an online tournament. Honestly I think this is good for some of our fgc members with special needs that still want to be a part of the action but physically can't attend. I wouldn't say this should replace in-person majors. But this should be an option for some circuits like arcrevo, capcup, and company ran events

I love a tourney with a location that's distinct, the kinda stuff maybe I don't go to very often. Me and some boys back in highschool would go to this local youth centre place to run street fighter and smash, nice carpets and sofas to sit in. Not dishevelled, not gaudy just kinda homey and comfortable. It ain't just the experience of the game for us it was the vibe of it all, some locals felt a little sterile or like we weren't super welcome and I ain't about that. Rather everybody go to Rickys house cos his mom made gumbo that fed your soul in that case, place like that win or lose you still feel like you got a seat at the table.

One thing my local does that is really cool is let us vote on different games we want to play, and pick the top few and run brackets for them in between the normally scheduled games. It allows people to try and get their more niche games ran and encouraged people to come out and enter a bracket so they can vote that week.

as someone who mainly plays their games online due to not having the means to go to any locals near me, the most memorable thing from going to evo this year was meeting the friends i made through fighting games and getting to see high level play in person. i wouldnt be able to give a very good answer to "how do i draw more people to offline locals" as i havent been able to go to any myself, but i think fostering a community of people that makes you wanna go back there again just to meet them is more than enough of a reason.

I'm from a FGC that is in a kinda weird spot. My FGC is centered around a city that is steadily growing year after year, but the surrounding area is still almost entirely rural farming communities that are by big city standards very spread apart. And while we generally do have internet that is solid enough for online gaming, distance and other factors can still make it occasionally unreliable. At the same time, the majority of our community is mostly older guys. Not many peeps under 24. Tekken 7 did a lot to bring in some younger people, but covid, which resulted in the loss of our long time venue for weekly casuals, and then difficulty with finding consistent venues that are affordable for a small community to replace it have stagnated growth, and even lead to a loss of numbers. There are a couple of people who have stepped up and found something, but it's for mostly Tekken 7 at this point only, and I haven't had much time myself to go and see how things are working out. And then Winter always puts us in a lull of sorts. Yeah man, we're kinda just trying to keep it on life support for now till hopefully SF6, Project L, or Tekken 8 injects some adrenaline into us. Until then, I'm just at as much of a loss. Just keep doing what we've been doing and hopefully it works out.

tbh I think online tournaments are just hot fucking ass rollback or no rollback. Sitting in your room in the dark waiting for half an hour and trying to find people on discord and have a match with someone in the Bermuda triangle is just a really disengaging and awful experience imo. When I go to locals that social aspect and atmosphere really beats out the way I perceive my time spent with this genre. Eating with friends, meeting new people, having the crowd behind you're back when you're on stream etc etc. It's all something no online tournament could ever recreate cus online in general for FGs is fuckin soulless man.

I cannot speak to the question about locals; I just hope that all net code is solid enough to support hybrid tournaments. It seems like hybrid tournaments would hold net code to a higher standard as local competitors transition to and from local matches.

Events like locals don't exist where I live unless it's a 2 hour ride or something and it's mostly DBFZ, Strive, Smash, DBFZ... harder to find older games.

The social part of locals is what makes them enjoyable for me, being able to bullshit with other nerds over fighting games is more fun than netplay at home. also I see you with the Nikke music Obama.

I would say location is the biggest factor towards wanting to attend an event, if the venue is wack I don’t think most people will think about coming back

Hello , this is TORA from the Saudi X japan exhibition , I really wish it was handled in a different way, But I guess we were in the transition phase from COVID era, to going back to official local tournaments, I love your content bro , keep on the good work , and the Idea of hybrid tournaments might be the future! Many thanks !

Take my money is the best song on nikkes ost

Small and mid-size offline events won't exist in 10 years just like LAN parties haven't existed for 10-15 years , at least not in the west. The ballroom events you're talking about sound like it was just something that carried over from the arcade days where you HAD to travel to play. That's slowly been going away as travel costs have gone up and online infrastructure has improved. Just think about how far netplay has come in the past 10 years. Games like UMVC3 and Injustice 1 were effectively unplayable online so the only way to play with other people was to meet up in person. Large events like EVO might still exist but not if it keeps the same model ie: an open tournament that you have to pay out of pocket to travel to. The thing I find interesting is that PC bangs in places like Korea and China are still really popular so that sense of in-person community still exists, just not for fighting games. We also have stuff like Friday Night Magic events in the west that are pretty popular but we don't see that same kind of popularity for fighting game events. Maybe it really is that fighting games are viewed as games for old people. Also, as for the Riot game you don't need to worry about running events for that game because Riot will make sure to take 100% control of it should it be successful.

I think an important next step for the FGC at local levels is looking outward. The next generation of big titles (SF6, T8) is upon us and that means a new wave of players. Looking outside of hotel ballrooms as venues and instead partnering with restaurants with massive space. Partnering with local print shops for merch. Partnering with local charities to bring attention and donate to. Do DIFFERENT events like Cooperation Cup in America. The scene has nothing to lose by making more friends. We’ve needed to be more forward with initiatives like this for a long time and I think extending our hand outside our bubble on a more local level will be mutually beneficial for all parties.

This content always got me thinking bro. You don’t miss 🙌

The Negrodaumas Thumbnail is Killing me.😂

I’m an old dude. I loved fighting games so much when I was a kid, but I didn’t have a conduit to the FGC. I thought it only happened in Japan lol. I didn’t have social media to usher me in, so I just didn’t know any better. Now that I’m so much more aware of the community, I’m madly in love with every aspect, and it’s sad to see offline events dying off. I’m so excited just to be there, talk shop, compete and get washed by amazing players lol… as the player base changes, it’s hard to say what would keep them coming back, and having memorable times. It takes so little to keep me excited to be there lol. If only I had known what I was missing, back in the day…

Great video Obama. Really got me thinking about locals, and the legal, regulatory, and financial barriers that exist _now_ that weren't so onerous back in the '90's and '00's.

In a lot of ways fighting game locals are like Friday Night Magic events. The social aspect is a major part but then there's also something to play for without being a top player. While the payout for an FNM is much smaller by comparison (1 card pack per win at most LGSs I've been to) it's still something players look forward to and drives them to get better at the game. I never got to follow many of them but an expansion of Ranbat points systems could invest players over time in offline/hybrid settings. Maybe the organizers of different online locals could work together to form such a system as well.

I got say that I truly enjoy the more analytical videos on the current state of the FGC scene or a particular game. Nothing against the usual gameplay content but I feel like this sort of "analysis" isn't that popular with the FGC content creators. But maybe that's just me. As usual a great video Obama. Sorry if I derailed from the topic of the video.

As someone who is what you would call a "pot monster", its the community, just hanging out at the locals, getting to meet people who share the same interest in fighting games, its all that really matters to me at the end of the day.

That sounds like a great concept to me, worth looking into.

hybrid event going to be fun but selecting which venue is one of the important points, for example eXField Akiba is very comfortable place, but price is also good (at least need $1000) I hope more esports studio would be opened all over the world in the future🌏

Speaking from personal (somewhat limited) TO'ing experience, I suspect that TO'ing is hard to get into because its very thankless work. While its fun to host and making sure everything goes smoothly, in the end it sometimes just doesn't feel worth it no matter how much you want to provide your abilities to the game & community you love. The amount of people that tell TOs to just "get better" when they see stuff they don't like (but god forbid they even think of giving a helping hand), BY FAR outnumber the people who are appreciative. I've seen a lot of new people try running tournaments, but almost all of them drop it about 1-2 months because it didn't feel good to do because of this. Regarding the hybrid attendance; I fuckin love it. Granted, this is something I suspect low-end TOs cant easily do (I don't know for sure since I've not attended many in-person events, but i can only imagine how difficult that management is), but the concept is really amazing. Awesome to hear that this specific one went smooth, I hope that they will be done more in the future!!

While I've stopped playing Strive for various reasons, I'm still pulling up to Cave to hang with homies and drink Bawls guarana soda.

most of them social! there is a small local that I go from time to time but it feels like a school lunch table (lol) like people there already knows each other and you kinda have to play their game (sfv) and nothing else.

Obama I'm just here to say God bless much love and always remember "who's awesome you're awesome" . love the content you put out specially the long-form ones like the Dark Souls 1 had me dying laughing lmao 🤣

The Nikke music LMFAO

A different experience, going to an event is different than staying home. The fgc is a multifaceted structure, I look at the part that you can play in a match but not be part of the fgc. As in you can compete or commentate and then go back to your world your from. Turn the fgc into a station/hub of traffic with the idea you can come and go fgcing is part of your day but not a need to socialise. I used to TO in my country so I noticed if I had tournaments near the bus station people I always got better turn outs because it was convenient for people to pass through check their bracket online see who they were up against play ask me for a time frame bounce pass back. If they lost no problem contribution was made. I liked it I got content to post, the community had something to talk about I had smaller bills and more time if and when I wanted. A hybrid system is nice once the contribution is there to make it worth the time people will find ways to fill the social as an opportunity to make different connections.

I have zero urge to play in an online tourney. I am also incredibly hype to go to frosty faustings next year. I would only play in online tourneys to get more experience in prep for frosty faustings.

I have p bad social anxiety, but for me, it's somehow a lot easier to deal with when I go to locals. I've made friends through locals, and most of the people that I meet or see seem cool.

Sounding a lot more humble than at the start of covid when my man was clowning on online tournaments, doesn't it?

I would love to have locals, they don't exist where I live. Now, about this hybrid solution, I think is great but maybe if it tips to hard in online's direction it might kill the offline, if few or no people are attending locally then just run it online, balance might be the key.

I think the collective mindset has unfortunately shifted from 'we can do things' to 'companies should do things' and I'm not blaming younger people it's just easy to get into that mentality when other games are doing bigger things and the only thing you apparently gotta do is grind the game within its rules and boundaries. A lot of young people will never get enough hubris to run an event in a gazebo and it's not their fault, there are socio-economic issues at play here which I don't wanna go into but. Yeah. I like hybrid events. Cheers Obama.