« IPLAYWINNER MAILBAG: THE BEGINNING »

All things big start small, and with the iPW Mailbag, that is precisely what I'd like to be able to do. Some of you may have seen the first post I made regarding this. To reiterate my goal of creating a weekly mailbag, I'd like to be able to create more exposure for the fighting game scene. However, I don't want to be limited to exclusively local or national exposure. This community is very diverse on an international scale, and I'd like to encourage some of our regular readers who are also from Europe, Japan, and other foreign countries to participate in this mailbag by e-mailing me: crackfiend@iplaywinner.com. With that said, here is the first iPW Mailbag! 



Community Lingo

Sup Crackfiend,

Slang and lingo has always been a big part of the fighting game community. Yesterday while I was watching the LA Riots and NEC streams, I swear I heard the term "salty" said a billion times. The term is being beat into the ground. What do you think the next lingo trend will be after salty dies out?

Robert, Seattle

Lingo is always dependent on several different variables before they become a popular trend. It's hard to say what the next lingo trend will be when there are probably hundreds of different community lingo in each independent region. On top of that, which trend is going to get the most exposure and make the most sense to us? But to answer your question, I don't know know what the next trend will be since there hasn't been a case of new lingo growing in popularity.

Income for fighting gaming professionals

I've been wresting with this question for a while and haven't come across a satisfactory answer yet - What needs to happen to the SF4/Fighting Game community in order for more top players to be able to earn a resonable living playing professionally?

I look at games like Counterstrike, Gears, Halo, Starcraft, and even things like Magic the Gathering and it seems that that ecosystem is so much broader and healthier than the fighting game community in terms of how much money can be made. They've got sponsorships, slots on WCG, and MLG, etc. Is it just a function of how big the game is (copies sold/# of people playing it)? Are fighters less suited to be spectated because if you don't play the game you really can't understand what's going on? Why am I not seeing Capcom, Mad Catz, and others ponying up more money for tournaments or leauges of some sort? 

I look forward to your insights.

Thanks,

El Sweepador, Seattle

That is a very intricate question with plenty of sub-topics and layers to discuss. The simplified explanation to your question is that the return on investment needs to be right. Investment can mean several different resources: time, money, energy, etc.

For those resources being allocated, was it used efficiently and rewarded sufficiently to warrant a reason and invest further? With that said, if you've seen any kind of profit/loss breakdown on tournament events, there hasn't been consistency in tournament events making profits. It could be because the event wasn't well coordinated, the target audience was too niche, and so forth.

There is also an issue with cultural segregation within the video game community along with social acceptance in U.S. society.

When you go down the entire list, it goes from PR within the grass roots all the way to the perspective of gaming in the political agenda.

I don't think you'll ever find a satisfactory answer your questions because they are so broad, however, we can probably narrow things down and discuss them further in separate categories, since they all have their own nuances. You're probably still not satisfied, but at least we can start somewhere.

This is a real question from one of our readers...

Crack, why you so sexy? <3

fobi0, Fresno 

Because I am BALROG408 and I made a promise to show this question on iPlayWinner after you positive repped me on www.shoryuken.com. Yes folks, sometimes bribery works. 

Comments

[LB]

man this entry was lbaigo approved.

lbaigotastic.

[Romeoisburning]

Has MLG added SF4 to their lineup of tournament games?

[Vestax]

Street Fighter is a hobby. When that chit hits TV status, then there's money to be made.