Evolution: A Fitting Name

The best sign in the world to me is that shot of 8k strong in the hall last weekend. You can’t even see the back of the room. That to me says, “We ain’t goin’ no-wheres.” With that stubborn, grammatically incorrect thought it reassures me that the FGC isn’t going to just disappear. It is a physical embodiment of how strong we are and how we are going anywhere. There’s a reason I’m being very redundant here.

A lot of people say the FGC faded away a decade ago. I would protest that it just went where all great things go when people aren’t ready for how great they are. Underground. We didn’t fade away or wither to nothing but a root. We slipped into the shadows and operated as normal, waiting for the chance to strike when we knew we could not be ignored any longer. In fact one could argue that we weeded out some of the bandwagon people and got to our core. If anyone would like to argue with that, go right ahead. Just remember that a decade ago when the FGC was supposedly “dead,” the first UFGT happened, ask someone who plays Tekken what was going down in Atlanta, and that thing that defines a generation of gaming happened…what was it called again? Oh yeah it was Evolution the biggest fighting game tournament in the world.

Twelve years ago, a tournament series called “Battle by the Bay” which had already relocated to Las Vegas from Sunnyvale and was rebranded Evolution or EVO for short. The Evolution Championship Series has done exactly what its name sake implies. Its decision to switch from arcade cabs to consoles in ’04 was wrought with controversy. Yet, that didn’t seem to stop probably the single most known moment in our history from happening. Think about where the tournament might be today if that switch hadn’t been made. Just that one subtle, unpopular decision charted a new course in an entire gaming community. It opened up all the possibilities for bringing your own systems, sticks, and controllers. It meant that guys could practice at home and have the exact same game at the tournament. I don’t even want to get started with the differences between arcade and console versions from back in the day. But, the most important part of what that decision did was that it set this tournament up for the future. Taking risks is not something you see many people or companies do. However, it is often what needs to be done for true success.

Now before you start to get salty about how this is a piece to suck up to EVO and the organizers, let me just tell you this. There are plenty of things that EVO has done over the years that I don’t like. In fact, I’ve been one of the more vocal advocates against the things they do that I don’t like, in print and live on our show. I blew them up for leaving out Tekken initially this year, giving InjustASS their own hall and way more support than it deserved despite being so new last year, including Smash Bros as a fighting game, and I was a strong advocate against Ultra being played this year instead of AE2012. This is just to name a few. I don’t particularly like the methods that the Cannons and Wizard use for a lot of their operations. Yet, that’s the beauty in their tournament. They don’t care if I don’t like their methods or decisions. They care about making the best tournament which appeals to the most people that it possibly can get to. Now I don’t have to like that, but if you want to be successful and grow a brand or a community, you can’t possibly cater to everyone.

You have to remember that if there aren’t any eyes on the event or butts in the seats, then the events will stop happening. What good is a tournament then if no one is going or watching? Look across all other things popular in the world. This is a theme that runs true. Do you think the NFL would make the bank it does without getting the casuals to keep their eyes on the screen too? Now you do not have to like that. I don’t like that. But that is the way the world works. And you have to respect that. I respect that immensely. I want what I want as a fan but if whatever I’m involved with isn’t giving it to me, I can take my time and business elsewhere. It’s actually a pretty good system when people use it and don’t just bitch and moan all the time. Take for instance some of the major sports in our country the USA. I just don’t watch on TV anymore. The product on the screen is just not possibly good enough to hold my attention.

And here is where EVO is ahead of the game. EVO and a lot of other major FGC tourneys out there don’t get in the way of the product on the screen. In fact, they do everything to facilitate it. You want to see the games that aren’t on main stage? FGC will get more streams. You want to see two players go at it that aren’t going to catch each other in a tourney bracket? We’re making it happen and guess what they’re playing to ten games instead of three. You want to see which coast of the country is better top to bottom? Here have this five versus five exhibition. This is the kind of thing regular sports cannot give you. They can’t give you all of the organically grown, community driven content that is created by the talent and fans themselves. And tournaments in the country that get big enough to where people fly out just to hang out and watch all have one common denominator and that simply is all of the great cool stuff going on that caters to as many people as possible. We get Super Turbo at EVO in some form every year. Fightermania at CEO, auction tournaments in Chicago, and running twenty, yes TWENTY games in SoCal all make the list of stuff that we have that other sports, and hell even every other video game, don’t have.

We’re never going away. We’ll never die. Think your game is dead? Guess what, if you go to EVO, I bet you someone is running a side tournament for that. Our genre is one of the best because of all the great things it offers on its own. And EVO is where we show everyone in the world that’s exactly what’s going on over here in the states. We offer it all. It might come with some weird packaging. Sometimes it might be a little beat up from shipping and handling mishaps. But rain or shine, day or night, we damn sure deliver the goods, and we aren’t ever going to stop.

We had to play a lot of the same games for a decade. We didn’t go away. Kotaku manufactures and article about how we’re cavemen once a month. We haven’t sunk, haven’t even sprung a leak. Capcom puts out a new update a month before the biggest tournament in the world. You want to talk about throwing a wrench in competitive play? Hey world, how about we turn out the largest tournament field for the series, EVER. Are we legit? Should people take us seriously? We play on consoles that are manufactured by Sony and Microsoft. The computer your using to read this, wouldn’t be here without MS including if you’re on an Apple, learn history. Those Blu-rays in your player, that’s  proprietary Sony. You know who had the patent on floppy discs back in the day? Sony. And those giant companies are starting to sponsor us. Did you watch EVO? Is Pepsi a big sponsor? Guess what. They make more money than Coke now. EVO embodies us. And it’s the perfect word because it describes what we do. We evolve. Our sponsors are companies that have evolved to beat their competition over and over again. Get used to it. We might not ever be the biggest. But, if you think we are going to keep getting bigger and better, than you best get ready to hold the losses and taste the pain. Because, this party is just gettin’ started and it ain’t ever gonna stop.

Keep walking forward and pressing those buttons. We got your back.

OverDrive News Live: More of a Re-Imagination than a Reboot

Here I sit a fresh five weeks into of the reboot of our #FGC news show OverDrive News Live (#ODNewsLive, shameless plug) and first let me clear up any confusion. Yes it's the same style of program. It goes about the same length. But, I feel it's more focused and we save the subjective conversation for the end or another show that we do, designed to be an editorial style of show (watch out for more Aegis Reflection coming soon). OverDrive News Live is what I've always wanted in an #FGC show/podcast as a common peasant fan. Two regular dudes with no real bias towards any players, organizers, corporations, etc, talking about the news this week in the #FGC. Then I don't have to deal with how flimsy shoryuken.com has become (we miss you Keits), or EventHubs war on ad block (I donate directly to the streamers when I can). I'm the kind of person that loves to listen to podcasts because I can put it on and do something else with my eyes. Like play video games. Who would have thunk. That's one of the many reasons why I love making the show.

We understand that there are viewers out there that want a show and a live experience which is why we do the show streaming live with video. We get way more listens on the posts of the shows than we get viewers of the stream, but hey that is to be expected. People (like me) that want to listen on demand when it suits their schedule are just as important and we won't take them for granted. I'm sure Clinton and I will always do a podcast about something. Simply because we are two like-minded people who get along and share quite a few passions and hobbies.

But, I just want to take a second and talk about us, our new show(s) and why I think that we're doing something that the #FGC needs. I don't really care about what the #FGC wants. What people "want" changes on a whim with and without reason. What people "need" is journalism, whether it's home grown, semi-professional, or full blown #FGC Sportcenter. They need a lot of options when looking to journalism. Clearly in a field where facts are in play, without options and people keeping other sources in check, truths can be skewed rather quickly and rather violently. In today's society there really is something to be said about alternative journalism. When big networks just don't cover all the stories because they are ruled by ratings, it leaves the public without help to discern what is really happening. I channel ideas like of the HBO show, "The Newsroom" and alternative news organizations like, "Vice." (more of the style of the TV Show and not the click bait articles on their website, hey you have to pay the bills which I'll get to later) But most importantly, you need to have someone offering opinions and questions that has no vested interest in the outcomes. To truly be objective is a hard thing to do, because it often means being harder on something you love and a lot of people aren't comfortable with burning something down that's broken and building it anew. It's a lot of hard work and dedication but what's nice for us in the #FGC is that for the most part, we have a great foundation.

When you look out there for #FGC content, you do actually have some great options. First off I really miss Wake Up SRK. Keits and SkiSonic are two great people in the #FGC and not getting a weekly or even monthly insight into their heads is something the community really needs in this writers opinion. But, what can you do? I fully understand why the show isn't around anymore and it's unfortunate. I just wanted the chance to formally say, RIP. There's plenty of great channels and shows that are thriving out there for everyone to check out. Here's just some of the ones that I watch at least weekly that bring great content to the fold. Level Up, IEBattlegrounds, Team Spooky, UltraChenTV, everyone on the IPlayWinner network, and all of the endless lobby streamers. As well as a few on my personal favorites like Team Stickbug and all the great members from the NY area, Aris with AvoidingThePuddle, and CounterAssualtTV with it's members bringing us Rebel Ups from the west coast. Of course there are many more that I don't have to mention that we all know and love.

Frankly, I think you should listen to them all, but I understand that isn't possible for most of us. But they all have a few things in common. All of these streams are brought to you by top players and organizers. Some of them are focused on streaming live content and some are focused solely on the news. Some dabble in a little of both. Many are focused on one set of games or only one companies games. Others try and include everything but often have to break up their shows into segments often separated by commercials. And they are all from the perspective of people who have competed or commentated in top level events.

Which is why, OD News Live is something we bring to the community, for free, with no commercials, no breaks, on our own dime. Not to talk smack about the other shows out there. I just gave them all the love in the world up above didn't I? Hey if anyone understand you have to pay the damn bills around here it's regular guys like us. We aren't always in a position to help pay those bills and I've always been a fan of communities that can sustain themselves. Which is why I donate directly to keep these guys around on a weekly basis, so they can go make something at the majors where the big sponsors are. But, the fact remains that there aren't many shows out there that try bring you all the news each week in the #FGC from the average fan's perspective. And the ones that have that reputation, are often biased and lack integrity. No, I'm not going to name any names.

I know this seems like two interweaving points at once, and that's because they are really intertwined.

Let's be real my #KAPPA brothers. Any company with a decent marketing team understands that having a logo plastered all over something important that viewers are going to watch (and a promo sale for the viewers) is way more valuable of a marketing tool than commercials run during a weekly even or radio program. So there it is. Even if we were able to become partnered with twitch and all that other fancy shit, I would never let ads be run live during the show. Before we start? Sure. After the show is finished? Sure. On the YouTube archive, why not? We do have to pay for all of this and that does help a little bit. But, I'll tell you right now, we'll never run an ad during the live show. Ever. I mean it. I'll leave the show if that happens. I have no problems shouting out a sponsor at the top of the hour, or even at the end of the show. But, interjecting that shit in the middle of the broadcast makes me feel like I'm watching TV, or listening to regular FM radio. It reeks of corporate, for profit, don't give a fuck about our community attitude. That is an evil which I love to avoid, and am thankful that we avoid it so well. Again, let me reiterate that I don't harbor any ill will towards people that pump out 8.95s all day long. I still watch that content. It just doesn't fill that void for home grown, real regular dude content that I think supplements the big machine perspectives. Don't get it twisted though. The shows run by the common people can still spiral out of control and give us all a bad reputation. But, we are the definitive example of organic as a community. The only gaming community that compares, is the speedrun community, and their drama is a grain of salt in the salt can compared to the #FGC turmoil. So I'll talk about that issue in a minute, but first let me close out this last little piece of the world of money in the #FGC.

This stance puts us in a tough spot. Basically, if you are sponsored you have to be a whore for that sponsor. At least if you want to get the big sponsors. Which means you run ads every hour on the dot. Which means you pump in the slides for all your sponsors so that even the people with ad block get that good old advertising slap in the face. Clearly, this policy that we have is going to be a hindrance in attracting sponsors to our program right? Of course it is. We understand that, and we don't care. We'd rather give shout outs to people who are doing great things inside the community. For free. That we like and appreciate. Than ram ads down your throat. Other more popular streams and shows do that already. We aren't trying to be just like them. One could postulate, "But that's easy to say because you don't have sponsors approaching you with checks yet," and you would be correct. Many would say, "You never will get sponsored because you guys [insert internet trolling here #KAPPA]," and you may be right about that too.

Here's my response. Quote me. "We will not compromise our integrity or convictions as human beings to try and make a living off of something that is hobby."

If we wanted to make cash from fighting games and the competitive scene, we would put everything into the scene. I mean I would move to southern California working a shit job and I would be at Super Arcade five nights a week helping out Watson and Commando in any way I could. I would be doing two podcasts a week minimum. I would be helping run every Rebel Up, and covering every event that went on in SoCal in print and on the radio. The point is I would be doing everything possible to make it my career and that's not what we want. If you can make a little money off of your hobbies, that's great. More power to you. But, working that hard at something you love often saps the fun right out of it. Clinton and I have other aspirations in life. We have other careers in mind. Fighting games and the competitive community are huge interests of ours and if their ever is an #FGC Sportcenter I'm not saying that we wouldn't want to be involved. I'm just simply stating that this show is our hobby and our contribution to an organic community. We don't live and die by sponsorship. We aren't after anyone's cash or any twitch bucks or maxing CPM. We just want you to be able to hear the everyman comment on the stuff you are into. We want you to know that it's not just a stream chat full of trolls that makes up the community.

You can call into our show. You can tweet us and we'll talk about your issues or questions or comments. You can comment in the chat and we will discuss and acknowledge all that we can. When more than twenty people are in a chat let's be honest, you can't cover it all. You can do that on other shows, but with us I feel like it's different. You aren't asking a top commentator or player a question. You are talking to regular fans just like you. The only difference is that we are committed to giving you an unbiased opinion no matter whether we personally like a player or organizer or event, et al. That's what we feel is missing from your average #FGC discussion shows, regular chats at an event, and all those conversations in between. Because we are the ones who enable everything. Without viewers there wouldn't be streams. Without the regular players to contribute to the pot and fill out the pools, there wouldn't be majors. We are just as important as the top players. We enable all of this. And we are not represented on any piece of broadcasting in the #FGC. Which is one of the main reasons that we do our show. It's simply the best way we can contribute to what we love within our means. We don't care if people listen or not. We care that the option is available for people to listen. These are discussions we would be having weekly any way. We are interested in opening up that discussion to everyone else out there that loves fighting games.

Just look at Clinton and myself. We are separated by a thousand miles and we can discuss all the stuff that's going on in our community. Why should distance stop anyone else from connecting and sharing their ideas? It shouldn't and our aim to enable those lines of communication to stay open. I don't care if kids on forums talk smack about our show not having a thousand viewers. I don't care about other shows that talk shit about shows that aren't getting as many viewers, comments, tweets, etc. as other shows. And you want to know that I'm telling the truth about that? I don't check or comment on posts like that. I don't watch shows that aren't trying to help the whole community out. I also constantly plug my favorite #FGC shows, streams, and streamers. For Free. Without them asking me to. Because I love what they do.

That's how we roll. That's how we will always roll. We aren't telling you to just listen to the little guys. We aren't telling you the big guys are full of shit. We are interested in having a discussion each week with more of the common people that make up the vast majority of the #FGC involved. That's simply it. If anything else comes of that, great! If not, we don't mind because we love doing this. And changing it would probably suck the fun out of doing. We'll always be open to suggestions but we're always going to keep it fun and fair. We promise that. And if that sounds good to you, then join us each week live or when ever you can. If not, well thanks for reading and we'll see you in the chats and at live events. Thanks for checking us out and thanks for supporting the #FGC. We are just trying to be that little piece in that corner of the #FGC that doesn't get a lot of looks. The minds of the average player, the average tournament goer, the average fan watching on stream that does spam copypastas. We feel that is people like us, who would like to listen and participate in discussions across the mass of regular dudes that play fighting games, should have a platform. We are only really committed to one thing. Keeping that platform available if anyone wants to use it. We want it available, so we carry the burden of holding it open. But, it's something we love and will continue to do. We know we can't change the community ourselves, we are confident that we can help facilitate growth. Or at least we can encourage the growth. You know everyone can't be a leader, everyone can't a visionary, and everyone surely can't be the president/emperor/king of the #FGC. But, we can all be good, friendly, informed citizens that occasionally have to have some squabbles and come to compromises. We can be a thriving community that cares and does positive things and we don't have to have all that only flow through the same five channels. We're just another channel, doing our own thing and we'd love to have you involved. At the same time, we're not going to tell you what you should and should not watch. We'll still always have your back if you stay loyal to the #FGC.

The blog is obviously a work in progress and I'll do my best to invest my time into making it a forum of editorials that can be read whenever people have the time to relax and do some casual reading. There's probably spelling and grammar errors in places. You can never proofread enough. I'll fix them over time of course, because I'm uptight like that.

Let it be expressed explicitly and not just implied that I can never cover every angle in text and I will always make the time to elaborate on any points people have to make about what I say here. Also, I plan to discuss everything from what's going on in my favorite games, to recapping events I was able to attend. I'll take any suggestions for topics because like I said, we want this to be a dialogue and not an entity telling you what to think. We want people to share opinions and ideas. Debates will be had and hopefully we all learn and grow. Because when we learn and grow as individuals, our community grows collectively. Thanks for being a great community at the core and still reminding every negative Kotaku style outlet out there, that we are a force to reckoned with and we can raise money for charity with the best of them, we can be as inclusive as anyone else, and we can hold the best and most entertaining events out of any video game community. What we can come together and do always makes me proud to be a part of the #FGC.

To borrow a slogan from my first loved sport, from my city's team, and many other teams around the world,

Fightin' game player til I die.

Overdrive News Live #1 - Google looking to buy Twitch, UFGTX Results, Street Fighter News

Watch live every Tuesday night at 9pm:
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Welcome to the new home for Force Break Television!

For as long as we have been on Twitch doing shows, running online tournaments and streaming game play, we haven't had a home that we could call our own.

Well, welcome to our new home for Force Break Television!

For the uninitiated, Force Break Television on Twitch is a gaming channel that hosts fighting game content and podcasts, looking at the atmosphere of the Fighting Game Community and video games in general. We host several podcasts such as Overdrive News Live, a news podcast centering around the Fighting Game Community, and Aegis Reflection, a monthly video game retrospective.

Not to bore anyone, please feel free to browse the site as we add new content!

Check us out on the following platforms:

Force Break Television on YouTube

Force Break Television on Twitch

and

Force Break Television on Twitter